Heir of the Cursed

Heir of the Cursed is the evocative musical project of Beldina Odenyo (1990-2021), a Kenyan-born, Scottish-raised artist whose work transcended genres and spoke to the soul. With a sound that weaves together jazz, folk, and soul, Beldina's music is a journey through themes of identity, grief, and resilience.

Growing up in Dumfriesshire after leaving her birthplace of Kisumu, Kenya, Beldina's music was deeply informed by her experiences of cultural displacement and the search for belonging. Her live performances--intense and vulnerable-left audiences spellbound, while her introspective songwriting revealed a fearless and poetic voice.

Heir of the Cursed

Beldina’s warm, rich, stunningly distinctive voice soars over layers of delicately woven guitar rhythm. Each track teems with the power and poetry of her lyrics, her imagery influenced by the strange nuances of life, rooted in grief, Scottish weather, the constant and the inconstant.

One of the driving forces of Beldina’s work was an exploration of the differences and kinships she found in her dual Scottish and Kenyan heritage, and this album is rich in musical and lyrical references and homages to both, while never sounding anything other than utterly unique.