JOYCE N'SANA

Singer-songwriter Joyce N’sana is a rising voice in reggae. She grew up against the backdrop of the Congolese wars but retains the memory of a childhood shaped by music, with a music-loving father, who was a guitarist and also a songwriter. This is clearly what led to her love of music, which she decided to convey through her messages of love and peace. As a small woman with a big voice, she has anchored her reggae in a gospel background, adding her savoury blend of Afro, blues and hip-hop, which she calls Afrobluehop. This tag neo genre emphasizes her influences, determination and life experiences. Often presented as the female counterpart of Tiken Jah Fakoly, her stage presence that is one of her greatest strengths. She puts her audiences on a roller coaster of emotion through her music with its captivating rhythms and enchanting melodies and also through her voice, which straddles gentleness and powerful husky rises. Her deep, activist lyrics come across clearly in French and English, as well as in Lari and Lingala. Connecting with people, reaching into their hearts and conveying an aura of goodwill is more than a calling, it is her raison d’être. It is not by chance that Joyce N’sana has won various awards in the last few years. This Congolese-Quebecer brought out her first EP in March 2016. It remained number one in Canada throughout the summer in the “world” category in the Earshot ranking and was named World Music Album of the Year by radio station CJLO. In 2017, she appeared on the show “La Voix” and won the Montréal final of the Landmark Events Showcase. She continues to promote cultural diversity. In February 2020, she was involved in Black History Month, giving two notable performances on MAtv television in Montréal and taking part in the African diaspora festivities in Laval. Clearly focused on her goals, she seeks to develop her Afrobluehop sounds and to maintain her fight against racism, notably through the Biblio Afro Jeunesse project, which gathers various works of children’s literature that feature racialized characters.