Kaliné
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Kaliné

New York City, New York, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2014

New York City, New York, United States
Established on Jan, 2014
Solo Alternative Soul

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Music

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"Artist Spotlight: Kaline"

Kaline Akinkugbe is a classically trained pianist, singer, songwriter, and aspiring film composer. At the foundation of all her musicianship is soul music. As a child, her mother taught her to play the piano and her father introduced her to Jazz. From then on, Kaline has been deeply immersed in the world of music.

She became aware of her talent when she wrote her first song and began taking vocal lessons at the age of thirteen. After finishing her A-levels, Kaline decided to follow her parents’ suggestion and take the more traditional route of studying economics at University instead of her passion, music. After graduating from Imperial College, London, she made the decision—with the support of her family—to pursue a music career.

Kaline attended Berklee College of Music in Boston where she recently graduated with a major in musical scoring. At Berklee, she explored a more contemporary sound, melding her classical training with Jazz and Soul influences. Artists like Stevie Wonder, Corinne Bailey Rae, Jill Scott, Lagbaja, and Michael Jackson influence her music and inspire her writing. She is still developing her unique sound by exploring different genres and bringing in her Nigerian heritage, sometimes incorporating Yoruba into her compositions. Kaline’s rich tone, classical influences, bluesy melodies, and Diana Ross-inspired hairdo set her apart from other artists in the industry.

For Kaline, music education is important because it gave her the opportunity and confidence to find her own style. Her advice for young people who are looking to follow a similar path is “don’t succumb to what is going on the industry.” She encourages new artists to “find their own sound.”

Kaline was the 2012 winner of the Songs for Social Change songwriting competition at Berklee College of Music with her song ‘Stand Up and Fight.’ The song was inspired by a story she read in a Nigerian newspaper about domestic violence. She is adamant about using her music and her voice to inspire and empower people. As she continues to grow as a musician and find her sound, we can continue to look forward to great music on her journey to self-discovery. - Ayiba Magazine


"Who is listening to Kaliné"

A couple months back, I attended the African Festival in Boston and I wrote a piece about this amazingly talented singer songwriter Kaline Akinkugbe. Kaline writes all her songs and is backed by an amazing band. Take a listen and spread her name.Like I said before, this lady deserves to be heard by the world. - Laurene


Discography

Ololufemi (2014)
Kaline Live In Nairobi (2013)

Photos

Bio

Kaline is a Nigerian soul singer, songwriter, pianist and film composer. She fuses soul, funk and world music to create an interesting alternative sound.

 

Born into a musical family, Kaline spent the earlier part of her childhood in Nigeria. At age 13 she gained a music scholarship to Queenswood School after several years of superior classical training in piano and violin (beginning at the ages of 5 and 8 respectively). It was at Queenswood that Kaline developed a serious interest in singing and started classical vocal coaching. As a soloist, she toured with the Queenswood singers in Prague, Vienna, Budapest and Rome. With her growth as a songwriter, Kaline won 1st prize in May 2004 and May 2006 for the Tamezin International Singer-songwriter competition.

 

She graduated with a BSc in Business Management from Imperial College, London and then sought after further education in Berklee College of Music. Among several competitions she took part in, she came 1st place in the prestigious Songwriting for Social Change competition, which displayed her passion for women empowerment. Her recent graduation in August, qualified her with a BA in Film Scoring. She has scored a number of student short films and has had one of her songs (co-written and produced by Cobhams Asuquo) 'Falling for you' recently featured in a Nollywood movie called Flower Girl.

 

Among several performance opportunities, Kaline performed at the 2012 Lagos Jazz Festival where she opened for Bob James and Fourplay. She was the supporting act for Chaka Khan and Angelique Kidjo at the annual SmoothFM luxury concert, 2013. She has an intimate/informal concert series entitled justKaline where she showcases a number of her original songs. She has done 3 so far.

 

On February 14th, 2014 she released her first single on iTunes called 'Ololufemi'. This release will follow with a video very soon.

 

Band Members