Nimco Happy, Nov 15, 2021
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Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series on the Somali song "Isii Nafta" (also known as "I Love You More Than My Life".
This post showcases an official YouTube video of this song that was published by the singer Nimco Happy. That video contains captions of the Somali words with English translations. Those English translations are included in this pancocojams post along with an article excerpt about this song along with one comment that provides some information about Nimco Happy's performance of this song.
Click //pancocojams.blogspot.com/2022/02/somali-singer-nimco-happy-isii-nafta-i_6.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. That post showcases a 2017 YouTube video of Nimco Happy singing "Isii Nafta" as well as an August 2021 video of Nimcoo Happy singing that song. That post also presents a compilation of selected comments from these videos' discussion threads.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the composer of this song and thanks to Nimco Happy for her performance of this song. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post.
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ARTICLE EXCERPT
From //www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ikrd/nimco-happy-isii-nafta-tik-tok The Somali Artist Behind The TikTok Hit "I Love You More Than My Life" Said Her Phone Hasn't Stopped Ringing" by Ikran Dahir, Oct. 29, 2021
"In the last month, millions of people on TikTok fell in love with a song usually played at Somali weddings, popularizing the track so much it landed
artist Nimco Happy a distribution deal.
The song is called “Isii Nafta,” which means “give me life,” but it is more widely known by its catchy lyrics “I love you more than my life.”
Speaking exclusively to BuzzFeed News from Mogadishu, Nimco said she found out two and a half weeks ago that her song had gone viral after she was tracked down by Polydor Records, a subsidiary of Universal
“Wallahi, I felt happy, elated,” she said. “I can't describe it in words, but I felt overjoyed. I felt like the world had finally recognized me. That I'm known internationally.”
Cardi B posted a video of herself and her sister dancing to it on Thursday, Drake commented “this song so hard” on a meme page, and Bella Hadid reposted a video of Nimco performing, surrounded by smiling dancing police officers.
[...]
This isn’t the first time the five-year-old song has gone viral. Two years ago, it became a hit with people in East Africa, thanks to its hook where Nimco sings “I love you” in four languages: Somali, English, Arabic, and Swahili.
That led to a meme of people saying they can say “I love you” in multiple languages.
[...]
Nimco said she can confidently speak Somali and Swahili well, and can speak only a little bit of English and Arabic.
In recent weeks, Nimco has been watching and keeping
up with all the TikTok trends that use her song and said she cannot choose a favorite. “I can't pick one. I want to say thank you. I want to thank all of them,” she said.
[...]
Growing up, Nimco used to listen mainly to Somali women, such as Khadra Daahir, Sahra Axmed, and Saynab Cige, she said. She first got into music as a child playing guitar and always wanted to perform but waited until she was married with children. Now she sometimes performs with her musician husband.
In 2015, she began her music career, posting songs on YouTube and performing locally.
The now-viral video of her performance was recorded in June 2017, when she performed for a show being broadcast for Eid on Kenya-based Somali channel RTV. She said she’s now performed the song on almost all Somali TV channels in the years since.
After it recently gained traction on TikTok, people have mainly been streaming the song on YouTube and via unauthorized uploads on Spotify. Collectively those uploads have received more than 500,000 listens, none of which will count toward Nimco’s official streaming numbers.
The official version of “Isii Nafta” was made available on streaming platforms this week, after Nimco signed with Polydor. BuzzFeed News understands that her team is working on removing the unauthorized uploads."...
-snip-
Click
//www.bbc.com/news/av/world-africa-59369575 for a 22 November 2021 BBC video entitled "Isii Nafta singer Nimco Happy on representing Somalia and her TikTok fame.
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A GENERAL COMMENT ABOUT THE NOW VIRAL VIDEO OF NIMCO HAPPY'S PERFORMANCE OF "ISII NAFTA"
"Incredible! "ISII NAFTA" Became The Internet's Favourite
Song…
Before She Became a Global Sensation, Nimco Happy
Was a Member of the Onkod Band (Thunder Band),
Most of the Fans in the Comment Section Had Presumably
Never Met Or Heard Of Nimco Before Her Song Went Wildly Viral On Social Media,
However, the Catchy and Epic In the Song's Chorus Appears To Have Introduced
Them To One Another, Thank You All For Your Kind Remarks..."
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ABDI ASKARI TUBE, Nov. 2021, //www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwPyZgE-FKk&ab_channel=OnkodShow "Nimco Happy - Isii Nafta - Baydhabo Janaay - Best Song - Official Video HD" published by Onkod Show, Aug 29, 2021
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LYRICS: ISII NAFTA
(English transcription from //www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0ZgF2tcMwA&ab_channel=NimcoHappy)
[words sung in Somali]
Give me your soul, I see it
Chase away all my longing.
Full of love, we can’t be apart.
Don’t go anywhere else.
[Repeat]
Trust my heart is
full of love.
These feelings growing in my heart
I planted a flower for us today
Don’t bury it. Let it show.
[repeat]
Know that I love you [sung in Somali:”Ogsoonow inaan Ku Jeclahay”]
And I love you more than my life. [sung in English]
I love you, oh baby [sung in Arabic: “Ana Hibak Ya Habibi”]
I love you so much [sung in KiSwahili: “Nakupenda mimi sana” ]
[repeat this “chorus”]
[sung in Somali]: We strengthen our commitment.
with your words of love
And singing words of praise.
Reward my desires
We strengthen our commitment.
with your words of love
And singing words of praise.
Reward my desires
[repeat]
I feel it in my chest
These eyes only look for you
My soul thirsts for you
Let’s build our foundation
[repeat]
[chorus 2x]
[in Somali] You can see my love.
[continue repeating the chorus]
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This concludes Part I of this two part pancocojams series.
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