Newen Afrobeat is an Afrobeat band that started in 2009 in Chile. Newen Afrobeat revisits Fela Kuti’s musical heritage. The word Newén means ‘strength’ in the Mapuche language. Their incendiary live show consists of 15 musicians, fronted by a powerful trio of female singers/songwriters, and oozes high energy. They bring their own unique musical vocabulary to the genre whilst collaborating with greats like Tony Allen, Femi and Seun Kuti, helping to cement their esteemed position within the afrobeat community.
Newen Afrobeat was founded by the Chilean composer and singer Nicholás Urbina. He composed all the music for the first self-titled album which was released in 2013. The intro of the first song Santiago incorporates parts of Jose Mujica’s speech originally delivered in front of the 2013 UN General Assembly. Urbina relocated to the United States in the mid-2010s. The group’s last concert with Urbina was at the Felabration Festival in Lagos in 2016 (founded by Yeni Kuti, the daughter of Fela in 1998).
Without Urbina the group continued after various member changes and reformed into a collective releasing the EP Newen Plays Fela in 2017. A third album was released in February 2019. Curiche, from Mapudungun root, refers to the blackness annulled for centuries in Chile. Built through the rhythmic power of tribal music, funk meandering and jazz improvisation. Newen Afrobeat continues raising the protest song among incessant danceable rhythms for songs like „Come Y Calla“, which is a portrait of submission; „Voraz“, a critique of current life; „Càntaros“, a song dedicated to women, and „Open Your Eyes“, an alert call, featuring musician Oghene Kologbo. The EP Newen Plays Fela Vol. II was released in 2021.
Their style finds its inspiration in the Nigerian Afrobeat of Fela Kuti and their repertoire includes a number of Kuti’s titles. Their music is also influenced by the aboriginal roots of their own country. They provide a musical experience where music is a tool for social change.Their songs celebrate the environment, indigenous rights, women’s empowerment, and multiculturalism. Newen Afrobeat’s live performances are also demonstrations in support of the Mapuche cause.
