KESSWA

A native of Detroit’s east side, Kesiena Wanogho aka KESSWA is an interdisciplinary artist, vocalist, producer, and filmmaker whose ethereal, pulsating sound-worlds channel her hometown’s distinct musical legacy. Freely intermingling and transmogrifying the Motor City’s rich contributions to the histories of spiritual jazz, electronic funk, house, and techno, her work typically foregrounds lively, interlocking vocals set against lush soundscapes that call back to each of the aforementioned idioms, as well as neo-soul, dub, and trip-hop. A host of other interests work their way in: traditional Nigerian drum music, Afro-surrealism, virtual reality and 360° video technologies, and Nichiren Buddhism all feed into her highly syncretic, often uncategorizable sonic practice. KESSWA was a 2022 Kresge Arts in Detroit Fellow and has toured Germany as Musicboard Berlin and Detroit–Berlin Connection’s premier artist-in-residence. Most recently, she is featured as an artist and producer on Theo Parrish’s DJ-Kicks compilation.