Pierre Kwenders
Pierre Kwenders is the stage name of José Louis Modabi (born 31 October 1985, in Kinshasa, Zaire), a Congolese-Canadian musician. 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, and a longlisted nominee for the 2015 Polaris Music Prize. Kwenders, who sings and raps in English, French, Lingala and Tshiluba, is noted for blending both African music and western pop music influences, including hip hop and electronic music, into his style.
Pierre Kwenders
Hkalongo · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Name
- Pierre Kwenders
- Birth Name
- José Louis Modabi
- Born
- 31 October 1985
- Full name
- José Louis Modabi.
- Nationality
- Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- Occupation
- singer and musician.
- Fields
- pop music.
- Languages
- French, English and Lingala.
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Documentary summary
Pierre Kwenders is the stage name of José Louis Modabi (born 31 October 1985, in Kinshasa, Zaire), a Congolese-Canadian musician. 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, and a longlisted nominee for the 2015 Polaris Music Prize. Kwenders, who sings and raps in English, French, Lingala and Tshiluba, is noted for blending both African music and western pop music influences, including hip hop and electronic music, into his style.
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wikidata · Q16670004 · wikipedia · Pierre Kwenders
In this article
Biography
Biography
He is also one of the co-founders of the artist collective Moonshine.
Pierre Kwenders from DR Congo performed at Scéne Lafayette in 2016.
Festivalinternational
Crédit: Neil Mota
Neil Mota
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Pierre Kwenders • Birth Name — José Louis Modabi • Born — 31 October 1985 • Landscape — yes • Origin — Kinshasa, Zaire • Genre — * pop music • world music • Years Active — 2012–present • Website — www.pierrekwenders.com/
Career
Career
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. He released the EPs Whiskey & Tea and African Dream in 2013, and followed up with Le Dernier empereur bantou, his first full-length album, in 2014. He supported the album with a cross-Canada tour in 2015. 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. He collaborated with Boogat on "Londres", a track on Boogat's 2015 album Neo-Reconquista. His second full-length album, Makanda at the End of Space, the Beginning of Time, was released in 2017. The album was a shortlisted finalist for the 2018 Polaris Music Prize. 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. He won the 2022 Polaris Music Prize for his album José Louis and the Paradox of Love.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1."Pierre Kwenders sing-raps in 4 languages" . Montreal Gazette, 10 October 2014.
- 2."Pierre Kwenders Rolls Out Canadian Tour Dates, Poirier Remix". Exclaim!, 4 February 2015.
- 3."Polaris Music Prize Announces 2015 Long List". Exclaim!, 16 June 2015.
- 4.Hahn, Rachel. Inside Moonshine, the Feel-Good Party Building Pan-African Pride in Montreal. Vogue. 22 February 2019.
- 5."Quand les styles se mélangent". 24 heures, 14 October 2014.
- 6."Cold Specks, Alvvays, Kiesza Nominated for SOCAN Songwriting Prize". Exclaim!, 17 June 2015.
- 7."Boogat: Neo-Reconquista". Exclaim!, 5 May 2015.
- 8."Pierre Kwenders is building a musical bridge between Africa and the rest of the world". Q, 18 September 2017.
- 9."Polaris Music Prize Reveals 2018 Short List". Exclaim!, 17 July 2018.
- 10.Logan Cartier, "Pierre Kwenders et les subtilités de l'amour". Fugues, 26 July 2022.
- 11.Pierre Kwenders wins 2022 Polaris Music Prize. Toronto Star. The Canadian Press. 19 September 2022.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 19 August 2026.
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