Janice Iche arrives right in time with their self-produced debut album, “The Journey Continues…”.
The queer Kenyan-Tanzanian multi-hyphenate delivers a twelve-track voyage through their inner worlds, baring vulnerability and raw emotion with purpose and intention for personal healing and transformation.
“I have always believed in the power of shining loving gentle light onto my darkness. That means not hiding the parts of me that aren’t perfect and instead deciding to look into them carefully to reveal to myself the parts of myself that need more loving care. I find this softens whatever perception I may have about my imperfections and actually gives me the chance to direct intentional care towards myself.”
A recent single from the album is “Everyday”, a sincere tale revealed smoothly through soulful layered repetition both in the vocal and instrumental composition which explores millennial-age coping mechanisms and the sweet repose that comes from blatantly admitting our guilty pleasures. The song is about understanding and accepting that surviving adulthood may require crutches and therefore absolving the self and subsequently others from unnecessary judgement and guilt.
The third single, "Empathy" releases 28th Oct.
Iche describes herself as multifaceted, including fine artist, performing DJ, singer-songwriter and music producer in their realm of practice. Through music, Iche gets to explore and frolic with yet another aspect of her entirety.
“The Journey Continues…” arrives in November 2022, marking the beginning of a new era in the artist’s career. As their debut, this album showcases Iche’s raw and unique musical caliber that is inspired majorly by African instrumentalism, Taarab music as well as a blend of contemporary music from all around the world.
Since moving back to Mombasa from Nairobi in early 2020, Iche has journeyed through what she has dubbed “God-level loneliness”, a result of losing her entire community after facing online and nationwide public ridicule. “There was a full-page spread published without my consent in the Sunday Nation with my name and face on it titled “Sex scandals in music biz” as well as countless tweets from spectators and industry peers harshly criticizing me for calling out rape and apologist cultures, it has been an incredibly isolating time. The people around me couldn’t understand what I was going through or why I did what I did so they didn’t support me. Somehow while looking for help, I didn’t come across a person that was capable of directing grace and care towards me in a way that reduced my exposure to harm beyond what I had already experienced,” says Janice. “I really embarked on the journey of producing this album to give myself the space and the grace I needed to mourn the incredible loss of self I was experiencing. It started with getting in touch with my emotions again. Anyone who knows trauma understands how it robs you of who you are. For several months on end, I was not present in the world. It has been a lasting journey of searching long and hard for myself, grasping onto any shreds of my being I can remember and building myself up from and beyond that. I have learnt to accept myself even more; my flaws and shortcomings as well as my strengths, gifts and powers. It is not a pretty or perfect journey and neither do I give myself the pressure for it to be,” Iche says. “Throughout it all, I managed to produce and mix an entire album,” she laughs, “this life thing is wild and even when I am not, I am grateful to be here. I’m also not the best producer and I don’t even play any instrument or know music theory! I come to art primarily for the genuine expression of my being and its experience more than anything else,” Iche notes.
This project comes from the emotional and spiritual exploration and apprehension of the unforgiving nature and incomprehensibility of life’s lived experience. It abbreviates her understanding of the interconnectedness of all life and provides a welcoming space for the artist to just be, continuing on the path of the evolution that is and has already been at course. “I never want to judge myself too harshly, it’s not productive. I like to allow myself to be, giving myself the space to grieve knowing that for as long as I am alive, I will always complete the cycle. The journey continues…” the artist states.
Aside from producing this album in the last year, Iche has been making international DJ performances. With a remarkable set at Boiler Room Nairobi in April 2022 and another at Amsterdam Pride with DJ Mag this August 2022, Iche exercises her will and freedom to express across multiple mediums as she also continues to release monthly mixes featuring East African music on her online radio show currently hosted on Oroko Radio, titled Ché Radio.
Regarding this latest offering, Iche is collaborating with Emma Nzioka of SEMA to put up an album launch show in Nairobi. Performing alongside will be Nabalayo and Akoth Jumadi, who are both also releasing new music this November. More details on this event will be out before album release date. More shows in Kilifi and Mombasa are currently in arrangement.
credits
released November 11, 2022
Written, Produced, Performed and Mixed by Janice Iche
Mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri (Black Knoll Studio)
Cover Art by Janice Iche
license
all rights reserved
The queer Kenyan-Tanzanian multi-hyphenate delivers a twelve-track voyage through their inner worlds, baring vulnerability and raw emotion with purpose and intention for personal healing and transformation.
“I have always believed in the power of shining loving gentle light onto my darkness. That means not hiding the parts of me that aren’t perfect and instead deciding to look into them carefully to reveal to myself the parts of myself that need more loving care. I find this softens whatever perception I may have about my imperfections and actually gives me the chance to direct intentional care towards myself.”
A recent single from the album is “Everyday”, a sincere tale revealed smoothly through soulful layered repetition both in the vocal and instrumental composition which explores millennial-age coping mechanisms and the sweet repose that comes from blatantly admitting our guilty pleasures. The song is about understanding and accepting that surviving adulthood may require crutches and therefore absolving the self and subsequently others from unnecessary judgement and guilt.
The third single, "Empathy" releases 28th Oct.
Iche describes herself as multifaceted, including fine artist, performing DJ, singer-songwriter and music producer in their realm of practice. Through music, Iche gets to explore and frolic with yet another aspect of her entirety.
“The Journey Continues…” arrives in November 2022, marking the beginning of a new era in the artist’s career. As their debut, this album showcases Iche’s raw and unique musical caliber that is inspired majorly by African instrumentalism, Taarab music as well as a blend of contemporary music from all around the world.
Since moving back to Mombasa from Nairobi in early 2020, Iche has journeyed through what she has dubbed “God-level loneliness”, a result of losing her entire community after facing online and nationwide public ridicule. “There was a full-page spread published without my consent in the Sunday Nation with my name and face on it titled “Sex scandals in music biz” as well as countless tweets from spectators and industry peers harshly criticizing me for calling out rape and apologist cultures, it has been an incredibly isolating time. The people around me couldn’t understand what I was going through or why I did what I did so they didn’t support me. Somehow while looking for help, I didn’t come across a person that was capable of directing grace and care towards me in a way that reduced my exposure to harm beyond what I had already experienced,” says Janice. “I really embarked on the journey of producing this album to give myself the space and the grace I needed to mourn the incredible loss of self I was experiencing. It started with getting in touch with my emotions again. Anyone who knows trauma understands how it robs you of who you are. For several months on end, I was not present in the world. It has been a lasting journey of searching long and hard for myself, grasping onto any shreds of my being I can remember and building myself up from and beyond that. I have learnt to accept myself even more; my flaws and shortcomings as well as my strengths, gifts and powers. It is not a pretty or perfect journey and neither do I give myself the pressure for it to be,” Iche says. “Throughout it all, I managed to produce and mix an entire album,” she laughs, “this life thing is wild and even when I am not, I am grateful to be here. I’m also not the best producer and I don’t even play any instrument or know music theory! I come to art primarily for the genuine expression of my being and its experience more than anything else,” Iche notes.
This project comes from the emotional and spiritual exploration and apprehension of the unforgiving nature and incomprehensibility of life’s lived experience. It abbreviates her understanding of the interconnectedness of all life and provides a welcoming space for the artist to just be, continuing on the path of the evolution that is and has already been at course. “I never want to judge myself too harshly, it’s not productive. I like to allow myself to be, giving myself the space to grieve knowing that for as long as I am alive, I will always complete the cycle. The journey continues…” the artist states.
Aside from producing this album in the last year, Iche has been making international DJ performances. With a remarkable set at Boiler Room Nairobi in April 2022 and another at Amsterdam Pride with DJ Mag this August 2022, Iche exercises her will and freedom to express across multiple mediums as she also continues to release monthly mixes featuring East African music on her online radio show currently hosted on Oroko Radio, titled Ché Radio.
Regarding this latest offering, Iche is collaborating with Emma Nzioka of SEMA to put up an album launch show in Nairobi. Performing alongside will be Nabalayo and Akoth Jumadi, who are both also releasing new music this November. More details on this event will be out before album release date. More shows in Kilifi and Mombasa are currently in arrangement.
credits
released November 11, 2022
Written, Produced, Performed and Mixed by Janice Iche
Mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri (Black Knoll Studio)
Cover Art by Janice Iche
license
all rights reserved
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