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About Reniss
Hometown
Mankon, Cameroon
Born
April 24, 1988
Genre
Afro-Pop
Cameroonian singer/songwriter Reniss rose to fame in 2016 with the rousing single "La Sauce," which blended vibrant Afro-pop with the bikutsi rhythms of her native country. A frequent collaborator with producer Jovi, she has become known for fusing regional styles like makossa, bend-skin, and njang with R&B and hip-hop, as heard on albums like Tendon and her ambitious 2020 follow-up, Nzo.
Growing up in the Mabanda neighborhood of Douala, Kien Rennise Nde began singing in church as a teenager and remained an active part of the choir and various church performances for several years. Her creative partnership with Cameroonian rapper/producer Jovi (also known as Le Monstre) began in 2011 with the single "Fire" and continued with "Holy Wata" and her 2013 debut EP, Afrikan LuV. She also guested on Jovi's 2012 album H.I.V. Early on, Reniss' music took on tones of gospel and electronic pop, though over subsequent releases like 2015's Milkish EP and especially her 2016 full-length, Tendon, she began to incorporate a wider swath of eclectic regional African styles. Released a few months before (and included on) the Jovi-produced Tendon, "La Sauce" effectively launched her career in Africa and parts of Europe, and the song was even adopted as the unofficial anthem of Cameroon's national football team the Indomitable Lions during their 2017 campaign to winning the AFCON championship.
Capitalizing on her success, Reniss issued an EP honoring iconic African women singers who had influenced her. Released in March 2017 for International Women's Day, Reniss Chante Les Classiques featured covers of songs by Miriam Makeba, Cesária Évora, and others. 2018 saw the release of two more EPs, Express Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. Working again with Jovi, Reniss' second album, Nzo, was even more expansive, including traditional styles from all over the African continent and harking back to the Afro-pop sounds of the 1960s and '70s. It was released in 2020. ~ Timothy Monger
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