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KENZA

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KENZA
File:Kenza's First Week in San Pedro.jpg
Kenza's first week in san pedro
Background information
Birth nameWinnie Ochala
Also known asCFR Worldwide
Born (1997-12-06) December 6, 1997 (age 26)
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
GenresPsychedelic, alternative R&B
Occupation(s)
InstrumentsVocals, synthesizer, drum machine
Years active2015–present
Websitekenza.xyz

Winnie Ochala (born December 6, 1997), known professionally as KENZA, is a Canadian singer, record producer and music video director from Vancouver, British Columbia. She debuted in the music industry with her 2017 mixtape, Adult Glorification, which was described as "distinctive and almost hallucinogenic".[1] She released her first EP, Dixie & The Dead States, to further recognition which was led by the single, San Pedro Sedation. She also serves as a techno record producer under the pseudonym CFR Worldwide.[1]

Kenza's lyricism has been described as "avante-garde" and an "influx of chaos".[1][2] Her songs often revolve around themes of sexuality, allure and the desires of fame and wealth.

Early life[edit]

Kenza was born on December 6, 1997 in Vancouver, British Columbia.[3] The daughter of Anuak refugees, her family migrated to Canada from Gambela, Ethiopia in 1992, after a year spent in the Kenyan refugee camp they fled to. She often skipped class after 2008 with a C- average;[3] citing the influence of 808s & Heartbreak as the start of her slacking off and the sole reason for her dropping out of high school to pursue a music career.[3]

Career[edit]

2015–2017: Adult Glorification[edit]

After two years of recording and scrapping up to 300 full-length songs,[3] Kenza released her debut mixtape, Adult Glorification, on July 1, 2017. She stated her musical style was birthed through being a terrible artist.

Through being a terrible artist. Doing anything and everything if it sounded some type of right because I was so used to being wrong, musically. Singing and screaming high to low, living the same way, soon came out this lone, psychedelic R&B with heavy electronic elements after following the blind glorification of adulthood and the relationships that come along with it; leading to 300+ scrapped demos and the start of KENZA.[3]

The mixtape is described as "distinctive and almost hallucinogenic".[1] She also serves as a record producer under the pseudonym CFR Worldwide, citing inspiration from the record producers, Lone and DJ Rashad. [3] In a 2017 interview with Gal-Dem Magazine, she stated that a majority of her musical style stems from her work as CFR Worldwide.[1]

“Starting out as a techno producer with no commercial intent gives you this edge, I believe. You experiment with sounds you know you wouldn't have touched if you felt you had something to get to.”[1]

2017–2018: Dixie & The Dead States[edit]

In April 2018, Kenza released her debut EP, Dixie & The Dead States, for free download on her official website, and later on iTunes.[4]

Drawing comparisons to Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas for its lyricism,[4] the album was described as having a strong 70s aesthetic[2] with big shot experimental and surreal singles.[5] The project featured production from EarthGang.

In a 2018 interview with INDIE Magazine, she shared what it was about the Los Angeles move that led to creating, Dixie & The Dead States.

"Somber and incessant days spent solo in San Pedro and Nevada, in and out of old hotel rooms. Always deeply tantalised by Los Angeles and Vegas, creating an expectation of the cities that I shortly noticed couldn't be fulfilled. When I arrived the cities left me feeling very small, bruising my almost larger than life ego. Out of trying to put some words to the feeling came “Dixie & The Dead States”; a world play on the southern term of a typical small, sweet girl, my blackening mental state and the way it all felt for the first time, dead."[3]

In 2018, her song "San Pedro Sedation" from, Dixie & The Dead States, was featured four times in one week on BBC Radio 1Xtra.[6]

2019–present: Drug Culture and POA: American Obsession[edit]

On March 1, Kenza announced that "COCAINA", the first single off her full-length E.P, Drug Culture, will be slated for release in June.[citation needed] In a 2018 interview with Bubblegum Club, she revealed that she is also working on her 15-track debut studio album, POA: American Obsession.[2]

Artistry[edit]

Kenza stated that she draws musical inspiration from Radiohead, Elis Regina and Stelvio Cipriani.[1] Other musicians she cited as influences on her sound are Kanye West and Tyler, the Creator.[3] She has stated that during her production process, she has to detach from Kenza completely.

“I can't be focused on anything Kenza when I'm producing. That allows me to not think about appeal, to not think that I'm making a hip hop record, I'm making a pop record or I'm making an R&B record.”[2]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 "Kenza dives deep into growing pains with 'Adult Glorification'". gal-dem. July 5, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Vancouver-based artist KENZA's Dead State (of Mind)". Bubblegum Club. April 3, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 "SINGER KENZA ON ADOLESCENCE AND HER NEW EP – INDIE". INDIE Magazine. April 9, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  4. 4.0 4.1 "Kenza maps a sedated, all-American road trip on 'Dixie & the Dead States'". Vanyaland. April 11, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  5. Roberts, Caitlin. "WEEK IN POP: HOOP, SABRI, SARAH CLANTON". Impose Magazine.
  6. "BBC Radio 1Xtra - Jamz Supernova, Connie Constance and Sudan Archives". BBC. Retrieved March 25, 2019.

External links[edit]


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