Brief artist presentation
Kènu is a Beninese artist imbued with the spirit of travel. Born in Abidjan to Beninese father and mother, he grew up there until the age of 18, when he left to pursue his studies in France. In Europe, he lives mainly between France and Spain.
But his encounter with a madman in 2010 changed his vision of music . He disbanded his first band and decided to rethink his universe. What else is there besides reggae? What other sounds can reveal and resonate with his Afro-cosmopolitan identity? At the same time as questioning his musical identity, he completed his studies in Orléans, where he rubbed shoulders with thinkers such as Majnun and Felwine Sarr.
Like many Africans in Europe, he is sensitive to the representations of the continent that are disseminated within European societies, to modern pan-Africanism, to decolonization issues and to the continent’s changing place in geopolitics.
Despite his distance from the African continent, he retains a strong attachment to his roots and develops a certain nostalgia for the environment in which he was born. Music thus becomes a form of therapy through which he reconnects with his roots. Initially a fervent reggae fan, he performed in various bars and venues in France and Spain.
In 2015, he released his first five-track album, which he deliberately chose to duplicate himself, in order to keep the number of intermediaries to a minimum and self-finance his artistic production. We can already see the beginnings of his new musical (more open and rooted in the Gulf of Guinea) and socio-political universe.
