Nayanka Bell (born 1963 in Agboville, Ivory Coast)Larkin, Colin (1998) The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae, Virgin Books, , p. 23 is an Ivorian singer who has released several albums, the earliest between 1982 and 1984.
Biography Bell's early work was inspired by the Francophone Caribbean, and although her native tongue is French, she sings in English. Her debut album, Amio, was released in 1983, with styles ranging from funk and disco to ballads. A second album in 1986, If You Came To Go, showed a greater Antillean influence. Bell is considered one of the top female Ivorian singers.Ham, Anthony, Bainbridge, James, & Bewer, Tim (2006) West Africa, Lonely Planet, , p. 262
In 2000, she recorded a version of Serge Gainsbourg's "Je t'aime... moi non-plus", with Congolese singer Koffi Olomidé and performed it in front of 17,000 spectators at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy.Hebdo, Bamako (2008) "Nayanka Bell : Pourquoi on ne l'entend plus", Maliweb, 21 March 2008
In April 2009, Bell was critically injured in a road accident, prompting rumours to spread that she had died."Côte d'Ivoire: Victime d'un accident dimanche – Nayanka Bell interdite de visite", Allafrica.com, 9 April 2009 She in fact survived the accident although her injuries were serious and required several operations.Kader, Omar Abdel (2009) "Nayanka Bell: Elle va mieux ", Top Visages, 18 April 2009
Discography Just a Boogie (1983) SIIS Amio (1984) Celluloid Djama (1984) Celluloid If You Came to Go (1986) Celluloid Visa (1994) SLP Editions Brin de Folie (2001)
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