Most singers follow their chosen career path because of being exposed to music at an early age, but Afro-Appalachian singer/songwriter Mon Rovîa wasn’t exposed to mainstream pop music until high school. From there, everything clicked.
Mon Rovîa, actually named Janjay Lowe, has a much different story than those dominating musical charts right now. Born in war-torn Liberia, he was adopted by a White missionary family from the U.S. at seven years old and brought back to the states, being the only member of his birth family to escape. From there, Lowe moved around as his adoptive family traveled to different places (Florida, the Bahamas, Tennessee) and attended private Christian schools. Being placed in a highly religious family, wasn’’t exposed to mainstream pop music until high school and folk music after that.
After moving to Chattanooga, TN for college, Lowe suffered from survivor’s guilt and concerns around his identity and adoption. After diving deeper into folk music and connecting with the Black roots of this style of music, he released a clip of him playing the ukulele. His friend and future manager, Eric Cromartie, encouraged him to post it on TikTok; within a month, the clip blew up. For a while, Mon Rovîa was releasing singles while working day jobs, not intending to pursue music full-time. But after signing to a label and amassing almost one million followers on TikTok, Lowe was able to finally follow his musical calling.
His work is beautiful and haunting, addressing heavy topics such as the war in Liberia, American civil rights, survivor’s guilt, and identity. His stage name is actually a restricted version of the capital of Liberia – Monrovia – highlighting the importance music plays for him in reconnecting with his roots and processing his future. The instrumentation on his track is simple, mainly condensed to typical folk strings, but that’s a large part of his appeal to listeners. Lowe is honest with his fans, showing his raw emotions though a guitar and setting him apart from all the manufactured lyrics currently dominating the charts. Many concert attendees also have remarked on his humility, inviting listeners to connect with him and understand the world rather than presenting himself on some elevated pop star platform.
Music is a way for Mon Rovîa to connect with who he is, doing so in a remarkably beautiful way. Through this authentic emotional approach, he encourages listeners to connect with themselves and change the world for the better.
My Top Ten:
- ‘Heavy Foot” (Bloodline)
- crooked the road.
- Sunburnt.
- City on a Hill
- “Pray the Devil back to Hell” (Bloodline)
- “Somewhere down in Georgia” (Bloodline)
- “Rust.”
- “Just One Break”
“Oh Wide World” (Bloodline)
