Kwanza Jones
Encyclopedia
Kwanza Jones is an American pop
singer/songwriter. She was born in Los Angeles, California
and started her singing career when she was in college at Princeton University. She is currently signed to the independent label "Innovation Entertainment".
, California
on Thanksgiving Day.
At the age of four Kwanza’s family moved to the suburbs of Washington, D.C.
where she spent her formative years playing flute
, violin
, piano
and singing
in the choir at her school and church. Her paternal great-grandmother played piano
for famous blues singer Bessie Smith
in the 1920s.
She studied at Princeton University
, in Princeton, New Jersey
. At this time she was in an a cappella
group, was a soloist in the gospel choir and was even in an electronica
band. She had a chance meeting with music legend Quincy Jones
which got her interested in music as a profession.
After her first album, she moved back to Los Angeles
to continue her career.
. At this time, she played a lot in bars and other small venues. Her biggest performance during this time was at the World Famous Apollo Theater
in New York.
When she graduated she decided to travel a little and wrote her second album Naked 2: universal fire. Along with original material, this album also featured two cover songs, The Doors
' "Light My Fire
" and Ashford & Simpson
's "Ain't No Mountain High Enough
".
When she arrived back in the US, she moved to Los Angeles
to find her roots and continue her music career.
charts. She debut at #47 on the Billboard Hot Dance / Club Play Charts. In December 2010, it was #3 on the Biggest Jump list . "Think Again - The Remixes" is a Dance project featuring the single, "Think Again" where Kwanza collaborated with Grammy nominated American
DJ/producer
/remixer, Mike Rizzo
. Also working with her on this project was DJ Lynnwood
and Jaime J Sanchez. This project has a slated internet release of November 26, 2010.
, Beyoncé Knowles
and Mary J. Blige
(to name a few) in support of Girls Educational and Mentoring Services (GEMS). The most recent campaign from this organization, "Girls Are Not for Sale", is a national campaign aimed at raising awareness to and ending the growing issue of state-side sex trafficking.
Kwanza is currently recording her third studio album
called, Supercharged.
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer/songwriter. She was born in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
and started her singing career when she was in college at Princeton University. She is currently signed to the independent label "Innovation Entertainment".
Biography
Kwanza was born in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
on Thanksgiving Day.
At the age of four Kwanza’s family moved to the suburbs of Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
where she spent her formative years playing flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and singing
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
in the choir at her school and church. Her paternal great-grandmother played piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
for famous blues singer Bessie Smith
Bessie Smith
Bessie Smith was an American blues singer.Sometimes referred to as The Empress of the Blues, Smith was the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s...
in the 1920s.
She studied at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, in Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
. At this time she was in an a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
group, was a soloist in the gospel choir and was even in an electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
band. She had a chance meeting with music legend Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
which got her interested in music as a profession.
After her first album, she moved back to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to continue her career.
Early career
She wrote her first album Naked when she was attending Princeton UniversityPrinceton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
. At this time, she played a lot in bars and other small venues. Her biggest performance during this time was at the World Famous Apollo Theater
Apollo Theater
The Apollo Theater in New York City is one of the most famous, and older, music halls in the United States, and the most famous club associated almost exclusively with Black performers...
in New York.
When she graduated she decided to travel a little and wrote her second album Naked 2: universal fire. Along with original material, this album also featured two cover songs, The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
' "Light My Fire
Light My Fire
"Light My Fire" is a song by The Doors which was recorded in August 1966 and released the first week of January 1967 on the Doors' debut album. Released as a single in April, it spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and one week on the Cash Box Top 100, nearly a year after...
" and Ashford & Simpson
Ashford & Simpson
Nickolas Ashford , and Valerie Simpson , were a husband and wife songwriting/production team and recording artists....
's "Ain't No Mountain High Enough
Ain't No Mountain High Enough
"Ain't No Mountain High Enough" is an R&B/soul song written by Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson in 1966 for the Tamla Motown label. The composition was first successful as a 1967 hit single recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, becoming a hit again in 1970 when recorded by former Supremes...
".
When she arrived back in the US, she moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to find her roots and continue her music career.
Recent projects
Kwanza Jones' song "Think Again" earned her first appearance on the Billboard (magazine)Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
charts. She debut at #47 on the Billboard Hot Dance / Club Play Charts. In December 2010, it was #3 on the Biggest Jump list . "Think Again - The Remixes" is a Dance project featuring the single, "Think Again" where Kwanza collaborated with Grammy nominated American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
DJ/producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
/remixer, Mike Rizzo
Mike Rizzo
Michael "Mike" Rizzo, is an American DJ/remixer from New York City since the early 1990s. He is well known for working with various artists such as Jennifer Green and Sun, all of whom scored hits on both Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play and Hot Dance Airplay charts.He also achieved success on both...
. Also working with her on this project was DJ Lynnwood
DJ Lynnwood
DJ Lynnwood is a United States based Club and Radio DJ. He is known for his longevity in the music business, his diversity as a DJ and his ability to re-invent himself through the years. He is one of the first true pioneers of dj mixing, starting at age 10....
and Jaime J Sanchez. This project has a slated internet release of November 26, 2010.
Charity work
Before January 2010, Kwanza joined the likes of Sinéad O'ConnorSinéad O'Connor
Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
, Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
and Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige
Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...
(to name a few) in support of Girls Educational and Mentoring Services (GEMS). The most recent campaign from this organization, "Girls Are Not for Sale", is a national campaign aimed at raising awareness to and ending the growing issue of state-side sex trafficking.
Kwanza is currently recording her third studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
called, Supercharged.
Studio Albums
| Released | Title |
|---|---|
| 2001 | Naked |
| 2005 | Naked 2: universal fire |
| 2011 | Supercharged |
Singles
| Released | Title | Peak positions |
|---|---|---|
| Billboard Dance/Club Chart | ||
| 2009 | "Everything Around You" |
- |
| 2010 | "Not a Breakup Song" |
- |
| Nov. 2010 | "Think Again - The Remixes" |
21 |