Wants to reconnect with Fans Through Dance Music
Pierre Kwenders
from childhood when they knew they wanted to pursue their passion. Pierre Kwenders didn’t realize his would come true so literally.
“When I was young, Papa Wemba was everything. I have watched his movie about being a struggling musician [1987’s La Vie Est Belle] so many times — it inspired me to become an artist,” says Kwenders of the iconic Congolese singer, who passed away in 2016.
Speaking on the phone to Exclaim! from Paris, the Montreal-based musician, DJ and Moonshine collective maestro reveals that the 1997 music video for Wemba’s “Sai Sai” also had an indelible impact on his life: “He filmed it in Brussels, and blended rap and synths with Congolese rumba. If you look at the crowd, they are almost dressed like the Moonshine crowds today. I never thought I would be embodying what I saw in that clip.”
Papa Wemba’s legacy and influence is front and centre on Kwenders’ latest album, José Louis and the Paradox of Love. Wemba is the namesake of the album’s lead single, with lyrics that pay homage to the artist’s distinctive style that led him to be known as the godfather of Congolese fashion subculture la sape.
José Louis is a journey through Kwenders’ past, sometimes quite literally. Closing track “Church (Likambo)” is a floating anthem that was recorded with Montreal-based African gospel choir Afrika Intshiyetu, which Kwenders joined shortly after arriving in the city as a teenager: “This is where music started for me,” says Kwenders. “It had always been a dream of mine to reconnect with the choir on an album.”
On opener “L.E.S. (Liberté Égalité Sagacité),” Kwenders channels the energy of late-night DJ sets with Arcade Fire’s Win Butler, sharing of the recording session, “Win started on the synth and [Régine Chassagne] added drums. Next thing you know, I am singing in their living room thinking to myself, ‘I got it, this is it!’”
Through multilingual international collaborations, and its creator recording in Lingala, French, English, Tshiluba and Kikongo, José Louis and the Paradox of Love breaks through the boundaries of language and geography. On the verge of resuming his globetrotting ways with a series of shows planned for the summer, Kwenders has one objective: “I want to reunite with the fans I have missed dearly. Present this new album and see how they will react to it, dance along, and show my paradox of love through my music.”
Performing at: MURAL Festival (Montreal, QC, June 9–19), Festival BleuBleu (Carletonsur-Mer, QC, June 24–26), Field Trip ( Toronto, ON, July 9), Ness Creek Music Festival (Big River, SK, July 14-17), Le Festif! (Baie-StPaul, QC, July 21–24), Osheaga (Montreal, QC, July 29–31), Cigale (Quebec City, QC, August 6–7), Festival de Musique Émergente (RouynNoranda, QC, September 1–4)