LISTEN / SHARE “YOUR DREAM” HERE
BUY / STREAM “YOUR DREAM” HERE
NEW ALBUM, JOSÉ LOUIS AND THE PARADOX OF LOVE, OUT NEXT WEEK, APRIL 29, 2022 ON ARTS & CRAFTS
PRE-ORDER JOSÉ LOUIS AND THE PARADOX OF LOVE HERE
TOUR DATES CONTINUE MAY 4
“‘Papa Wemba’ adds electronic clout to the soukous beat — it sounds like it’s being punched out on a Teletype — and stirs up a rhythmic vortex” - The New York Times
“Since his 2014 debut LP ‘Le Dernier Empereur Bantou,’ Pierre Kwenders has been an invaluable force in Canadian music with his experimental and playful approach to Congolese rumba.” - The FADER
“Though the beat carries melancholic undertones throughout, it does not take away from the irresistible hip-swaying feel — aided by tantalising afro-beats and gentle melodies.” - Wonderland, on “Heartbeat”
“Your Dream” Single Artwork // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
Today, Pierre Kwenders shares his new single “Your Dream” off of his forthcoming album, José Louis and the Paradox of Love, out next Friday, April 29, on Arts & Crafts. Certainly the most intimate song on José Louis and the Paradox of Love, “Your Dream” reveals an emotional side of Kwenders, as he opens up about his sexuality and the pressure of meeting others’ expectations, someone else’s dreams. Featuring Congolese singer-songwriter and Kwenders’ former collaborator, Ngabonziza Kiroko aka NGABO, “Your Dream” creates a dialogue between two artists hailing from the same part of the world, mirroring each others’ experiences with Kwenders singing in Lingala and NGABO in Swahili. Portuguese DJ and producer Branko cements the powerful ballad with his layered approach, creating a unique and timeless melody.
Beginning with a birthday voice note from Kwenders’ mother, “Your Dream” explores the universal moment in life when you have no choice but to be yourself and live your own truth. “‘Your Dream’ is to me an open letter to my mother (we can hear her voice in the beginning and end of track),” says Kwenders. “Often in life we find ourselves confronted with ourselves and the family juxtaposition of traditional expectations of a man’s life. In this song, I respond to my mother. Embracing her love and blessings certainly but letting her know that my dreams are valid and I want to be able to be the best man I can be for myself. My family grew up in a different time. A time of harsh black and white dangerous stereotypes. It’s important for me that I don’t fit into any of those.”
LISTEN / SHARE “YOUR DREAM” HERE
BUY / STREAM “YOUR DREAM” HERE
Following MAKANDA at The End of Space, the Beginning of Time, Kwenders’s 2017 sophomore album, and Le Dernier Empereur Bantou, his 2014 debut – both of which earned Kwenders nominations for Canada’s prestigious Polaris Music Prize – José Louis and the Paradox of Love finds the artist arriving at a new juncture: a moment of resonance, carefully wrapped in freewheeling tapestry, hinged in reverence to its diverse heritage, yet reveling in the inventive combination of its elements.
WATCH / SHARE “PAPA WEMBA” HERE
BUY / STREAM “PAPA WEMBA” HERE
Seamlessly working across Congolese rumba, contemporary electronic music, pop-R&B, and jazz-infused progressions with a range of global collaborators including Tendai Maraire (Shabazz Palaces), Branko (M.I.A., Buraka som Sistema), Win Butler (Arcade Fire), Michael Brun (J Balvin), and Uproot Andy (Poirier), José Louis and the Paradox of Love is both an embrace of African musical tradition and an evolution of it. Singing and rapping in Lingala, French, English, Tshiluba, and Kikongo, Kwenders similarly weaves his stories across the boundaries of language and geography. Written and recorded while traversing the globe with his Moonshine Collective — holding nearly 100 lunar-based events including a Boiler Room party in his native Kinshasa or performing for COLORS in Berlin — Kwenders has taken his Afro-electronic soirées from Los Angeles to Santiago to Paris and beyond, building a truly international grassroots community of fans and peers.
WATCH / SHARE “KILIMANJARO” HERE
BUY / STREAM “KILIMANJARO” HERE
WATCH / SHARE “HEARTBEAT” (FEAT. ANAIIS) HERE
BUY / STREAM “HEARTBEAT” (FEAT. ANAIIS) HERE
TOUR DATES
May 4 - Toronto, ON @ Music Gallery (Album Launch)
May 6 - Montreal, QC @ PHI Centre (Album Launch)
Jun 24 - Carleton-sur-Mer, QC @ Festival Blue Blue
Jul 9 - Toronto, ON @ Field Trip
Jul 21 - Baie-Saint-Paul, QC @ Le Festif!
Jul 30 - Montreal, QC @ Osheaga Festival
Aug. 3 - Montreal, QC @ Pride
Aug. 7 - Québec, CA @ Festival Cigale
PRE-ORDER JOSÉ LOUIS AND THE PARADOX OF LOVE HERE
JOSÉ LOUIS AND THE PARADOX OF LOVE TRACKLIST
1. L.E.S (Liberté Égalité Sagacité) (Feat. Win Butler, King Britt)
2. Your Dream (Feat. Ngabo)
3. No No No
4. Imparfait (Feat. Sônge)
5. Papa Wemba
6. Religion désir
7. Makambo Ya Gaga (skit)
8. Heartbeat (feat. anaiis)
9. Kilimanjaro
10. Coupé
11. Sahara
12. Radio trottoir (interlude) (Feat. Babel Bukasa)
13. Church (Likambo) (Feat. Africa Intshiyetu Choir)
