At Coachella a few years back, the ever-feisty M.I.A. asked a packed house of sweat-soaked admirers, “Where my leaders at?!” Good question. Surprisingly few artists today have stepped up with the decisive political or spiritual message that M.I.A. was asking for.

Recently, 27-year-old Nigerian tour de force Nneka — who already has a loyal following in Africa and Europe — made her US debut at Joe’s Pub in NYC, which she followed with a few shows with the Roots. And while it’s still too early to compare her to political/musical messengers like countryman Fela Kuti or Bob Marley, she’s becoming a formidable figure in global music. She calmly rocked the room with her soul-filled voice, championing a strong message of love, unity and political justice from her forthcoming album Concrete Jungle.

As soon as the lights came up, I wanted an interview — even though I’ve only done three in the nine years since I co-founded Flavorpill. A few days later, I sat down with Nneka, a captivating figure who shared some lessons on music, life, spirituality, meditation, and love.

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Stop laughing at New Zealand’s music scene! Yes, yes, we know you watch Flight of the Conchords every Sunday on HBO. And yes they are cute and funny (and might have a movie in the works?!), but if you want to really know what’s happening musically in the Land of New Zea you have to check in with Midnight Youth.

While they’ve opened for OK Go and Incubus in the past, this is the band’s first attempt at breaking through as headliners in the States (they recently signed to Warner Bros.) Fresh off their sold out shows at LA’s Viper Room and then SXSW, Midnight Youth’s in New York tonight for an engagement at Joe’s Pub. This pop-powerhouse quintet are sure to make you stop, drop and bop along to their ridiculously infectious anthems like “The Letter” (which incidentally was number 1 on the New Zealand charts for 10 weeks straight).

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Eden Espinosa is famous, albeit without the paparazzi — just YouTube her and read the comments from fans who freak out over her pipes. You may have heard her hit impossible high notes when she defied gravity as Wicked‘s Elphaba the green witch in LA, San Fransisco AND the Great White Way. But if you don’t recognize the name, you’re likely not a part of the fan culture who haunts stage doors in hopes of scoring a new Facebook default pic with their favorite Broadway star.

With a resume boasting roles that include Elphie, Maureen in Rent, and the title role in the short-lived Brooklyn The Musical, some have pigeonholed Espinosa as just another lucky pop singer who can riff. But Kelly Clarkson, she’s not. (Her dream role is the highly demanding Eva Peron in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita.) From Espinosa’s Disneyland past (she’d perform 5 to 6 shows a day complete with Pocahontas garb) to headlining her first solo NYC show, she has worked her way to the top the traditional way — with solid talent.

This weekend, she’s setting aside the green witch makeup and bringing a few of her favorite tunes (which include Eva Cassidy!) and special guest vocalist Katie Thompson to Joe’s Pub for a three night run of Eden Espinosa — ME, which garnered a previous sold-out run at LA’s Upright Cabaret. After the jump, we chat with Espinosa between rehearsals for her NYC solo debut about all things theater, including her nutty fans (cough, cough… Britney Spears) and the New York Times review that made her cry..

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