Barbara Panther is a Belgian performing artist with roots in Rwanda but musical style that can only fairly be described as a smorgasbord of different influences that range from pop and jazz-funk to Latin and African beats though she refuses to confine herself to a single sound.
Born in Rwanda, Barbara left for Belgium during the 1994 genocide and has never settled since. Her nomadic lifestyle has taken to Vienna where she spent a year in a dance school and to Berlin where she was attracted by the unique electronic music.
“I believe that if you don’t grow mentally in a place anymore it is time to move,” she is reported to have said in an interview with thequietus.com.
Barbara’s artistry transcends music and singing. She describes herself as a “free spirit” feels like she “took the risk to be free, which is not something many people dare to do.”
Her free-spiritedness releases her from the harnesses of religion and the bondage of a specified lifestyle.
Her self-titled debut LP features a mixture of completely different sounds which all come together to fit perfectly. The sounds are completely liberated from the expected norm of syntax and convention.
“I don’t have this systematic thing of ‘this belongs here and this is the way you speak’. I believe that I have the freedom to find my own words. If for me it makes sense and it sounds good to my soul,that is the way it’s going to be,” she said in an interview with The Guardian.
Barbara Panther’s creative instinct can be seen in her videos Empire and Moonlight people in which she captivates the viewer’s attention with a concoction of creative genius experimentation accompanying an equally intoxicating melody.
She has also worked with the talented producer Matthew Herbert on her album.
The Rwandan history of genocide plays a role in the influences of Barbara Panther and a subject of the themes in her album. These influences along with the combination of experiences in her life are subtly expressed because of her desire to “take something on which is universal in my lyrics and everybody can understand and relate to.”
While each of her songs is unique and has a special message, recurring themes are those of evolution of the poor to overcome the rich and her longing for mental freedom for everyone who is still oppressed by convention, religion and enchanted lifestyle.
To know more about Barbara Panther news, music, and philosophies please visit: www.barabarapanther.com
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