Indie Folks Artist Mon Rovîa Talks Hope, Inspiration, and Echinacea Tea

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Janjay Lowe, higher often called Mon Rovîa, is a Chattanooga-based people musician who hails initially from Liberia. Adopted by Christian missionaries throughout the Liberian civil battle, he self-describes his style as “Afro Appalachian,” a nod to each his origins and his present house. His lyrical, emotional ballads and soothing social media presence have garnered a loyal fanbase, and he is been praised for drawing consideration to the contributions of the Black Appalachian neighborhood to American people music.

In between stops on his tour with fellow Tennessee indie-folk act Josiah and the Bonnevilles, AllMusic had the prospect to talk with Mon Rovîa about his most up-to-date single, “Do not Lose a Good Factor,” how he holds onto his optimism, and his favourite sort of tea, amongst different subjects.

Your first headline tour, the Heal With Others Tour, bought out earlier this month. Congratulations! How are you feeling?

Mon Rovîa: I really feel actually grateful and blessed for the chance, shout out to the individuals for rising us up. It’s been lots of work, and we undoubtedly put within the hours, however you’ll be able to’t do something with out help and neighborhood, and so we fostered that, and it’s been nice to see them lend us a hand.

Are you able to inform me a little bit about how you bought into writing and making music?

Mon Rovîa: Music for me has all the time been a buddy as I used to be rising up, one which I knew would name me to deeper issues as I grew older. I used to be all the time on the surface a little bit bit, and would do some writing for my buddies as we have been rising up in highschool, however I by no means wished to be the forefront of something, as a result of I am a bit shy, and likewise

I noticed then there have been so many different folks that simply wished to listen to another person come by means of one thing, after which they discover energy in that. Music now for me has been a journal and a approach for me to assist to others who expertise comparable issues.

as a result of I did not have the imaginative and prescient or the mission. I did not have something I used to be seeking to consider in, actually, with what my objective was if I did do music. So I type of simply dabbled over time, and once I acquired into school, I had a little bit of a conundrum inside myself the place I had all these items from the previous, whether or not it’s my journey from Africa, various things I skilled, the discrepancies in America in the case of Black individuals as properly, and being adopted is an entire different journey. And at the moment in class music type of got here again to me…and it helped me discover peace, actually, to have the ability to inform my tales, inform my ideas. I noticed then there have been so many different folks that simply wished to listen to another person come by means of one thing, after which they discover energy in that. Music now for me has been a journal and a approach for me to assist to others who expertise comparable issues.

What’s your songwriting course of like as of late?

Mon Rovîa: I write lots of the songs at house on my ukulele, fairly stripped, and I do not go into it with an agenda. I normally attempt to really feel the spirit – we name it “downloading from the supply” – the place you are within the second and what comes you simply begin writing and writing, and the story simply unveils itself the extra you let go. So I do not actually have a course of, I imply I learn rather a lot, I’ve lots of issues in my thoughts which can be in regards to the world and other people and society, however what comes forth that day I am unable to say.

Who or what would you say are your biggest influences?

Mon Rovîa: For me it started with Bon Iver, so I am going to all the time give him that shoutout, I believe that is what made me fall in love with music – the worlds he constructed, the language he used, it actually set a listener in a spot. Vampire Weekend was one other group I cherished, Ezra Koenig is a tremendous author. With poetry, civil-rights period writers, I really like James Baldwin so I take lots of inspiration from him. My predominant inspiration actually is individuals, simply being conscious, listening, being quiet, and taking the world in.

Whenever you look again at your earlier music, do you are feeling like your work has modified or grown since then?

Mon Rovîa: Progress as within the sound of the devices the producers have been working with has gotten higher, sure. However no, I believe my writing and all the pieces has all the time been one thing that I take lots of pleasure in, so I would not say an excessive amount of on that entrance, however I’ll say the manufacturing that goes across the songs has grow to be rather a lot higher, and that is been superb.

Inform me about your newest single, “Do not Lose A Good Factor,” and what impressed it.

Mon Rovîa: The thought behind that tune is in relationships, no matter that be, loving ones or simply friendships, you undergo collectively, and also you get to a spot in life the place all the pieces’s snug and all the pieces’s good, and you are like, “I hope this stays the identical,” however life is all the time revolving, it is all the time cyclical, and issues come and go, so individuals are all the time altering. For me, I am an individual who loves routine and issues being the identical, and it is a tune encouraging individuals to not worry change in no matter relationship you are in, and to know that you just’re altering too, it is vital. You alter collectively, and hopefully you come and be taught completely different elements of one another every time as you go. It is one thing you’ll be able to construct an excellent construction with collectively, it doesn’t suggest it’s a must to go separate methods. The tune is simply actually about accepting change, not fearing it.

All of your album artwork appears very cohesive, how do you create it?

Mon Rovîa: Shoutout Mickey Brown, he is the one! I’ve identified him since we have been younger, he works on our group, he is the artistic director, he does the merch and the album designs, he is only a nice determine. We simply let him go, we’ll be like, “Hey, here is the tune, sink into it,” he’ll take heed to the tune and no matter he comes up with is what the album artwork is. We do not give him any type of suggestions on it, we’re identical to, “We belief you bro.” He is finished an ideal job every time, he is a visionary.

Do you might have a favourite piece of album artwork, or is it like selecting a favourite youngster?

Mon Rovîa: It type of is like selecting a favourite youngster. I’d say “Metropolis on a Hill” proper now might be my favourite cowl artwork that we have had. However the subsequent one arising from the following act is seeking to be fairly particular, in order that’ll in all probability change.

City on a Hill
Metropolis on a Hill

Your on-line presence and your music painting a really peaceable outlook on the world, which generally is a robust factor to domesticate in such an awesome time. How do you handle to carry onto this?

Mon Rovîa: I undoubtedly do have a really optimistic outlook. There’s all the time hope, irrespective of if it is a sliver, however I believe there’s lots of wrestling with the issues we see on the planet and the way you are feeling that you just’re not succesful to do something about it typically. All of us wrestle with that, and it is arduous to sit down in it and be part of the world in that approach, however there’s all the time hope, so I attempt to preserve that outlook within the songs in addition to on-line.

If there’s one factor you need your listeners to remove out of your work, what would that be?

Mon Rovîa: You by no means know what the following day brings and it is vital to make it there, as a result of all the pieces that you just try for could possibly be proper round that subsequent nook, and in the event you do not make it there, you might by no means really obtain it. That is my encouragement to my individuals, those who’re struggling with completely different anxieties, depressions, and loss. You simply by no means know what the following day is, and so each step issues, and I hope that you just preserve making it, you retain taking these steps.

If you happen to may collaborate on a tune with any artist, who would you select?

Mon Rovîa: That is robust as a result of I am at present getting wowed by Regina Spektor on this journey we’re on, however I’d in all probability say proper now Adrianne Lenker.

And at last, movies of you making and ingesting tea function in a few of your TikToks, so what’s your favourite type of tea?

Mon Rovîa: It is the Immune Zoom, the echinacea. I really like that a lot, it is so good, it is my favourite. Any type of throat coat tea, actually, I am going to drink it.


You’ll find extra from Mon Rovîa on Instagram and YouTube, on TikTok and X, or on his web site.



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