Dena Mwana

Dena Mwana is a gospel singer and composer originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

Dena Mwana
Background information
Birth nameDenise Mwanakitata Muwayi
BornDecember 27, 1986 Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
GenresGospel Music, 2011 - present
InstrumentsVoice
LabelsHappyPeople, Motown Gospel Africa, Universal Music Group
Websitehttps://happypeople.africa/artiste/dena-mwana/

Biography

Mwana was born on December 27, 1986 in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo; her name at birth was Denise Mwanakitata Muwayi.[1] She is the sixth child, from a family of eight children.[2] Mwana began singing in public as part of a church choir, "Notre dame de Grâce", in Kinshasa at the age of 13 and she was their music director by the age of 18.[2] In 1998, the choir rose to prominence over a patriotic hymn, which was copied by schools across the DRC, making her vocal style well-known across the country.[3]

Career

Early career

In 2003, the Professor of Music at the National Institute of the Arts, Rigobert Mbila, suggested that Mwana set up her own singing group. By 2004, her first band, Acapella Thematic Musical Group, was born.[2]

In 2006, Mwana emigrated to the United States to pursue a career in gospel music, settling in Virginia.[2] From 2008, Mwana decided to split her time between the US and the DRC, joining the Philadelphia Mission Choir in Kinshasa as cantor.[2] Her Christian faith is central to her singing, compositions and performance.[4]

Discography

Mwana has released two albums :

And several singles, which include:[5]

  • "L'Eternel est Bon" (2012)
  • "Se-Yo" (2014)
  • "Saint Esprit" (2018)
  • "Souffle” (2019)
  • "Maintenant Seigneur [feat. Dan Luiten]" (2020)
  • "Si La mer Se Dechaine (remix) [feat. Soweto Gospel Choir]" (2020)

In 2013, she became the first artist of the Happy People label, and in 2019 she was signed by Motown Gospel Africa a record label of the major Universal Music Group.[6] She sings in French, English and Lingala.[7]

Performances

Mwana's voice has led her to perform in more than sixteen countries around the world.[8] Some of those places include:

Awards

Mwana has been a winner and nominee at the African Gospel Music Awards.

  • 2013 - AGMA winner - Central African Artiste of Excellence [13]
  • 2016 - Etando Award: Art & Culture (2016)[14]
  • 2019 - AGMA Winner - Central African Artiste of Excellence[15][16]

Family

Dena Mwana is married to her manager and founder of HappyPeople record label, Mr Michel Mutahali and they have three children: two boys and a girl.[8]

References
  1. "DENA MWANA Biography". Afrika Lyrics. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  2. "Dena Mwana". www.radio-rfe.com. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  3. "About Dena Mwana - NumberOneMusic". www.numberonemusic.com. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  4. "Dena Muana".
  5. "Dena Mwana albums and discography". Last.fm. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  6. "mediacongo.net - Actualités - Motown Gospel signe un contrat de production avec trois artistes congolais". www.mediacongo.net. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  7. "Musique sacrée: Dena Mwana annonce la sortie de son nouvel opus | adiac-congo.com : toute l'actualité du Bassin du Congo". www.adiac-congo.com. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  8. "Dena Mwana". HappyPeople (in French). 2018-02-15. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  9. Rédaction (2019-04-30). "Musique chrétienne: La chantre Dena Mwana en concert au Maroc". Pagesafrik.info (in French). Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  10. "Musique : L'artiste Dena Mwana est au Cameroun - actualité du Cameroun - Agence Cameroun Presse". agencecamerounpresse.com (in French). Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  11. "Fragrance of Worship". www.newtimes.co.rw. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  12. Diop, Khady (2020-02-07). "12h de louanges : concert gratuit au Grand Théâtre". Au Sénégal, le cœur du Sénégal (in French). Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  13. "African Gospel Music Awards 2013".
  14. "Distinction: Déna Mwana reçoit le trophée Etando | adiac-congo.com : toute l'actualité du Bassin du Congo". www.adiac-congo.com. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  15. "Africa Gospel and Media Awards 2019: All the winners". Music In Africa. 2019-06-14. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  16. "Diana Hamilton, KODA, others win at 2019 Africa Gospel Music & Media Awards". www.ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
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