MON ROVîA - BLOODLINE
Without a doubt, social media has allowed so many small artists to gain cult followings, especially when it comes to short-form content, and streaming. One of those artists that I keep seeing as I am scrolling, is Mon Rovîa, a Liberian folk artist who has coined his name after his birthplace of Monrovia, Liberia, his birth name being Janjay Lowe. After stumbling across his brilliant political folk track Heavy Foot over and over again on my Tiktok For You Page, I knew that I had to check it out, only to stumble upon the announcement of his newest album release Bloodline.
Lowe was born in Monrovia, Liberia, where his roots still lie within his music. He was then adopted at the age of seven, moving to the United States and settling down in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Now in the pursuit of his music career, Lowe is deeply inspired by ‘Afro-Apalachain’ Folk music, and it reflects beautifully within his music.
As I said, Lowe’s single Heavy Foot was the first track of his that I was introduced to, a political folk song with a beautiful acoustic melody, reflecting the current state of United States politics. It is no secret that there is lots of political contention within the U.S at this time, but Mon Rovîa’s take on the political climate is one of unity and love, and also done with such grace. Being an avid folk listener, I feel like I have heard most every style of folk. However, there was a certain cadence to Lowe’s folk tunes that had me turning my head, a uniqueness I had never heard before. After doing some brief research to discover more about Lowe’s history as an artist, I have discovered a new love for his style of folk music that I truly didn’t even know existed. I knew that I wanted to shed a light onto Mon Rovîa's music so heavily inspired by his culture, and also his political activism.
Upon the release of his album Bloodline, I was hooked at the first listen, with a sound similar to The Lumineers or that of Noah Kahan, I could easily see this album becoming as popular as some of the iconic folk mainstreams. However, in homage to his culture, his music features a unique form of story telling and rhythmic drive that places an emphasis on the aforementioned ‘Afro-Appalachain folk music’, that inspired his music to begin with. Another common trait within this type of folk music is participatory in nature, and creates a space for multiple musicians or voices to come together and add to a piece of music. This type of folk music is unique in the way that it feels like a traditional folk-song, while also twisting in some rather uniquely created instruments, participation of the audience, and a community that I don't often find in folk music in the modern age. Being introduced to this newfound subculture of music through Bloodline gave way to a folk tradition that has been carried into the 21st century, and still upholds its social customs and oral storytelling traditions that we may be able to see reflected in some older American folk tunes.
Getting into the meat of the album itself, Lowe has said that this album is a collection of songs that are deeply personal. They reflect the story of a Liberian born child making the journey to the United States, and navigating growing up alongside a white American family while also trying to maintain his culture from birth. Upon hearing the album, there is a clear message of powerful resilience, not of discontent, but insistent resilience. Some personal favorites from the album would be the following : Where the mountain meets the sea, Field Song, Bloodline, and Oh Wide World. The twelfth track on the album, Oh Wide World, is another song you may be familiar with from social media platforms, as it has been used quite a lot since its release. Tracks like Where the mountain meets the sea and Field Song mainly piqued my interest because they have a sound like modern folk, but with that same participatory feature and storytelling aspect that draws you in, tracks that make you pay attention.
Bloodline, however, as I understand it, is the track that (in more than just the literal sense) gave this album its purpose. This track is the real foundation of Mon Rovîa's story as an artist, and his reconnection with his Liberian-born culture. This track also goes through the complexities of Lowe’s story, and provides background to a story of resilience, life-changing choices, and cultural diversity. There are also themes of trauma, confusion, war, loss, and connecting with family members that you won’t get to reunite with. Watching Mon Rovîa's story through his eyes while listening to this album is truly touching, and his vulnerability throughout is nothing less than admirable.
One of the more upbeat and hard-hitting tracks on the album would be Field Song. In keeping with that classic acoustic folk, this track felt the most modernized while still maintaining the storytelling aspect of Afro-Appalachian folk culture, the tonality of this song is very reminiscent of something like The Lumineers or other “mainstream” folk artists. I think that this dynamic plays even deeper into Lowe’s background growing up with a white American family while still keeping time with the roots of his culture. Seeing both elements of American folk music and Afro-Appalachain folk music meshed together to create this album is a prime example of Lowe’s journey in paving his own identity, and claiming both his American family, and his Liberian culture back home, to create an album with a beautiful story that unfolds as you listen.
Though I discovered Mon Rovîa through social media myself, his artistry is anything but “Tiktok music”. There is so much to learn from Bloodline, as well as Lowe’s story in itself, and so much to gain from digging deeper into folk music from other countries, cultures, etc. If you are looking for a new folk album to explore, and possibly a whole new style of music within itself, Bloodline by Mon Rovîa, is available to stream on all platforms.