There, we had the chance to sit with Nygel Panasco , a Strasbourg-based Cameroonian artist. Singer, songwriter, and illustrator, Nygel opened up about her universe, discussing her creative process and upcoming projects.
I don't know if you want me to describe Nygel or Mireille. But Nygel is Mireille's tool. They are a character who came into my life a few years ago. During this period, I had various projects going on, and Nygel imposed themselves as a project. In the beginning, I was doing performances in the public space. I had a whole protocol, with face paint and special clothes. I would go out into the street and sing songs by other artists. The story was that Nygel came from the future to prompt an awakening.
It was a bit naive I think, but with a core that I still have. I think we all need to be more aware and conscious of things. I was singing songs that had a political message, messages that I felt were strong. Time passed and the project gradually changed. There was a lot of activity between and , then fewer happenings and performances. Later in , Nygel came back as a stage persona, performing at concerts.
I started performing at my school, where I did my first gig. Then I got invitations to different queer events in Strasbourg. I started performing on those stages, and since last year it started to expand. I did a concert in Germany, in Lausanne, in Douala, Cameroon, and this year I was invited to several cities in Europe. I always wanted to do that.
I started by performing other artists' songs because I didn't study music, so I didn't have the tools to create my own. It seemed easier to reach people by singing songs they already knew.
