Emmerson (musician)

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Emmerson
Background information
Birth nameEmmerson Amidu Bockarie
Born (1980-12-23) December 23, 1980 (age 43)
Kenema, Sierra Leone
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • actor
  • activist
Years active2002–present
LabelsSugar Entertainment
Websitemyemmerson.net

Emmerson Amidu Bockarie (born December 23, 1980), better known as Emmerson, is a Sierra Leonean Afropop singer and songwriter. His songs advocate social change, and he has gained recognition in his native Sierra Leone for his political themes that center on the corruption in the government.[1][2][3] Emmerson sings in Krio and English.

Life and career[edit]

Bockarie was born in Kenema, Sierra Leone. He dropped out of a computer engineering program at Njala University to pursue a career in music.[4] His first musical release was a mixtape called Bodyguard Compilation, Volume One (2002), which contained the single "Yu Go See Am".[5] Velma "Vee" Richards provided vocals for his debut studio album, Borbor Bele, which was released in October 2004.[3][4] The album's main topics of discussion were kleptocratic institutions and the ideologies and cultures that support them.[6] The title track "Borbor Bele", which translates to "Potbellied Boy", is one of Emmerson's anti-corruption protest songs that expressed the anger and disenchantment Sierra Leoneans felt toward their rulers and leaders. "Borbor Bele" spoke about many of the reasons as to why the incumbent Sierra Leone People's Party should lose to the All People's Congress in the 2007 Sierra Leonean general election.[7][8]

Emmerson's later albums include 2 Fut Arata (2007), Yesterday Betteh Pass Tiday (2010), Rise (2012), Kokobeh (2013), Home and Away (2014), and Survivor (2016).[9][10][11] In May 2017, he released the single "Love Me". Among his previous singles are "Telescope" (2015) and "Tutu Party".[12]

Discography[edit]

Studio albums

  • Borbor Bele (2004)
  • 2 Fut Arata (2007)
  • Yesterday Betteh Pass Tiday (2010)
  • Rise (2012)
  • Kokobeh (2013)
  • Home and Away (2014)
  • Survivor (2016)

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Brown, Ryan Lenora (June 10, 2016). "Sierra Leone's politically minded pop star captures his country's ear". The Christian Science Monitor. Christian Science Publishing Society. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  2. ^ Hanciles, Oswald (January 22, 2014). "Emmerson's Political Bomb or Love Warning…". Sierra Express Media. Adeyemi Paul. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  3. ^ a b Kabba, Karamoh (October 24, 2005). "Tutu Party Is "Tutuerapeutic"". Awareness Times. Archived from the original on September 16, 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  4. ^ a b "Emmerson". Music in Africa. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  5. ^ "Emmerson: The pop star challenging Sierra Leone's presidents". Al Jazeera. March 27, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  6. ^ Aminata Kamara, Esther (May 21, 2018). "Following Government Suppression, Sierra Leone's 'People's Popstar' Is Finally Allowed to Perform". OkayAfrica. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  7. ^ Carnwath, Ally (January 18, 2011). "How the General soundtracked the 'Jasmine Revolution' in Tunisia". The Guardian. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
  8. ^ Kraft, Scott (January 3, 2010). "In Sierra Leone, pop music is a beat that drives politics and he is about to drop his new albun come on august 2020". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
  9. ^ "Emmerson's new album on course to break record sales". Sierra Express Media. January 10, 2014. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
  10. ^ Remoe, Vickie (January 3, 2014). "Emmerson's songs of love and protest Home and Away album now on iTunes". Switsalone. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
  11. ^ "Emerson's latest album Survivor sells 12,000 copies in 24 hours". Satellite News. April 23, 2016. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
  12. ^ Yai, Corner (April 17, 2015). "Sierra Leone Music: Latest from Emmerson is 'Telescope'". Switsalone. Retrieved July 2, 2017.

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

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