The energy of African dance meets the spirit of Afrobeats music in I Believe In Myself, a new children’s album from award-winning dancer, choreographer, songwriter, and educator Funmilayo Chesney. Presented under the moniker “FUSHA Kids” and drawn from Funmilayo’s decades of teaching and performing with her NYC-based African dance ensemble, FUSHA Dance, I Believe In Myself is set for release this Friday, May 16, 2025.
The songs on I Believe In Myself interweave elements of traditional African music with the production style of contemporary Afrobeats, while also drawing inspiration from samba, salsa, hip hop, reggae, calypso and soca. Using a call-and-response approach in her FUSHA Kids songwriting, Funmilayo encourages children to affirm their identities through their voices and their bodies.
“My goal is to create a narrative in which kids feel inspired by learning from a powerful Black woman and realize they are also powerful,” says Funmilayo. “A central component of my artistic practice is writing and recording songs to use as teaching tools in my dance classes for both adults and children. Through original songs and traditional African dance and drum, my FUSHA Kids album, I Believe In Myself, enlightens children about historical leaders in racial justice, celebrates the cultural heritage of the African Diaspora, and teaches inclusivity and respect for diverse backgrounds and perspectives.”
Watch Funmilayo in action in these FUSHA Kids music videos:
"Afro Alphabet" HERE .
"I Believe In Myself (Yay! Yo!)" HERE .
Al MacDowell, the producer of I Believe In Myself, is a bassist, composer, sound engineer, and longtime collaborator with Funmilayo Chesney. Al has spent most of his career devoted to expanding the limits of American jazz culture under the wings of jazz saxophonist and composer Ornette Coleman.
I Believe In Myself will available digitally on all major platforms, including Amazon, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Deezer, Pandora, and Tidal.
ABOUT FUNMILAYO CHESNEY:
Funmilayo Chesney, born in Brazil, raised in Guyana, and longtime Brooklyn, NY resident, is a quadruple-threat performing and teaching artist – dancer, singer-songwriter, drummer, and choreographer. She is the Artistic Director of FUSHA (Fierce Undulating Spirits Have Arrived) Dance Company in New York City and is a registered New York Department of Education freelance educator for music and dance empowerment. Funmilayo was a member of the only traditional Congolese dance company in New York City, Malaki Ma Congo, and has won awards for her excellence in African dance teaching. She has taught Congolese dance at Alvin Ailey, Harlem School of the Arts, Cumbe, Lezly Dance and Skate, Fareta and Djoniba, among other locations.
Funmilayo and FUSHA Dance Company have graced the stages of the United Nations, Carnegie Hall, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the Apollo Theater, African Burial Ground NYC, BAM, The African Street Festival, Harlem Stage, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Public Library, Summerstage, and Symphony Space. They have toured worldwide with ongoing yearly tours to South America, Europe, the Caribbean, and Africa, where Funmilayo and FUSHA Dance Company regularly lead Congolese dance workshops for children and adults. While Funmilayo has been performing as a singer and writing songs for decades, I Believe In Myself is her first children’s album, presented under the moniker FUSHA Kids.