Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ekep Nkwelle. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Ekep, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
Many factors in my journey have contributed to my confidence level. For instance, I was born in Washington, DC in 1999, and my family lived on Georgia Avenue until we moved to Prince George’s County, which at the time was the wealthiest Black county in the US. Living in PG shaped my worldview. My neighbors, doctors, lawyers, teachers, friends, and enemies were all Black, so I was living amid the full range of God-ordained possibilities for the Black community that the media very rarely portrayed. Then, in 2017, after finishing high school at Duke Ellington School of the Arts in DC, I moved back to DC to begin my freshman year at Howard University. My mom (now the chair of the International Finance and Business Department) had been working there since before my siblings and I were born, so this was a safety school (if you consider a Top 2 HBCU a safety). My four years at Howard continued to shelter me in a world of Black excellence, but the shelter wasn’t restrictive from the reality of the larger world, in fact, it prepared me. I’m a very confident person thanks to my community, my therapist, and of course, the loving relationship I share with Jesus Christ.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m a 24-year-old, Cameroonian-American, jazz vocalist born in Washington, DC, living in New York City. I’ve been trained at the world-renowned institutes of Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Howard University (BA’21), and The Juilliard School (MM’23). During my time at Howard, I trained with master jazz pianist, Cyrus Chestnut, who helped me utilize the blues as an essential language for story-telling. At that time, I’d never imagine to perform and record with him now. While in New York, I’ve also worked with other jazz masters such as Russell Malone, Peter Washington, and Mark Whitfield, as well as well-respected, young musicians such as pianist, Emmet Cohen and bassist, Endea Owens. I’ve performed at incredible venues such as Marian’s Jazzroom, The Library of Congress, and The Kennedy Center and have been a part of several jazz festivals including Newport, Montclair, Hudson, and DC jazz festivals. I was recently award the 2023 Juilliard Career Advancement Grant through nomination by NEA Jazz Master, Wynton Marsalis. Additional achievements include my performance on NPR’s “Tiny Desk” singing her arrangement of Geri Allen’s “Timeless Portraits & Dreams” in 2022. In this same year, I went on to work with 3x GRAMMY and Tony award-winner, Dee Dee Bridgewater, in year four of her exclusive, all-women artistic residency, The Woodshed Network.
I recently recorded my debut album in August of 2023 and am still making arrangements to release it. Apart from recording, I perform full-time, year round, and though it is very energy-consuming, there’s nothing else I’d rather do. Musical ministration is not only a privilege but a joy.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Diligence and a great work-life balance have been most helpful for me. I’ve always been meticulous with my work whether in school or music. I don’t play– until it’s time to! Most importantly, my faith in God has been the foundation of my journey. I never make a career decision without prayer, meditation on the word of God, fasting, or godly counsel. I remember when my mother and father rededicated their lives to Christ when my dad first fell sick years ago. I never thought I’d have my own experience so young at the age of 21 on September 3, 2020. I remember dealing with so much anxiety that fall because I was graduating that school year and didn’t know what I was going to do with my life. That night, I woke up having a panic attack and begged God to speak to me. He led me to Esther 8:8, and after receiving peace from the word of God, long story short, I applied to six grad schools and ended up at the school that would launch my career: The Juilliard School. Before starting your career, it’s important to plant yourself on solid ground. Strengthen your spiritual life, your relationships, your self-care now. Your career won’t satisfy you, and by my definition, won’t be truly successful if you’re not well-rounded in all aspects of your life.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
My mom is the one who discovered I could sing at a very early age. She also put me in singing classes and the choir at church. It was even she who found out about Duke Ellington School of the Arts sent me there for high school and would later push me to apply to Juilliard. These are things that I see the parents of my counterparts do for them, but in most, if not all West African cultures, pursuing music as a career, let alone sending your child to school to study it, is frowned upon. The strength of my mother and her trust in God, as a widowed, first-born child of eight siblings, to send her daughter to three music schools amidst the disapproval of everyone around her is unimaginable. Mirroring the image of God, the greatest thing she has done for me is sacrifice. Without her sacrifices and belief in me, I wouldn’t be singing at all today.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ekepnkwelle.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ekepnkwelle/
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?mibextid=YMEMSu
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@ekepnkwelle?si=iAejQ-uCouXTZ53K
Image Credits
1. Remo Neuhaus 2. Herman Burney Jr. 3. Adrian Moser 4. Olivia Chindamo 5. Claire McConnell
