Beldina Odenyo (1990-2021) was an amazing singer songwriter based in Glasgow. Originally from Kisumu, Kenya she moved to a small village near Dumfriesshire as a young girl, and this influence reflected heavily in her work.

Having previously performed under the name Genesee, she later took on the performance name Heir of the Cursed – the name came to her in a dream, and as she later found out, is the English translation of the surname of Congo’s first democratically elected prime minister. As Heir of the Cursed she wrote hauntingly beautiful music about the African diaspora, her experiences of living in Scotland as a young black woman, and mental health.

She toured with the feminist-guerilla theatre show Blow Off, which has been called ‘a dynamite hour of sexual politics’, ‘an aching depiction of mental health’, and ‘one of the most memorable shows of the year, passionately written, and magnificently performed’.

Beldina then took up a Musical Director role for the play Lone Wolves at the Edinburgh Fringe – ‘an inter-generational performance exploring themes of belonging, connection and disconnection, subverting the traditionally male symbol of the lone wolf’. She also won the Danny Kyle award at Celtic Connections, and became a regular performer at Celtic Connections Festival.