Empire I
Empire I | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Miriam Moufide |
| Also known as | The Gangstress, Empire ISIS |
| Born | 1981 Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales [1] |
| Origin | Morocco, United Kingdom and Montreal, Canada |
| Genres | dancehall, reggae, hip hop, pop, world music |
| Occupation(s) | Vocalist, singer-songwriter, rapper, activist |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Labels | Monumental Records, HLM, Distribution: Universal/DEP |
Empire I (true name Miriam Moufide, also stage-named The Gangstress) is a singer, songwriter and social activist based in Kingston, Jamaica.[2] Her musical style has been described as a blend of dancehall, reggae, hip hop, pop and World music. She is signed to Monumental Records and distributed by Universal Music Group and Zojak Worldwide.
Early life
[edit ]Born in Wales to a Moroccan father and British mother, she was raised in Morocco. At age 7 she moved to Montreal, where she lived with her 2 brothers, mother, and Ugandan/Yemeni stepfather.[3]
At the age of 16, Moufide moved to Costa Rica for school and began a four-year trip around the world, living with small and marginalised communities.[4] Her love for music and anthropology led her to visit and live in 30 different countries, and to eventually put her experiences to music.[3]
Activism and Charity
[edit ]At 21 while in the Amazon rainforest attending the Bumba Meu Boi festival, she met members of the Rainbow Caravan for Peace and made the decision to join them as they visited indigenous villages and festivals. Drawing on her education in theatre, music and workshop facilitation she worked with them performing in street theatre and giving workshops on bioregionalism, permaculture, ecovillage design, nutrition and spiritual gatherings.[5] Her lyrics often focus on social matters like women’s rights ("NANA Power"), building community ("Participate") and defending your dreams ("Get up on it", "Won't surrender").[6]
The artist tries to use her international recognition to draw attention to issues that matter to her, by hosting and performing charitable events,[7] especially in her home cities of Montreal [8] [9] and New York City.
The song S.O.S. To Freedom is currently being used in a campaign against human trafficking across the United States.[10] You can also find her NANA Power song utilized in the Girls Action Foundation's, Light a Spark cause.[11]
Musical career
[edit ]Moufide, having taken the stage name Empire ISIS, began making music while traveling in Jamaica, working with the legendary Jamaican musicians Dean Fraser and Chinna Smith, as well as Miami-based producers The Iconz. She recorded her debut album "Empress Gangstress" in part at Bob Marley's legendary Tuff Gong Studios in Kingston. It featured reggae singers Bushman and Half Pint. Empire ISIS has played in over 20 different countries, including Brazil, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Senegal and Canada[12] and the American festivals SXSW and CMJ.[13]
On her more recent albums, Empire I has worked and recorded with producers like Prayon[14] and Kovas. As well as songwriting for Empire ISIS, she also writes under the name Miriam Moufide for other musicians and is published by Cherry Lane Music and pigFACTORY Music.
In June 2011, Empire I was voted into the "Wall of Fame" at the Montreal Hip Hop Summit and is now featured in the Montreal deck of "Legend Of The Fame" hip hop trading cards.[15]
In 2012, Empire I relocated to Jamaica where she has been touring and recording,[16] collaborating with a variety of producers including Truckback, J.Hennessy, Sam Diggy, Frassman Brilli and Rebel Camp Entertainment.
In 2016 Moufide changed her stage name to Empire I following issues with public confusion with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant frequently referred to in the media as "ISIS".[17] She made the official announcement on the Jamaican program Onstage TV January 23, 2016.[18]
Film and television
[edit ]2007
- Reggae Uncensored DVD, also featuring: Damian "Junior Gong" Marley, Sizzla Kalonji, Sean Paul, Junior Reid, Mavado and Collie Buddz [19]
2008-2009
- Gangstress Chronicles: Series of interviews by Empire ISIS for Quebec music channel MusiquePlus featuring Gene Simmons, Janelle Monáe, U-God, Tricky, Kid Cudi, Perez Hilton and others.
Song Placements
[edit ]Shameless (American TV series)
Discography
[edit ]- Empress Gangstress (2005)
- Sound The Trumpets (2007)
- featuring Sizzla and Turbulence [21]
- Brand New Style (2009)
- Crack The Code (2011)
- Back From The Dead (2017)
Singles
[edit ]- Come With Me feat. Fafadi (2013)
- Ignite Pink Wall Riddim (2013)
- Haute Couture (2014)
- Ina Da Streets (2014)
- La Pongo feat. El Freaky (2014)
- Fi Da Man Dem feat. El Freaky (2014)
- Boom Boom (2017)
- Beggi Beggi (2017)
Awards
[edit ]Some awards and nominations Empire I has received are listed below.
- Gala SOBA (Sounds of Blackness Awards)
- 2008: Winner – Best English Single of the Year
- 2008: Winner – Best World Music Music Artist of the Year[22]
- GAMIQ(Quebec Indie Music Awards)
- 2008: Nominee – Best World Album[23]
- Hollywood Music Awards
- 2008: Nominee – Best Pop Artist[24]
- International Reggae & World Music Awards
- 2005: Nominee – Most Promising Entertainer[25]
- Montreal Hip Hop Awards
- 2010: Winner – Female Artist of the Year[26]
- Toronto Exclusive
- 2007: Winner – Best New Artist
- 2007: Winner – Best New Single
- 2007: Winner – Best New Female Artist[27]
- Toronto Independent Music Awards
- 2008: Winner – Best Out-Of-Province – "Quebec"
- Underground Urban Music Awards
- 2008: Winner – Best International Artist[23]
References
[edit ]- ^ "FreeBMD Entry Info".
- ^ "Homerun | Hallway Interview with Empire ISIS". CBC.ca. 2010年11月19日. Retrieved 2011年03月23日.
- ^ a b Lyonnais, Sheena (2009年01月28日). "Empire ISIS Is Gangstress". CHARTattack. Archived from the original on 2010年08月25日. Retrieved 2011年03月23日.
- ^ "Métro Montréal - Empire Isis: Tassez-vous de d'là!". Journalmetro.com. 2010年12月21日. Archived from the original on 2011年07月27日. Retrieved 2011年03月23日.
- ^ "The Front: July 13, 2000". Montrealmirror.com. 2000年07月13日. Archived from the original on 2012年07月01日. Retrieved 2011年03月23日.
- ^ Dowling, Marcus (2009年03月25日). "True Genius Requires Insanity: NEW ARTIST SHOWCASE: Montreal, Quebec's EMPIRE ISIS". Tgrionline.com. Retrieved 2011年03月23日.[permanent dead link ]
- ^ "FONDS VILLE-MARIE | Invitation aux médias - Soirée des Mérites Classes Affaires 2008: 800 jeunes récompensés!". Cnw.ca. 2011年02月25日. Retrieved 2011年03月23日.
- ^ "Montreal hip-hop artists and ConU student unite to help fight HIV/AIDS". Theconcordian.com. 22 March 2011. Retrieved 2011年03月23日.
- ^ "Knowledge is Sexy: Our Fight Against HIV/AIDS II, a Benefit Concert " MINDPEACELOVE". Mindpeacelove.com. Archived from the original on 2011年05月06日. Retrieved 2011年03月23日.
- ^ "Let's End Human Trafficking".
- ^ "Light a Spark". girlsaction.ca. Retrieved 2011年09月26日.
- ^ "Empire Isis | Music Videos, News, Photos, Tour Dates, Ringtones, and Lyrics". MTV. Archived from the original on March 3, 2007. Retrieved 2011年03月23日.
- ^ "SXSW 2009 line-up coming together nicely :: News :: Paste". Pastemagazine.com. 2009年01月09日. Archived from the original on 2010年08月20日. Retrieved 2011年03月23日.
- ^ "Participate | Mad Decent". Sub.maddecent.com. Archived from the original on 2012年03月21日. Retrieved 2011年03月23日.
- ^ "Real City joins the Great Canadian Hip-Hop Card Collection at the 1st Annual Montreal Hip-Hop Summit". hiphopcanada.com. Archived from the original on 2016年03月04日. Retrieved 2011年06月14日.
- ^ "Empire ISIS Spreading Positive Vibes". jamaicaobserver.com. Archived from the original on 2014年10月06日. Retrieved 2013年05月07日.
- ^ "Empire Isis changes her name". 24 December 2015.
- ^ "Fabian, Empire I, Sean Kingston (Onstage) Jan, 23 2016 (FULL SHOW)". WORLDSTARREGGAE. 2016年01月23日. Retrieved 2017年02月23日.
- ^ "Reggae Uncensored". Amazon. 26 February 2008.
- ^ "Lena Dunham Dances in a Sports Bra in New "Girls" Promo".
- ^ "Empire Isis Prepares to Go International | BigUpRadio Streaming Reggae Music". Archived from the original on 2012年07月22日. Retrieved 2011年07月05日.
- ^ "Empire Isis Conquers: Winner Of 'World Music Artist Of The Year' At The Gala Soba (Sounds Of Blackness Awards) @ Top40-Charts.com - Songs & Videos from 49 Top 20 & Top 40 Music Charts from 30 Countries". Top40-charts.com. Retrieved 2011年03月23日.
- ^ a b "Empire Isis Wins "Best International Artist" - Underground Urban Music Awards In Nyc". Prlog.org. Retrieved 2011年03月23日.
- ^ "Ladies First: Boogie on Reggae Women". Jamaicans.com. 12 November 2008. Retrieved 2011年03月23日.
- ^ CBC News https://web.archive.org/web/20100713032351/http://radio3.cbc.ca/#/bands/EMPIRE-ISIS. Archived from the original on 2010年07月13日.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "The Official Site Of The Montreal Hip Hip Awards / Site Officiel des MHA's". Montrealhiphopawards.com. Archived from the original on 2010年12月06日. Retrieved 2011年03月23日.
- ^ "nominees". Torontoexclusive.com. Retrieved 2011年03月23日.
External links
[edit ]- Musique Plus Page Archived 2011年09月24日 at the Wayback Machine
- Official website
- Label website