F.A.B In the City with N'nako Kande: Welcome to My Queendom, a conversation with Denise Dave.
- N'nako Kande'
- Nov 22, 2024
- 9 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Akwaaba! Welcome to another conversation with someone absolutely FAB in the city!
I can't believe that it was precisely a year ago ( November 11, 2023) that I started this series with the talented YZ Bridge after he contributed to my book The Art of Rooting, which won the International Impact Book Awards ( June 2024) in the Mind, Body, and Soul category.
YZ Bridges and I have shared stages on a few occasions, including the James Baldwin Festival of Words (2023), where I got the pleasure of preceding today's guest, who continues to make a big fan out of me. The difference between last year and now is that we are more like family.
I was born in Cote d'Ivoire ( the Ivory Coast) and am a long way from home; the arts are where I get to meet my "long-lost cousins!" So, I will let her introduce herself before we dive into this FAB conversation.
I will chime in here and there by adding my texts in purple and offering some context to our exchange.
Enjoy! Make sure you let me know how you enjoy this conversation and show some love,,,
Please state your name and what you do:
My name is Denise Dave, and I'm an Entertainment Artist.
How long have you been singing?
Since I was around 10 years old.
Who was your inspiration?
Whitney Houston, Mary j Blige, my Aunt Sharon, and it was also a TV show that used to come on when I was a child named Fame with Debbie Allen.
What sparks your inspiration when you write?
I have terrible writer's block, so I have two writers.
What is your creative process?
When the team and I are together, we laugh, talk, and share what's going on with each other, so we just start from there.
I have seen you perform and take on a totally different persona. How do you successfully do this? Do you have any tips?
I allowed myself to morph. I let go and transcend.
As a child, I had terrible studying habits. I couldn't sit still for an extended period, so I would read over the material right before the test and go Ace it. I do this as an adult as well. When it's time for a show, I cannot practice,
I cannot concentrate, so I pray before I go on stage and let loose.
When you feel stuck creatively, do you have something that you do to help you?
Our team is very creative and fun, so it's always something to write about.
Is there anything else that you love doing aside from singing and performing?
I have five beautiful kids and ten grandkids, so family time is very important to me, and it's definitely something I love to do the most.
Do you create your own beats?
No, my big brother Black Star handles that.
What comes first, the beats or the words?
The beats, then words, are my process, which is beats, vision, and words.
How do you know when a beat fits specific lyrics? If you can feel it!
What does it take to make a music video?
The video comes from my vision of listening to the beats.
Do you have any advice for inspiring artists, especially young ladies?
Do as you feel!
Let me chime in here. Denise's answer, "Do as you feel," may initially seem very simplistic. However, as a multidisciplinary artist and creative, I wanted to point out that this seemingly simple answer is genuinely loaded.
If you are bookish and have heard of Gary Zukav, you may understand that "how we feel" is more revealing than what our five senses immediately register.
Following our intuition is a potent part of creating, sharing our gifts and talents, and even being safe.
Many of us women and young ladies are so influenced by the expectations of others and society that we struggle with following our intuitions and 'doing as we feel!'
There are also many instances when we use "how we feel" to justify what I call moral mediocrity. So, I am not talking about being foolish and impulsive, nor am I talking about what I love to refer to as "moral mediocrity," where people like to use "that's the way I am" to justify doing foolish, inconsiderate, and hurtful things.
I engaged in this conversation with Denise because she is an excellent role model.
I first had the delight of watching her perform in December 2021 at the annual Spiked Cafe event hosted at the Hart Gallery, and I had no idea then that our love for our community and the arts would allow me to admire her up close and on some personal levels,
In February 2024, I was honored to attend the Homage Award Ceremony, where Denise Dave received a proclamation signed by Mayor Tim Kelly, the current Mayor of Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Denise and I shared last year's stage at the James Baldwin Festival of Words (2023) when she performed right after I opened the festival with my piece Ancestry!
Imagine empowering our Black Families and speaking Blessings over my "descendants" and having the talented Denise following right behind me!
I closed the piece with this .....
" To my African you....
Now exude your brilliance with dignity!"
and Boom
Came Denise Dave
on Fire!
I wish I could relive this moment, but hey, I am giving you a taste and enjoying the flashbacks!
It has been a fantastic year for us, serving our community with the arts.
Last year, I shared my African heritage with my local and digital community, and in a few weeks, some of my cultural pride will be featured on Japanese TV via a documentary called Cultural Cross Ties between Chattanooga and Japan sister's Cities,
I love being surrounded by excellent people who share my love for the arts and for the community.
This year, Denise and I both have the honor of being nominated for the BEC AWARDS 2025, her as Best Female Artist and me as Best Author, Best Blog, Best Literary Arts, Best Performing Arts & Best Visual Arts. (* This is not our first BEC Awards nomination, but this year, I am having way more fun with it because I keep meeting " more cousins," and you can tell that I am having a blast as a creative being now recognized (Divine Grace) in five categories)
So, about " feel it," tapping into our intuition allows us to connect with our divine senses and to be at our best when we give our best to our audience and ourselves,
Consider that while doing as you feel, it is essential to continuously work on creating a healthier and better version of yourself. There is a lot of personal growth that comes with "feel it!"
Denise said earlier that she morphs and transcends; well, you can't morph and transcend to anything good if you don't have some pure and positive things in you to tap into!
In my opinion, Self-care and mental wellness are such an important part of success. How do you take care of yourself?
Self-care and mental wellness are things that I struggle with because I tend to put people before me. I try not to get angry, so I hold a lot of stuff in. When I feel tension arise, I look in the mirror and do what I call self-talk.
I absolutely love Denise's reference to mirror self-talk because it reminded me of what the late Louise Hay referred to as " Mirror Work." And let me tell you, it works, but it only works when you do the work.
If you have never done mirror work, start with an exercise that author and motivational speaker Lisa Nichols often shares with her audience. Look at yourself in the mirror, tell yourself that you forgive yourself, and tell yourself, " I love you!"
You may be surprised to learn that many people struggle to look at themselves in the mirror and tell themselves those words.
What about you? Can you look in the mirror now and tell yourself that you forgive and love yourself?
Wherever you are on this journey, I invite you to listen to my Self-Love Blessing and let the words edify you!
You can listen to the Self-Love Blessing on Apple Music and Spotify (in French and English) and learn the lyrics (in three languages) from my book The Self-Love Blessing Trilingual Lyrics and Treasured Memories!
Can you share three fun facts about yourself?
I'm extremely silly, I talk a lot of BS when playing cards, and I love football.
Please share a reason why you agreed to be part of this platform?! ( I am very selective about who I like to work with, and it always makes me curious to know what may draw others to be interested in working with me)
I'm extremely honored to be considered by such a talented, beautiful young lady. Congratulations again on all your nominations.
FAB in the City... What a cool name that is! I'm Fab in the city, LOL!
Food for thought, Art for vision, and beats drive me.
Please state where people can follow you and support you.
Apple Music and CD Baby,
Stay on the lookout for my first album entitled Welcome to My Queendom
Alright, this a F.A.B platform for F.A.B people, so I have to ask what is your
Favorite Food, Favorite Artist (s), and Favorite Beatmakers?
My favorite food is Steak, for Seafood King Gene.
Artists are Nola X Trinity, Dominique Pruitt, and N'nako Kande' for Art and Fashion
Beats by Blackstar.
Talk about being honored! I wasn't asking these questions expecting to be one of Denise's fave artists because this city has some insane talent.
Among the artists Denise just mentioned is my birthday twin, Nola X Trinity, and that "cousin of mine" ( smiles) is FAB! Maybe I can get her to join us soon for an upcoming FAB in the city conversation!
Who you got? Anyone you want to hear about?
There you have it, from the Queen herself, who will soon " Welcome (us) to (her) Queendom."
I hope you have enjoyed this conversation.
You have already learned a few things about me, but feel free to Google or check my LinkTree N'nako Kande and order my books and Nakbooks on Amazon.
Suppose you want to celebrate black culture from an Authentic African American (pun intended). In that case, I am the best "Triple-A" (smiles) to take you on a unique cultural journey with my "luminous bridges" between the three continents I have lived in!
You can also wear the culture by shopping from my unique line of apparel, Kande Kulture, and wearing " a hoodie with a story," where each hoodie tells the story of an African expression! Subscribe to the YouTube Channel and view each story to decide which hoodie is the best fit for you!
Wontanara! On est ensemble! We are together!
As mentioned above, Denise Dave and I are BEC Awards nominees.
While there are currently seven days left for you to cast your vote, I would love to invite you to please vote for both of us.
While her category is much easier to find, I am giving you my category numbers below, considering that my name appears five times in the Nominations.
So here :2, 7. 44, 59, and 80 for N'nako Kande' (Best Author, Best Blog, Best Literary Arts, Best Performing Arts and Best Visual Arts).
To cast your VOTE, click on my LinkTree N'nako Kande, and from there, click on "VOTE BEC AWARDS 2025."
Thank you for showing Denise and me your love and support with your vote, but more importantly, by reading and sharing this BLOG with others.
But wait, not so fast, you must tell us a little about yourself!
Is there anything in our conversation that resonated with you?
What's your favorite F.A,B. Food, Artist, and Beatmaker/musician?
Would you like to share more with us? Contact us for an interview or to recommend someone F.A.B in the city!
Visit the blog for other exciting conversations and features, such as:
You can also advertise on this blog so people can learn more about your brands.
To support and donate, please send a Cashapp $Nnako or contact us privately.
Merci Beaucoup!
Wontanara!
If this is your first time here, meet the author: N'nako Kande
N’nako Kandé is a ceremonial entrepreneur, bilingual poet, painter, illustrator, and multidisciplinary artist whose work lives at the intersection of Nature, Art, and Kulture (N A K). Born in Côte d’Ivoire and shaped by Paris, the American Midwest, and over 20 years in Tennessee and Georgia, she creates through rhythm, ancestry, and the land.
She is the niece of the illustrious and legendary Guinean musician Mory Kanté, whose global influence helped carry West African musical heritage into international consciousness. Her artistic lineage also includes a profound connection to the late Toumani Diabaté, the world‑renowned Malian kora master who was named one of the fifty greatest African artists across media. Toumani, father of French star Sidiki Diabaté, served as the parrain (godfather) of the kora recording in her Self‑Love Blessing project, offering his guidance and blessings before his passing in 2024. His legacy includes two Grammy Awards for his collaborations with Ali Farka Touré and a lifetime of elevating the kora to global audiences.
N’nako is the founder of Kande Kulture, a wearable storytelling brand where each culturally inspired hoodie includes a QR code linking to a YouTube story that explains the meaning and heritage behind the phrase.
A prolific author, she has written over twelve books, including The Art of Rooting, which received the International Impact Book Award. Her creative work spans poetry, photography, painting, mixed‑media illustration, culinary storytelling, and culturally rooted educational coloring books.
Her artistic and cultural contributions have been featured in international documentaries produced in collaboration with Chattanooga Sister Cities, highlighting her global perspective and her commitment to cultural remembrance.
She is also the creator of the Self‑Love Blessing EP (French + English, released January 13, 2023) and the Self‑Love Blessing Trilingual Lyrics & Treasured Memories Book (released June 15, 2024), featuring French, Spanish, and English lyrics, behind‑the‑scenes photos, and stories from the making of the EP.
This is dope keep up the good work