Name: Jupiter Bokondji
Nationality: Congolese
Occupation: Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist
Current Release: Jupiter & Okwess's new album Ekoya is out via Airfono.
Global Recommendation: I would recommend visiting my hometown of Kinshasa. It's still pure, untouched, and naturally beautiful.

If you enjoyed this Jupiter & Okwess interview and would like to stay up to date on the band and their music, visit their official homepage. They are also on Instagram, and Facebook.   



When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening? Do you listen with your eyes open or closed?

As a creator or listener, sound captivates me and gives me chills. Those chills drive me to receive emotions, which I can then transfer to others.

According to scientific studies, we make our deepest and most incisive musical experiences between the ages of 13-16. What did music mean to you at that age and what’s changed since then?

Between the ages of 13 and 16, adolescents start discovering new things.

What has changed today is that it’s more about experience.

Tell me about one or two of your early pieces that you're still proud of (or satisfied with) – and why you're content with them.

“Solombobe” is the track that opened the door for me. It was my first song, and it paved the way.



What is your current your studio or workspace like? What instruments, tools, equipment, and space do you need to make music?

I work from home, as always.

My main instrument is the tam-tam, and I also play a bit of guitar to experiment and sketch ideas.

From the earliest sketches to the finished piece, tell me about the creative process for your current release, please.

I'm still following the same process as before. But today, I’m focused on progress.

What role and importance do rituals have for you, both as an artist and a listener?

I’ve always loved doing quality work, and my ultimate goal is to achieve perfection.

Are you acting out parts of your personality in your music which you couldn't or wouldn't in your daily life? If so, which are these?

When I play music, I become an actor delivering a message.

It's important to fulfil the role of an artist, but in my everyday life, I behave like a parent, like an ordinary person.

Late producer SOPHIE said: “You have the possibility [...] to generate any texture, and any sound. So why would any musician want to limit themselves?” What's your take on that?

Indeed, when an artist is in a phase of self-exploration, they may limit themselves, whereas we continue living our daily lives, and that always inspires us to create—acting as messengers of the experiences we go through.

For me personally, music has in many instances influenced my decisions and views and literally changed my life. What has this been like for you and how do you think does music make its power felt?

Music belongs to me, and it drives me to explore all dimensions. It has led me to make crucial decisions throughout my life.

I would love to know a little about the feedback you've received from listeners or critics about what they thought some of your songs are about or the impact it had on them – have there been “misunderstandings” or did you perhaps even gain new “insights?”

I’m positive.

Criticism doesn’t concern me, especially since I’m influencing an entire generation to change the way they approach things tomorrow.

Sound, song, and rhythm are all around us, from animal noises to the waves of the ocean. What, if any, are some of the most moving experiences you've had with these non-human-made sounds? In how far would you describe them as “musical”?

Sound has always existed since the dawn of time—the noise of oceans, thunder, volcanoes—those are natural sounds.

We must pay close attention to understand and develop them. It’s a mystery.

We can surround us with sound every second of the day. The great pianist Glenn Gould even considered this the ultimate delight. How do you see that yourself and what importance does silence hold?

We are surrounded by sounds at all times.

It's in creation that we can listen to and compare these sounds, but silence is where true focus lies.

Do you feel as though writing or performing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

Indeed, music is mine.

It's not something to be compared to preparing tea; rather, it’s a source of inspiration, creating and projecting emotions around you.