Pierre Kwenders, the Congolese Canadian musician, has announced a deluxe edition of José Louis And The Paradox of Love, which will be available on June 30, 2023 on Arts & Crafts. Ahead of the release he has shared lead single, “SMT”. José Louis And The Paradox of Love Deluxe features three brand new songs—“SMT”, “Niata”, and “Good”— along with “Vibraçao”, a reworked version of original album standout, “Heartbeat”, this time featuring Sarah Kalume. Along with today’s announcement, Kwenders has also announced a run of festival dates in North America and Europe.

Lifted from the recording sessions of José Louis, “SMT” is a dancefloor track that is both a love letter to and an intervention with social media. An acronym for Social Media Therapy, “SMT” sees Kwenders calling out the magic and the pitfalls of total connectivity. Kenders sings in his signature blend of English, French, and Lingala over a minimal soca-inflected beat with melodious flourishes courtesy of the international production trio of PEDRO (Portugal), ESQO (Chile), and CarloMarco (Chile).

“‘SMT’ calls for a reflection on our use of social media networks and rather good or bad we must question its effects,” says Kwenders. “At this moment in time, social media has taken an important place in our day-to-day lives. As beneficial as it may be, we can find ourselves trapped – what happens online also affects us in real life. Nonetheless, it has become a problem solver, an outlet for joy, pain and communication. It makes us laugh, cry, support, look down upon, and apologize endlessly. After all that we do it all again. The online wailing wall or maybe the Goliath of our generation. Social media therapy is what we need. Social media therapy is a necessity.”

Born in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kwenders borrows his stage name from his late grandfather, a widely respected businessman and community figure. Following his mother’s footsteps, in 2001 Kwenders immigrated from Congo to Montreal. José Louis and the Paradox of Love is a culmination of personal growth and the musical dexterity Kwenders has honed over the years, converging his strong songwriting capabilities with the bravado he possesses as a DJ. The album explores an ongoing search to grasp the universal complexities of romance, sometimes through the lens of Kwenders’ own intimate experiences. The songs were written and recorded over the span of four years, and the album is symbolically titled after his birth name, José Louis Modabi. Through different moments of tension and release, romantic narratives of beauty and disaster are packed into powerful poetic musical vignettes.

Pierre Kwenders
José Louis And The Paradox Of Love Deluxe
Tracklist

1. L.E.S (Liberté Égalité Sagacité) (Feat. King Britt)
2. Your Dream (Feat. Ngabo)
3. No No No
4. Imparfait (Feat. Sônge)
5. Papa Wemba
6. Religion Désir
7. SMT
8. Makambo Ya Gaga (Skit)
9. Heartbeat (Feat. Anaiis)
10. Kilimanjaro
11. Niata
12. Coupé
13. Sahara
14. Radio trottoir – Interlude
15. Good
16. Church (Likambo)
17. Vibraçao (Feat. Sarah Kalume)

Pierre Kwenders 2023 Tour Dates

Mar 24 – Garage Noord, Amsterdam, Netherlands *
Mar 25 – Couleur Café club, Brussels, Belgium *
Mar 31 – Village Ki-yi, Abidjan, Ivory Coast *
Jul 21 – Colours of Ostrava, Czech Republic
Jul 2 – Festivoix, Trois Rivière, Quebec
Jul 9 – Winnipeg, MB @ Winnipeg Folk Festival (Birds Hill Provincial Park)

More Festivals TBA
* dj set with Moonshine

Pre-order JOSÉ LOUIS AND THE PARADOX OF LOVE by Pierre Kwenders HERE