Lous and the Yakuza

Marie-Pierra Kakoma (born May 27, 1996), known professionally as Lous and the Yakuza, is a Congolese-Belgian singer, rapper, songwriter, model, and artist. She rose to prominence after the release of her debut single "Dilemme" in September 2019, which was followed by "Tout est gore" in December 2019 and "Solo" in March 2020. Her debut album, Gore, produced by El Guincho, is set to be released in fall of 2020.

Lous and the Yakuza
Born
Marie-Pierra Kakoma

(1996-05-27) May 27, 1996
Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Occupation
  • singer
  • rapper
  • songwriter
  • model
  • artist
Musical career
Genres
InstrumentsVocals
Years active2015–present
LabelsColumbia Records
Associated actsDamso, El Guincho, Tha Supreme, Mara Sattei, BSSMNT
Websitehttp://www.lousandtheyakuza.fr/

Early life

Lous was born Marie-Pierra Kakoma in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo on May 27, 1996.[1][2] Her parents were prominent doctors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the time of her birth. Her Congolese father was a gynecologist, and her Rwandan mother was a pediatrician.[3][4][5] Kakoma's mother was imprisoned in the Congo for two months during the Second Congo War in 1998 due to her ethnicity. After her father secured her mother's release, she fled to Belgium with one of Kakoma's sisters. Kakoma and the rest of her siblings joined their mother in Belgium two years later in 2000, while their father remained in the Congo.[6] The family relocated to Rwanda in 2005 in the wake of the Rwandan genocide before permanently returning to Brussels in 2011.[4][6]

Kakoma's interest in music began at a young age while she was surrounded by music due to her father's interest in the European classical works of Mozart, Chopin, Vivaldi, and Beethoven. She began writing her own music at the age of seven.[6] Upon her family's relocation to Belgium at the age of 15, she began writing letters to Columbia Records in the hopes of being signed to the label.[7] At the age of eighteen, Kakoma was disinherited by her parents for wanting to be a singer, rather than a doctor, and at the age of nineteen, she was kicked out of her home.[8][9] In the period of homelessness that followed, she lived on the streets for several months before settling in a music studio, where she would sleep and record music, while commuting back and forth between a variety of service jobs. Over three years, Kakoma recorded 52 songs, comprising seven EPs.[9] In 2016, she appeared in the music video for "BruxellesVie" by Belgian artist Damso.[10]

Career

Kakoma adopted the moniker Lous and the Yakuza from an anagram for soul, the source of her musical passion, and Yakuza, Japan's organized crime syndicate, the name of which she uses to describe her "crew" of collaborators on whom she relies to create her music.[3][6][10] Lous was first discovered by her manager, Miguel Fernandez, after he found her releases on the internet.[9] Beginning in 2017, she realized her passion to create an album, enlisted many of her close friends to form a supporting band, and began performing at bars and nightclubs in the Brussels underground culture. In late 2017, Lous was invited to perform an acoustic set for La ChillZone, after which she was signed to Columbia Records through Sony Music in France, at the age of 22.[9][10] On June 15, 2018, "Le Ridicule Ne Tue Pas" was released, a collaboration between Lous and the Yakuza and the French electronic group BSSMNT.[11][12]

After a six-month search for a producer that fit her aspirations, Kakoma took notice of Spanish producer El Guincho, following his work on Rosalía's single "Malamente".[6] Lous released her debut single "Dilemme" on September 19, 2019, which was produced by El Guincho and Ponko.[13][14] The song propelled Kakoma into prominence after it received viral acclaim, accumulating more than 10 million streams on Spotify, 3.8 million views on YouTube, and topping Spotify Italia's Viral 50 chart.[14][15] The song's music video, directed by Wendy Morgan, captures the various identities that Lous holds in a variety of environments, meant to represent her life transition from Congo to Belgium.[16] A remix featuring Italian rapper Tha Supreme and Italian singer Mara Sattei was released on April 1, 2020.[14] At the 2019 Red Bull Elektropedia Awards, Lous and the Yakuza won the silver medal in the "Fresh on the Scene" category.[17] Lous's second single, "Tout est gore", also produced by El Guincho, was released on December 6, 2019.[17] The song gained popularity after actress Issa Rae shared a clip from the video on social media.[18] On March 20, 2020, Lous released her third single, "Solo", with an accompanying music video directed by Wendy Morgan and Kevin Bago.[19] An associated documentary short film, titled "Solo (Genesis)" was released on April 14, 2020.[20] All three singles will be included on her debut album, Gore, which was produced by El Guincho. Originally scheduled to be released on June 5, 2020, the album has since been delayed until fall of 2020.[15][21]

On February 27, 2020, Kakoma modeled for French luxury fashion house Chloé during Paris Fashion Week, where she participated in the runway presentation of their fall/winter 2020/21 collection.[22] In March 2020, Lous and the Yakuza was included in Spotify's RADAR initiative, which aims to broaden artists' worldwide reach through marketed social channels and curated playlists.[21]

Kakoma's music has been described as a "silky" combination of trap, R&B, and pop.[23]

Public image

Lous is noted for her public image, namely the graphic symbol painted on her forehead, which has been described as the letter 'Y' with a dot in the middle and has drawn comparisons to Prince's Love Symbol #2.[6][3] She designed the tattoo, titled les mains levées vers le ciel (hands lifted toward the sky), as a symbol meant to represent two arms connecting the earth to the sky.[8][14] Her religious faith and belief in God served as her primary motivation for the creation of the symbol.[3] Lous has also gained recognition for her fashion and style, which draws inspiration from such artists as FKA Twigs and Erykah Badu.[14]

Personal life

As a child, Kakoma had a passion for manga and found interest in themes related to the Middle Ages and antiquity, particularly the bravery and heroism of knights, such as those described in the writings of Cicero.[3] During her youth, she was a sprinter and also played American football for seven years due to her interest in Eyeshield 21.[24] Kakoma has explored creative writing as a form of expression since childhood, when her interest in being a novelist inspired her to frequently write novels of over 300 pages in length.[24] In addition to music and fashion, Lous is an avid painter, designer, and artist, frequently designing clothing and creating manga and graphic novel illustrations.[22][24]

Discography

Studio albums
List of Studio albums
Title Details
Gore

Singles

As lead artist

Year Single Peak chart positions Certifications Album
ITA
2019 "Dilemme" 38[25] Gore
"Tout est gore" —
2020 "Solo" —
"Dilemme (Remix)"
(with Tha Supreme & Mara Sattei)		 3[26] Non-album single
"—" denotes a recording which failed to chart or was not released to that format.

As featured artist

Year Single Album
2018 "Le Ridicule Ne Tue Pas"
BSSMNT featuring Lous and the Yakuza		 Non-album single

References
  1. Columbia Records UK [@ColumbiaUK] (27 May 2020). "happy birthday to this QUEEN. Crown @lousandtheyakz" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. Thibault, Alexis (February 13, 2020). "Lous and The Yakuza, future star de la pop?". Numéro. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  3. Poncet, Emmanuel (May 19, 2020). "Lous and The Yakuza... dans la lumière". L'Express. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  4. "Lous and the Yakuza, sabre au clair sur le r'n'b". La Croix. August 12, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  5. Potdevin, Pascaline (December 3, 2019). "Révélation : Lous and the Yakuza, new mafiosa in town". Vanity Fair. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  6. Joshi, Tara (April 22, 2020). "The majesty and tragedy of Lous and The Yakuza's music". Dazed. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  7. Delcourt, Maxime (October 3, 2019). "Artiste à suivre : Lous and The Yakuza, la nouvelle sensation pop venue de Belgique". Les Inrockuptibles. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  8. Mameche, Ouafa (2019). "Lous and the Yakuza : « Je dois sacrifier mon intimité pour une cause plus grande »". Yard. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  9. "Lous & the Yakuza". RTBF. December 10, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  10. Narduzzi, Guillaume (October 28, 2019). "Avec sa pop ravageuse, Lous and The Yakuza vient enterrer le game". Konbini. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  11. Chevet, Juliette (September 20, 2019). "Lous and The Yakuza débarque sur la scène belge avec un premier titre clippé : "Dilemme"". Tsugi. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  12. "Le ridicule ne tue pas (feat. Lous and The Yakuza) - Single". Apple Inc. June 15, 2018. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  13. Dansoko Touré, Katia (October 16, 2019). "« Dilemme » de Lous and the Yakuza, un plaidoyer en faveur de la résilience". JeuneAfrique. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  14. Talon, Kettj (April 3, 2020). "Lous and The Yakuza is one of the most interesting and coolest artists of the moment". NSS G Club. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  15. Annest, Tess (March 23, 2020). "Musique : la chanteuse Lous and The Yakuza nous parle de la difficulté d'être une femme noire". Glamour Paris. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  16. Otieno, Nereya (September 24, 2019). "Meet Your New Congolese Crush, Lous and the Yakuza". OkayAfrica. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  17. Mallac, Skye (December 30, 2019). "Meet Congolese queen Lous and the Yakuza through her bloody video for "Tout Est Gore"". Tex and the City. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  18. "Issa Rae Just Introduced Us To Our New Favorite Artist, Lous And The Yakuza". Essence. March 8, 2020. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  19. Elder, Sajae (March 21, 2020). "Lous and The Yakuza shares the visuals for "Solo"". The Fader. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  20. Aku, Timmhotep (April 14, 2020). "GET TO KNOW LOUS AND THE YAKUZA WITH "SOLO (GENESIS)" MINI-DOC". AfroPunk. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  21. "Meet Lous and the Yakuza, the Belgian Artist Who Can Sing in Any Language". Spotify News Room. March 22, 2020. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  22. Verheyen, Géraldine (February 27, 2020). "Lous and The Yakuza était la star du défilé Chloé automne-hiver 2020-2021". L'Officiel. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  23. Apardian, Krista Marina (March 23, 2020). "Lous and The Yakuza's "Solo" Is the Personification of Silk". One to Watch. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  24. Nicolas, Niels (March 20, 2020). "On a parlé dilemmes, Damso et Naruto avec Lous and the Yakuza". Interlude. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  25. "Classifiche". FIMI. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  26. "Classifiche". FIMI. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  27. "Richiedi targhetta". FIMI. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
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