Pierre Kwenders
Pierre Kwenders | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | José Louis Modabi 31 October 1985 |
| Origin | Kinshasa, Zaire |
| Genres |
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| Years active | 2012–present |
| Website | www |
Pierre Kwenders is the stage name of José Louis Modabi[1] (born 31 October 1985, in Kinshasa, Zaire), a Congolese-Canadian musician.[2] His 2014 album Le Dernier empereur bantou was a shortlisted nominee for the Juno Award for World Music Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2015,[2] and a longlisted nominee for the 2015 Polaris Music Prize.[3] Kwenders, who sings and raps in English, French, Lingala and Tshiluba,[1] is noted for blending both African music and western pop music influences, including hip hop and electronic music, into his style.[1] He is also one of the co-founders of the artist collective Moonshine.[4]
Career
[edit]After immigrating to Canada with his mother as a teenager, he first attracted widespread attention for his guest contributions to Radio Radio's 2012 album Havre de Grace.[5]
He released the EPs Whiskey & Tea and African Dream in 2013,[5] and followed up with Le Dernier empereur bantou, his first full-length album, in 2014.[1] He supported the album with a cross-Canada tour in 2015.[2] His song "Mardi Gras", a collaboration with Jacques Alphonse "Jacobus" Doucet of Radio Radio, was a shortlisted nominee for the 2015 SOCAN Songwriting Prize in the francophone division.[6]
He collaborated with Boogat on "Londres", a track on Boogat's 2015 album Neo-Reconquista.[7]
His second full-length album, Makanda at the End of Space, the Beginning of Time, was released in 2017.[8] The album was a shortlisted finalist for the 2018 Polaris Music Prize.[9]
In 2018, he had his first acting role in the film Les Salopes, or the Naturally Wanton Pleasure of Skin.
Following the release of Makanda, Kwenders came out as gay.[10]
He won the 2022 Polaris Music Prize for his album José Louis and the Paradox of Love.[11]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 "Pierre Kwenders sing-raps in 4 languages" Archived 13 June 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Montreal Gazette, 10 October 2014.
- 1 2 3 "Pierre Kwenders Rolls Out Canadian Tour Dates, Poirier Remix". Exclaim!, 4 February 2015.
- ↑ "Polaris Music Prize Announces 2015 Long List". Exclaim!, 16 June 2015.
- ↑ Hahn, Rachel (22 February 2019). "Inside Moonshine, the Feel-Good Party Building Pan-African Pride in Montreal". Vogue. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
- 1 2 "Quand les styles se mélangent". 24 heures, 14 October 2014.
- ↑ "Cold Specks, Alvvays, Kiesza Nominated for SOCAN Songwriting Prize". Exclaim!, 17 June 2015.
- ↑ "Boogat: Neo-Reconquista". Exclaim!, 5 May 2015.
- ↑ "Pierre Kwenders is building a musical bridge between Africa and the rest of the world". Q, 18 September 2017.
- ↑ "Polaris Music Prize Reveals 2018 Short List". Exclaim!, 17 July 2018.
- ↑ Logan Cartier, "Pierre Kwenders et les subtilités de l'amour". Fugues, 26 July 2022.
- ↑ "Pierre Kwenders wins 2022 Polaris Music Prize". Toronto Star. The Canadian Press. 19 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
External links
[edit]| International | |
|---|---|
| Artists | |
- 1985 births
- 21st-century Black Canadian male singers
- 21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people
- 21st-century Canadian male singers
- 21st-century Canadian rappers
- 21st-century Democratic Republic of the Congo male singers
- Canadian electronic musicians
- Canadian gay musicians
- Canadian LGBTQ singers
- Canadian male film actors
- Canadian male rappers
- Canadian world music musicians
- Democratic Republic of the Congo emigrants to Canada
- Fontana North artists
- French-language Canadian singers
- LGBTQ hip-hop musicians
- Living people
- Male actors from Montreal
- Musicians from Kinshasa
- Polaris Music Prize winners
- Singers from Montreal
