By: Annette Ejiofor
Pierre Kwenders was in Ottawa on February 12th, 2015, at the National Arts Centre, and it was an electrifying experience. Born October 31,1985 in the Congo, Kwenders came Canada in 2001 when he was only sixteen years old. Fast forward to now and 29 year-old Kwenders uses multilingualism and sonic, electronic, trap like beats, to move and groove his crowd. He merges his multilingualism using French and English, as well as the Tschiluba, Lingala and Kiskongo languages and dialects. Kwenders rhythmic beats have been to places such as France and Italy and what an honour to have witnessed it all live last night in our capital city. I had an unforgettable time at his show and was all smiles. The audience roared and cheered as they danced, clapped, chanted, and sang along. It was a night to remember. After the show Kwenders and his band mates were very welcoming, funny, and kind, as they posed for photos and signed autographs. I was able to ask some questions and Kwenders was more than happy to answer.
ME: How did you find Ottawa seeing as it was your first time playing here?
KWENDERS: It was honestly so nice! I wasn’t expecting so many people and I am touched by the response. Ottawa people have great energy – even though it took some time to get people to come up front and dance [laughs]. But no, I really enjoyed it thank you.
ME: What is your biggest inspiration?
KWENDERS: Uhm.. life. Life itself is a big inspiration for me. Everything I go through gives me inspiration.
ME: Who is your biggest inspiration?
KWENDERS: My mother, Congolese rumba as well inspires me, uhm… and Michael Jackson also.
ME: You mentioned your mother as a source of inspiration, how come?
KWENDERS: Oh because she raised me by herself and she did an amazing job. I am who I am today because of her.
2015 begins on a great note for Pierre Kwenders; he was named Révélation Radio-Canada 2014-2015, he has received praise from both francophone and anglophone media for his debut album, Le Dernier Empereur Bantou (released October 2014), and additionally, Kwenders has been rightfully nominated for World Music Album of the Year at this year’s JUNO Awards. Kwenders is the one to watch and it will only go up from here.
About the writer
Annette Ejiofor is an activist, singer, writer, belieber, and orange juice lover. She is a student at the University Of Ottawa. You can follow her on twitter at @annettesings01