Abrewa Nana

Dorcas Opoku Dakwa (born 3 December 1980), known as Abrewa Nana, is a Ghanaian hiplife singer, songwriter and dancer. Her 2000 debut album, Sagoa, made her a national star, and in 2007 she became one of the youngest judges in the Idols franchise on Idols West Africa.

Early life and education

Her parents are Isaac Dakwa and Juliana Blankson, and she was raised mostly by her mother. Abrewa means "old woman" in Akan; she took the name partly because she was named after her grandmother. She went to primary school in Accra and to Aggrey Memorial Senior High School, then studied business accounting at Takoradi Polytechnic. As a teenager she idolised Mariah Carey and Aaliyah, and it was at polytechnic that she discovered hiplife and began writing her own lyrics.

Career

Her demo made her a favourite of radio DJs, and a collaboration with Sass Squad's Tuma got wide airplay. Sagoa (2000) earned her three Ghana Music Awards nominations, for Female Artiste, Rap Song and New Artiste of the Year. She won Hiplife Song of the Year in 2001 and Best Female Vocalist in 2002, the year she released her second album, African Girl. She was named Best Female Artiste at the Ghana Music Awards UK the following year and released her third album, Maba, in 2004.

Known for heavily choreographed videos, she has shared stages with Akon, 2Face and Tony Tetuila. She has criticised local DJs who favour foreign acts over African ones and has spoken about payola in the industry.

Idols West Africa

In 2007 she joined Nigeria's Dede Mabiaku and America's Dan Foster as a judge on Idols West Africa. At 27 she was one of the youngest judges in Idols history, and she urged contestants to develop a style of their own.