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Jidenna

He orbits somewhere between the celestial highs of fashion and style and the progressive new sound of African beats and music. In just a few months, Jidenna has made his presence felt in showbiz as a complete package. He was born in Wisconsin, US, to accountant mother Tama Mobisson and Oliver, a Nigerian Igbo academic. As an enterprising fashionista, he has a self-made fez (hat) perched on his head to go with his tailored suit, plus some Converse sneakers.

He later changed into Maria McCloy’s trendy formal shoes decorated with African print. Jidenna tells me he doesn’t know much about fashion. But when you’ve graced so many best-dressed lists and are revered as a dandy dresser, it’s hard to believe it. “I tell everybody that I don’t read fashion magazines, I don’t know what’s the spring collection. What I do know is what looks good on me.”

He says some of the biggest names in music carved out an identity and image to be unforgettable. “You remember the image of the greatest artistes and their music. Tupac has a bandana and no shirt on. Madonna has lingerie on. Erykah Badu has a big headwrap on the top of her head. Prince with little ruffles. James Brown you remember with the perm or the ‘fro, the list goes on. You don’t remember how mediocre artistes look.”

Jidenna creates his red-carpet looks and while he fuses Western and African influences, he also looks to the Middle East because of the Arab influence that pre-dates the European conquest of West Africa.

In addition he dabbles in Indian and Chinese inspirations. “I literally went back to the past prime ministers in India and emperors in China as well as sheiks from the Arab world. We’re all connected because of the Indian Ocean.”

He says the fez he has on represents the new breed of chiefs of first-generation — Africans in the US. “It’s an African version of a don. You control your block and pay both cops and robbers, and everybody is happy. I joke,” he laughs.

The best-dressed accolades don’t mean much to him, he sees it as a greater movement. “Do they mean something for the culture and us embracing our style? Yes. I love people digging traditional African prints. It’s a fusion of our history.”

Turning to music, Jidenna was in town for a one-night gig at the Good Luck bar in Newtown and he’s still recovering from that performance. “Last night was amazing, y’all know how to get lit man, y’all turn out here. There are certain cities that can learn a lot from you. “It was overwhelmingly positive, full of energy. Good Luck was an amazing spot, it felt like Brooklyn but in South Africa.”

It turns out that Jidenna is a regular on these shores. “Some of my Nigerian family live here in Joburg, so I visit them once a year. I’m becoming a regular. Next time you see me I will be speaking Xhosa, Zulu and Afrikaans.”

After the success of “Classic Man”, Jidenna is riding the wave with two singles, the laid-back “Chief Don’t Run” and the heady high-life dance hit “A Little Bit More”, released as appetisers ahead of his album scheduled for release by December.

“Each song is a new world. “I may not be the best singer, rapper, dancer or producer but when you put it all together with what I stand for and what I have accomplished on earth I will be one of the greatest. We’re going to change the next 100 years of history of this continent.” — Sowetan.