Abrewa Nana

Who is Abrewa Nana?

Abrewa Nana is a Ghanaian singer, songwriter, dancer and former Idol series judge.

Nana's parents are Isaac Dakwa and Juliana Blankson. The name 'Abrewa' means 'grandmother' in Akan, her language; Nana later adopted this as a stage name, partly because she had been named after her grandmother. Raised mostly by her single mother, Nana attended primary school in Accra and Aggrey Memorial Senior High School, before studying business accounting at the Takoradi Polytechnic. As a teenager, she idolized Mariah Carey and Aaliyah, but was introduced to hiplife - a combination of hip hop and African highlife - as a student in polytechnic, and began to compose her own lyrics. Following the recording of her demo, Nana became a favourite among radio DJs, and her collaboration with Sass Squad Tuma received huge airplay. However, it was her first album, Sagoa, in 2000 that launched her to national fame, and she earned three nominations at the Ghana Music Awards for Female Artiste of the Year, Rap Song of the Year and New Artiste of the Year. In 2001, Nana won an award for hiplife Song of the Year, and was named Best Female Vocalist in 2002.

The same year, Nana released her second album, African Girl, to critical acclaim, and in 2003, she was named Best Female Artiste of the Year at the Ghana Music Awards UK. Her third album, Maba, followed in 2004, and she is currently working on a new album. Nana is also a dancer and famous for her heavily choreographed videos.