Heir of the Cursed will haunt you. Don’t say you weren’t warned…
Heir of the Cursed was 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 was 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 gained a reputation for unflinching honesty and artistic integrity, drawing inspiration from artists like Nina Simone and Ella Fitzgerald, while forging her own path. Beyond music, Beldina’s creativity extended into theatre and collective projects like Hen Hoose, cementing her as a vital part of Scotland’s cultural landscape.
© Simon Murphy
© Simon Murphy
Debut album available on vinyl on August 30th.
Haunting, visceral, defying genre and flipping the finger to convention, Heir of the Cursed is the debut album by Scottish-Kenyan musician Beldina Odenyo, who died in 2021.
Beldina, who had been performing live as Heir of the Cursed since 2016, recorded these songs in her home studios in Govanhill and Paisley. In celebration of her unique voice and remarkable talent, her family have arranged for the album to be mixed and mastered, and are releasing it on what would have been her 35th birthday, 30th August 2025.
The songs on this album deserve to be heard and sung again; 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.
Events
August 30th 2025
Venue
Mackintosh Church Glasgow.
The album will be launched with a live performance at the Mackintosh Church in Glasgow, featuring guest vocalists Kathryn Joseph, Rick Redbeard, Rae Lena, Callum Easter, Sacred Paws, Djana Gabrielle, Leah McAleer, Lewis Semple, Megan Airlie and Kimberley Mandindo.
Praise for Heir of the Cursed
‘Her voice is immediately perfect. It’s a noise that no one else is making.
It felt like she was about to be the most important thing that had come out of Scotland.’
– Kathryn Joseph
‘Just the sound she had – her voice could silence a room.’
– Joe Rattray
‘The music took my breath away.
She looked like a goddess. It was stunning.’
– Vic Galloway