For AWEN, music is more than a career, it's a deep calling. A bridge between worlds, a dialogue with her ancestors and a declaration of artistic independence. Born to Senegalese parents and raised between cultures, the Paris-based vocalist, producer and DJ broke through with 'Your Voice', with the Adam Port remix elevating it further.
Since then she has become one of the most compelling new voices in electronic music, fusing ancestral energy with modern club rhythms. Her tour schedule is packed with increasingly high-profile bookings, plays at many of the major global festivals from Coachella to Tomorrowland and a discography that features a long list of well-received solo productions, collabs, features and remixes for the likes of WhoMadeWho and Jan Blomqvist.
Comfortably exploring all the grooves between Afro House, Melodic, Indie Dance and House, AWEN's repertoire is broad, yet unique. As her new label Kanté is unveiled, AWEN continues to flourish, her upwards trajectory driven by positive intentions, her powerful inner drive and the echoes of her ancestors...
Before she devoted herself to music, AWEN worked as a lawyer in Hong Kong, a life path that might have offered security, but not so much meaning. The turning point came after the death of her father. Realising the fragility and finite nature of life, she felt compelled to explore her love for music. She describes her years in the legal world as training: a way to sharpen discipline, focus and the ability to articulate complex emotions. She describes her PhD as a form of "fine art". Skills she now channels through her self-expression.
From her earliest releases, AWEN's sound has reflected both her Senegalese heritage and her global outlook. Her music draws on the spiritual depth of the griot tradition - where song was a vessel for wisdom, history and communal identity. "In my family, music was the way wisdom and values were passed down," she says. "It was our library. I don't think there's anything more spiritual than that." Each performance and production carries a sense of invocation, a dialogue rooted in heritage that sits at the heart of her work.
Her voice made waves from the very beginning with highlights including 'Your Voice' (with Caiiro) and 'Home' (with Djeff), which helped establish her sound. Her breakthrough came with Adam Port's remix of 'Your Voice', which has almost 50 million plays on Spotify. Other key releases include her stunning remix of Sia & Labrinth's 'Incredible' and a definitive collab with UK afro house star Kitty Amor, 'The Answer', which was the debut release on Kitty's Mahaba Music label. Elsewhere, she has remixed WhoMade Who - 'Bedside, from their album Kiss & Forget - and collaborated with Jan Blomqvist and Rodriguez Jr. on 'Destination Lost (Would You Miss Me Around)'.
After a few years of releasing on acclaimed labels around the world, AWEN reached a turning point. She asked herself if she really needed other labels to get her voice heard... For an artist who channels stories and emotion beyond words, having total creative control made sense. So she decided to empower herself, launching her own label as an act of autonomy and devotion to the craft. "I got tired of being told my music should sound more like this or that," she says. "I reached a point where I trust my own vision."
The result is Kanté - an independent platform, christened after her own surname. With an expansive vision inspired by the constantly evolving conversation between her roots and the future, the first release on Kanté is 'Hustler', with Daniel Rateuke. The track epitomises AWEN's outlook, blending Afro house with more traditional house music sensibilities, along with a disco-tinged rework from Atjazz.
This is a platform founded by an artist unbound by rigid genre-categorisation, a vocalist who is constantly evolving, projecting positivity through her words and feelings. Through her singing, producing, DJing and now her label, AWEN promotes awareness and empowerment through relatable storytelling and powerful, emotive delivery. They are transmissions, often borne out of becoming a vessel for creative energy. Words and songs flow through her, bringing with them messages from the ether.
Awen
For AWEN, music is more than a career, it's a deep calling. A bridge between worlds, a dialogue with her ancestors and a declaration of artistic independence. Born to Senegalese parents and raised between cultures, the Paris-based vocalist, producer and DJ broke through with 'Your Voice', with the Adam Port remix elevating it further.
To AWEN, music is both an act of self-expression and a form of cultural duty. She sees herself as part of a continuum, with a mission to maintain conscious responsibility and offer depth to the listener. "It's not just about the vibe. There's a responsibility in what we create - especially now, when everything feels so policed, so superficial. Music is one of the last spaces where you can still try to be a bit more deep, more enlightened," she says.
That message can be distilled into two words: empowerment and fearlessness. As a mother, an artist and a woman of colour navigating the music industry, these ideas resonate on both personal and political levels. That sense of empowerment also extends to representation. While she's cautious about being boxed in as a "spokesperson", she recognises the visibility her platform brings. Simply being a woman of colour with some level of prominence, means she can inspire others like her to follow a similar path.
Three years into her journey as a full-time artist, AWEN is entering a new creative phase. Her live shows, which blend DJing and live vocals, are evolving into something more immersive. The vision includes plans for a full live show, incorporating other musicians. While she's also channelling her focus into Kanté, a space designed to nurture artistic freedom, experiment with sound and connect community. It's an ambitious vision rooted in humility, shaped by culture and propelled by courage.
AWEN'S journey is one of reclamation - of voice, vision and power. In a world that too often asks artists to fit in, AWEN's answer is simple: break the mould and do you.