By Chronicle:
FROM leading Sizani High School choir with her melodious voice and ultimately rising to fame with the Queendom single, RnB sensation JoyRukanza (real name Joy Rukanzakanza) is set to light up the city next month when she hosts a music festival dubbed “The Forêt Tropicale”.
Largely a mixed genre affair, the music festival scheduled for December 11 will have an array of performances from Ryan Synth, Noluntu J, Mawiza, KiD X, Azana and other supporting choral acts.
Speaking from London where she is based, JoyRukanza said the festival is aimed at uplifting local acts at a time when the entertainment industry is coming alive due to the festive season.
“We have a music festival in the pipeline that’ll most likely be held at the ZITF Showgrounds. The event has been named The Forêt Tropicale, a French term that means Rain Forest in English. It’s been given a rain forest theme because a rain forest has so much life and within it, one finds different types of trees with different levels of growth.
“Basically, the aim of the event is to bring life to the city and foster growth in our city’s music industry through creating a culture of performances and artistic showcases that’ll carry on beyond the festive season,” JoyRukanza said.
She said The Forêt Tropicale will definitely show that the City of Kings and Queens is a diversified capital.
“The artistes showcasing on the day are at different levels in their respective careers, but we’re all coming to learn from each other and grow.”
The artiste said her song Queendom is doing very well as it was picked by the biggest playlists on Apple Music and Spotify.
“The video is being played on multiple channels in Africa (Clouds TV, MTV Base, Trace Africa and Channel O) and is also doing well on YouTube,” she said.
Working as a technology analyst in the asset management field, when JoyRukanza is not coding guidelines to prevent her clients from being fined by financial regulators, she is always looking for opportunities to network and grow in music.
In less than a year of starting her solo professional music career, she has released three well-executed musical projects and staged a virtual live performance. Her first project “New Day” featuring South African multi-award-winning hip-hop sensation, KiD X, received international acclaim and has more than 57 000 views on YouTube.
Her follow-up single, “Roses”, premiered on BBC Music prior to its official release. “Queendom”, her latest offering released last month has close to 20 000 views on YouTube.
