By Ed Avis
Last week during an APDSP Board call, member Hiram Russell mentioned offhand that his daugther is performing in London this month. I asked for details, and he explained that his daugther, Mecca Russell, is a singer/songwriter and is on tour there.
Wow, I thought, that’s really cool. I asked Hiram to send me more info. The next day he emailed me a link to a performance by his daughter, whose stage name is Neffy, on NPR’s Tiny Desk program. I listened…and was astounded! Click here to see why.
A few days later I called Hiram for more details. He explained that Mecca, who is 26, started demonstrating her musical talents in middle school and high school. Since then her skills and career have blossomed, including gigs in New York, Washington DC, and online through Zoom. The NPR Tiny Desk program, a major break for her, occurred in October 2021. Now she's taking part in a one-month musician's residency in London, where she'll have five concerts.
So if you’re looking for a new musical act to follow, jump on the Neffy bandwagon now, and you can say you were an early fan of hers!