What’s some background information
about yourself that you don’t mind
sharing with our readers?
How do you stay inspired? What do
you do when you’re uninspired?
I’m writing at least 10 songs a week, even when
I’m not in the mood (which happens once every
I’m 21 years old; I’m from Rwanda and Congo.
My off-stage name is “Marie-Pierra Kakoma” and then decade), I kind of force myself to. And that
exercise has kept me inspired all these years.
I was born in Congo, Lubumbashi and I’ve lived
Sometimes I don’t write songs really but I write,
in Congo obviously and also Zambia, Belgium,
like, letters maybe to myself, or my lovers or I
and Rwanda.
write books. It’s just that writing is something I
I have two gorgeous sisters and one amazing
enjoy so much and that makes me feel so good,
brother
I don’t really have a problem staying inspired,
because all of my music talks about things that
When did your love of music begin?
happened to me in the past of things I would like
It arrived so early when I was a little girl, I can’t
to have in the future, or my family, my lovers,
remember really. I could never describe what
my... It’s always about something around or inside
music did to my soul as a child because it felt so
unreal, so powerful. Music was like a dream full of of me, so it’s easy to write about things for me, I
just have to open my eyes or close them and see
beautiful flowers, if that makes sense
what’s going on inside and out.
Lousandtheyakuza, how did you come
How would you best describe your
up with your name?
genre of music?
“Lous” is the word “Soul” backward. My music
is the language of my soul, I think if souls could
speak, that’s the kind of sound they will do. They
will sound like precious melodies...
And “Yakuza” stands for all the people who help
me create my music. I feel like giving them credits
directly in my name because those people (beat
makers, musicians, engineers, studio owners, man-
agers, assistants, etc...) are the reason why music
can go from my little note book to everybody’s
ears. And I could never thank them enough. And
I also chose the word “Yakuza” and not anoth-
er one because I’m addicted to Japanese culture
and I’ve always ended up working with the most
strange people and they sometimes have the as-
pect of gangsters ha-ha
I will describe it as “Music I like” because I do so
much different type of music; I do French pop,
Trap, Hip hop, Traditional, Acoustic, Tripop,
RnB, Soul, Blues, Rock’n Roll, Korean pop, Funk
music, etc. I enjoy all kind of music in the world
and I don’t want to get in one box at the moment
really, I just want to feel free and create so I don’t
push myself in one or another category.
Who does your album artwork?
So many people tried to send me their art work
of what could be the album cover but I haven’t
find the right one yet. And I think I’ll be working
more with photographers than actual graphic
designers for this album cover.
Outside of music, what else do you
like to do in your spare time?
I mostly paint and write books. I love drawing
and mixing colors together. It gives me peace
and I need peace. And sometimes I also model
a little bit, and I take my friends to eat, that’s
what I love the most. Just enjoying my friends
and my people as much as I can, because I’m
always very busy, I’m kind of the ghost of
every group of friends that I’ve been in since
forever. I always working on music, so I’m
stuck in the studio, or on stage and it’s hard to
be friend with me because I never have time to
even call or text back so for those who are still
there, understanding my situation, I’m really
grateful for them.
As a young black girl creative, why
is representation important to
you?
Because all the humans matter. I think we
should all feel free to showcase our love for
our self and our traditions and culture. I’m
happy when I see Asian with something they
can call their own, same for Africans, blue
people, red people, old people, etc... I just feel
comfortable around people who are proud of
themselves and where they come from. I don’t
put myself in any box as I said before, I am a
“young black creative” for sure, but I prefer to
be just ”Lous” and not define myself with the
amount of melanin that lives inside my skin.
I will always defend black people’s rights and
values but I will defend with the same rage
white’s people rights and values. We are all
equals, that’s what I stand for every day.
Image By B. VANDELOISE
What’s in the near future for
Lousandtheyakuza?
I’m working on a tape with one of my friend
at the moment, and I’m probably going to
put out that tape before my album. And I still
have no exact date for my album but it’s
probably going to be dropped in the early
2018.
What’s the weirdest thing that’s
ever happened to you while
working on a song?
I think it’s the “crying thing” that I have.
I keep on crying over and over when a write
songs about love. Because I feel like I’ve been
hurt so much and my heart is broken and
sometimes I wonder if I will fix it one day.
And that makes me cry every time. I’m also
very sensitive ha-ha... So it’s not really hard
for me to cry, but I only cry when I’m alone,
far away from human beings.