Nadirah X

Career

In 2002, Nadirah (also known as Nadz) won the Irie FM / CME Big Break competition which led to a performance at Island Village where she met Brian Jobson and Dave Stewart from the Eurythmics. Stewart immediately invited Nadirah to England. Impressed, Stewart signed her to his European-based label. She began touring Europe as the third member of DUP. Featured on the tours were Joanne Shaw Taylor, Candy Dulfer and Jimmy Cliff with whom Nadz wrote and recorded "Positive Mind" for his album Fantastic Plastic People or Black Magic which was nominated for Album Of the Year Grammy Award. Later that year she won Best New Female Artist in Jamaica.

In 2003, Nadirah was commissioned by Coca-Cola to do a jingle for their Real Campaign in the Caribbean at the same time her track "I Hate This" was a part of the Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life movie soundtrack. She also sang on and co-wrote the "Peace One Day " theme song with Dave Stewart, Camar, Mudbone and Jimmy Cliff.

In 2004, Nadirah scored another blockbuster movie soundtrack for Golden Globe award-winning film and soundtrack Alfie, singing the title track with Joss Stone and Rolling Stones lead man Mick Jagger.

In 2006, Nadirah recorded an album with Mudbone (P-Funk and Parlaimant fame) called FreshMud the album was released in Europe and received rave reviews which led them to open for Pink on her European tour before headlining a club tour of their own.

Nadirah and Dave wrote and performed the Go Green (GreenPeace Anthem) featuring recording artists such as Annie Lennox, Sarah McLachlan Natalie Imbruglia, Imogen Heap and Bonnie Rait. It was released on April 17, 2007. In May Nadirah along with Imogen Heap travelled to Beijing China to perform on the final night of the four-day Midi Rock Music Festival, the largest outdoor music festival in China. The festival was sponsored by The GreenPeace organization.

In 2008, Nadz appeared on Annie Lennox's album Songs of Mass Destruction on the track "Womankind", which was featured in the 2008 film The Women. Nadirah is a co-writer on the track as well.

Nadirah began writing and recording with Greek Superstar Anna Vissi in 2009 for Anna's English Album with production from Patrick Leonard (Madonna), Dave Stewart and Glenn Ballard.

Nadirah landed the lead role in Tim Kring's and Nokia's Conspiracy For Good campaign. is a fictional organisation that is part of an "augmented reality drama" game developed by Heroes creator Tim Kring, funded and technologically enabled by Nokia and realised by The company P, and over 100 people in production teams in five different countries. In 2010, London witnessed the launch of the Conspiracy For Good, a radical new form of entertainment called "Social Benefit Storytelling," which allowed for people to participate inside a fictional story... to do real good in the real world. The pilot spanned the globe and culminated with 4 weeks of live events and gameplay in London streets. As a result, the Conspiracy For Good succeeded in building/stocking 5 libraries in Africa, funding 50 scholarships for schoolgirls and generating over 10,000 books for the Zambian libraries through WeGiveBooks.org. On February 22, 2011 the Conspiracy For Good was nominated for an International Digital Emmy® Award.

Later that year, Nadirah was invited to Brazil to perform at the Back To Black Festival.

In 2011 Nadirah's debut album Ink was released through Magic Records/ Universal Poland. The single Here It Comes peaked at #9 on the Polish Top 200 Radio Charts and landed at #12 on the Top 50 Chart. The Album was Executive produced by Dave Stewart and producers are Glen Ballard ( Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill and Michael Jackson's Man In the Mirror), Dave Stewart (Eurythmics), Ned Douglas (Katy Perry, Anastacia, Stevie Nicks), Swish (Bishop Lamonth, Royce Da 5'9) and Michael Bradford (Kid Rock, Uncle Cracker and Anita Baker). Later that year Nadirah was asked to perform for HRH Crown Prince Haakon (Norway), Professor Pekka Himanen (Finland) and founder of Operation HOPE, John Hope Bryant (United States) and Bishop Desmond Tutu at the Global Dignity Concert in Finland. Nadirah wrote the Dignity Day theme song with Dave Stewart.

In 2012, Nadirah X and Swish released an EP the Mr & Mrs name, as a free download. The EP received positive reviews in Huffington Post and LA Weekly, which praised his production style and their lyrical ability.[2][4] In a YouTube interview by the blog "At Street Level", their music and production was described as 'unique.' Dave Stewart is quoted as saying, "It’s refreshing seeing a married couple working intensely together rapping about stuff that directly relates to them and their situation: one so many other couples can relate to," Stewart says. "I liken their spirit to Ashford and Simpsons when they sang ‘solid, solid as a rock."

Mr & Mrs are in the process of recording a full-length album.

Personal life

Nadirah grew up in an Islamic home in Jamaica, one of her older brothers Melvin Jr (Mr. E) who was a DJ in the early 90's introduced her to the music of such artists as Queen Latifah, Will Smith and Tribe Called Quest. She was immediately drawn to writing Rap flows and Poetry. Her first recordings were with Herbie Harris (Third World), Andy Livingston and Sly and Robbie (Riddim Twins). Nadirah is extremely close to her family and credits her mother Carmen as her inspiration to strive each day to do what is right. " I am a spiritual person, I believe there is a supreme being, Islam is my connection to that supreme being, that's what I see religion as, a personal connection to God, I was raised to respect other peoples beliefs, and I stick with that everyday, respect."

She is the last of four children born to Carmen and Melvin Seid.

Nadirah is married to Mississippi born rapper and producer Swish.

Influences

Nadirah X states her influences to be Queen Latifah, Nas, The Roots, Bob Marley, Mos Def, Lauryn Hill, Nina Simone, Jimmy Cliff, and Peter Tosh

Discography

Track listing and credits

Executive Producer Dave Stewart

1. "Testimony" - written by Nadirah X and Glen Ballard. Produced by Glen Ballard.
2. "Here it Comes" - written by Nadirah X, Ned Douglas, Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox. Produced by Dave Stewart and Ned Douglas
3. "Under the Rainbow" - written by Nadirah X and Glen Ballard. Produced by Glen Ballard.
4. "Blood on our Hands" - written by Nadirah X, Ned Douglas Produced by Ned Douglas
5. "Judas Blood" (featuring Swish) - written by Nadirah X and Jonathan 'Swish' Whitfield. Produced by Swish
6. "Finger on the Trigger" - written by Nadirah X, Ned Douglas Produced by Ned Douglas
7. "Good Day" (featuring Carina Round) - written by Nadirah X, Ned Douglas Produced by Ned Douglas
8. "Tuff Lyfe" - written by Nadirah X and Michael Bradford. Produced by Michael Bradford
9. "Ink" - written by Nadirah X
10. "These Times" (featuring Amy Keys) - written by Nadirah X and Glen Ballard. Produced by Glen Ballard.
11. "Ordinary Girl" - written by Nadirah X, Ned Douglas Produced by Ned Douglas
12. "Negativity" - written by Nadirah X, Ned Douglas Produced by Ned Douglas
13. "I Hate This" (Weapons Mix) - written by Nadirah X and Dave Stewart. Produced by Dave Stewart and Ned Douglas
14. "Reqless" (featuring DNA) - written by Nadirah X, Derrick 'DNA' Ashong and Michael Bradford. Produced by Michael Bradford