Faithvonic | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Faith Terryson |
Born | Liberia |
Genres | |
Occupations |
|
Instrument | Vocals |
Years active | 2012–present |
Website | Official website |
Faith Terryson, who is known professionally as Faithvonic, is a Liberian singer and songwriter from Grand Bassa County. She is also a fashion designer, graphic designer, content creator, and video director. Faithvonic derived her stage name from her first name and mother's name, and started writing and recording music in 2012. She signed a record deal with Kimmie Weeks' KLW Entertainment in 2014, but left the label in 2016 after her contract expired. On February 14, 2021, she released her debut extended play, Rich with You, to coincide with Valentine's Day. She has released music to raise awareness about Ebola and COVID-19, and has partnered with ActionAid Liberia on several humanitarian projects. Faithvonic's music is a mixture of Afropop and hipco.
Faithvonic is a member of the Bassa tribe. [1] [2] She has four siblings and was raised by a single mother; her father died when she was two years old. [2] She was physically and mentally abused by her stepfather while growing up. [3] Faithvonic started singing at the age of 10 and used music as a coping mechanism to deal with her childhood trauma. [3] In 2008, she moved to the Philippines to study at Southville International School and Colleges. [2] She also studied information technology and graphic design at Starz College of Science and Technology in Liberia. [2]
In 2012, Faithvonic started writing and recording her own music. [3] She derived her stage name from her first name and mother's name Yvonne. [3] In 2014, Faithvonic signed a record deal with KLW Entertainment, a record label owned by Kimmie Weeks. [2] That same year, she and other artists formed the music collective LATA, an acronym for Liberia Artists Together for Advancement. [3] [4] The group recorded "The Hope Song", a track that raises awareness about Liberia's Ebola virus epidemic and was created in partnership with ActionAid Liberia. [3] In 2016, Faithvonic signed a new record deal with Nebo Records after her contract with KLW Entertainment expired. [2] Her debut single under Nebo Records, titled "Come For Me", was released in April 2017. [2] In August 2020, she partnered with ActionAid Liberia to release the COVID-19 awareness song "Africa Fight". [4]
In January 2021, Faithvonic collaborated with DJ Weezy, Natif, Fullest 4, and Young Classic to release "Bassa First Bassa Last", the official County Meet song for Grand Bassa County. [5] She lent vocals to Angel Dweh's Afropop single "Come Over", which was released on January 15, 2021. [6] [7] On February 14, 2021, Faithvonic released her debut extended play, Rich with You, to coincide with Valentine's Day. [1] The EP has six tracks and features guest appearances from Stunna, T Crack, and Kpanto. [1] It was initially intended to be released as an album but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, her team decided to release it as an EP. [8] Produced by Mr. Valuable and Stunnashine, all of the songs on Rich with You are personal and depict real life events. [8] Faithvonic dedicated the EP's title track "Rich with You" to her fans and partner. [1]
In October 2022, Faithvonic released the single "Badway", which features vocals by Takun J and PCK and was described as "an up-tempo, fast-paced ode to love". [9] Faithvonic dedicated the song to lovers and newlyweds and said listeners would easily relate to it. [9] She is a brand ambassador for several brands, including Glow Liberia, GC Luxury Beauty, and Zara Mall. [10]
Faithvonic partnered with ActionAid Liberia to hold a public dialogue at Red Light Market, where she spoke to men about violence against women. [11] She has also been involved with ActionAid Liberia's Safe Cities campaign and Activista youth network. [3] Moreover, she is a Girls Rights ambassador for the NGO, and has helped empower young girls across Liberia to advocate for their rights. [3] Faithvonic founded the "Speak Out Loud" foundation, an initiative that provides education for street sellers and underprivileged girls. [2]
Faithvonic's music is a mixture of Afropop and hipco. In an interview with Euronews, she said she makes music to uplift people and that creating music helps her cope with personal trauma. [11] The organization ActionAid stated that her music "amplify voices of young and often marginalized people" and "acts as a medium for creativity and innovation whilst raising awareness to change social behaviour". [4] Faithvonic has cited Oprah Winfrey, Beyoncé, Shakira, and Ciara as her key influences. [2]
Year | Recipient | Award | Result | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | Herself | Female Artist of the Year | Nominated | [12] |
2017 | [13] | |||
2018 | [14] | |||
2019 | [15] | |||
2020 | [16] | |||
2021 | [17] | |||
Year | Recipient | Award | Result | Ref |
2018 | Herself | Female Artist of the Year | Nominated | [18] |
2019 | [19] | |||
2020 | Best Female Artist | Won | [20] | |
2021 | Nominated | [21] |
The culture of Liberia reflects this nation's diverse ethnicities and long history. Liberia is located in West Africa on the Atlantic Coast.
The music of Liberia uses many tribal beats and often one of the native dialects, or vernacular. Liberian music includes traditional Gbema music, as well as the popular genre Hipco.
The Liberian Entertainment Awards is an annual awards show, recognizing Liberians at home and in the diaspora for their outstanding contributions to the Liberian entertainment industry. The annual ceremony, held in the United States, features performances by established and promising artists. The LEA was founded in 2009 by Tarkus Zonen. The inaugural ceremony was held on January 31, 2009, at the Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Michael Davies, who is better known as Sundaygar Dearboy, is a Liberian singer, songwriter and record producer from Grand Bassa County. He sings primarily in Bassa and Liberian English and has released several studio albums, including See Boyee, Don't Live with Woman (2007) and Rebirth (2012). He was named the Liberian Musician of the Year in 2005-2006, and has produced thirteen albums to date.
Latoya Nontokozo Buthelezi, who is known professionally as Toya Delazy, is a London-based South African singer, producer, pianist, dancer and performer from KwaZulu-Natal. She is known for her music genre called Afro rave, which fuses techno, drum, bass, and beats with Zulu lyricism. Delazy was nominated for Best International Act (Africa) at the 2013 BET Awards. Her debut studio album, Due Drop, was supported by the singles "Pump It On", "Love Is in the Air", "Are You Gonna Stay?", "Heart" and "Memoriam". Following the album's release, Delazy took home two awards at the 2013 SAMAs, including Newcomer of the Year.
Jonathan Koffa, known professionally as Takun J, is a Liberian rapper, singer, songwriter and activist. He is regarded as one of the pioneers of hipco, a politically charged music genre. The Liberian Gender Ministry designated him as one of its anti-rape ambassadors. Takun J's music addresses socio-political issues in Liberia. He is best known for the singles "Who Make You Cry", "Police Man", "Gbagba is Corruption", and "A Song for Hawa". Takun J's debut studio album, The Time, was released in 2007. His second studio album, My Way, was released in December 2012. Takun J is the recipient of several accolades, including Male Artist of the Year and Hipco Artist of the Year at the 2014 Liberia Music Awards.
Yemi Eberechi Alade, better known as Yemi Alade, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, actress and activist. Her music is a mixture of Afropop, highlife, dancehall, pop and R&B, and has been of influence in several countries across Africa. She sings in English, Igbo, Pidgin, Yoruba, French, Swahili and Portuguese.
Vera Hamenoo-Kpeda, better known by her stage name MzVee, is a Ghanaian singer, afropop, dancehall and R&B artiste. Her debut solo album features several hit singles including 'Borkor Borkor, 'Natural Girl' and 'Dancehall Queen'. MzVee was signed to the record label Lynx Entertainment and was the winner of the New Artiste of the Year award at the 2015 Ghana Music Awards. She parted ways with Lynx Entertainment in the year 2019. She is currently a solo artist.
Ndivhudzannyi Ralivhona, known by her stage name Makhadzi, is a South African singer. Born and raised in Ha-Mashamba, Limpopo, her career began at the age of 12 as dancer prior to pursuing a music career as a singer, while she was attending school she signed a record deal with Rita Dee Entertainment and released Muhwalo Uya Ndemela in 2015. She garnered local attention after her single "Tshanda Vhuya" released in 2017. Her second studio album Matorokisi (2019), debuted at number two in South Africa.
Hipco, also referred to as HipCo or just 'Co, is a genre of hip hop from Liberia. It has been described by The Guardian as Liberia's "unique musical style" using "vernacular speech and political messages."
Divine Ikubor, popularly known as Rema, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and rapper. He gained initial recognition with his 2019 song "Dumebi". That same year, he signed with D'Prince's record label, Jonzing World. He achieved international recognition with his 2022 single "Calm Down", which spawned a remix with American singer Selena Gomez that peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also led Billboard Afrobeats Songs chart for a record-setting 58 weeks.
Daniel Tom George, who is known professionally as DenG, is a Liberian singer and songwriter from Bong County. He started his music career in 2000 as an R&B artist before making a guest appearance on Emma Smith's single "I Want to Go". DenG rose to prominence after being featured on Queen V's 2013 hit single "Jue You Bad". Following the success of "Jue You Bad", he switched from R&B to Afro pop. DenG released his debut studio album, New Seh, on August 23, 2023.
Maurice Tosh Gayflor, who goes by the stage name Cralorboi CIC, is a Liberian Hipco and Kolopop singer, songwriter, actor and businessman. He was signed to SOG Records Empire between 2016 and 2021, and is known for the singles "Big Papa", "Jon Buttay", "Hello" featuring Joey B, and "Weekend" featuring Iyanya. He has been featured on BBC Radio 1Xtra and was part of One Africa Music Festival's global foundation event for COVID-19 awareness.
Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe, known professionally as Ayra Starr, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. Starr achieved mainstream international recognition in 2022, with the release of her song "Rush". The song charted in several territories, including Switzerland, Ireland and the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number 24. It earned Starr a nomination at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards for Best African Music Performance.
Etweda Ambavi Gbenyon Cooper, known as Sugars, is a Liberian politician and peace activist. She has been described as "the doyenne" and "the godmother" of the Liberian women's movement.
Caroline Moore, better known as MC Caro, is a Liberian rapper and songwriter. She gained recognition into the Liberian music industry through her viral free style" Pro Poor". MC Caro won Best Female Rapper of the Year Award at the 2020 MTN Liberia Music Awards.
Korte Dorbor Bazzie, who is known professionally as Kobazzie, is a Liberian singer and songwriter from Voinjama, Lofa County. He was inspired to pursue a career in music after hearing Quincy B's collaborative single with Tan Tan B, titled "State of Emergency". He is the recipient of several accolades, including New Artist of the Year at the 2016 Liberia Music Awards and Afropop Artist of the Year at the 2019 Tunes Liberia Music Awards.
Franklin Edward Harris, who is known professionally as Kpanto, is a Liberian rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He started his music career in 2014 and gained recognition in 2015 after releasing a cover of Desiigner's single "Panda". His eponymous debut studio album, Skinny Boy Kpanto, was released on August 22, 2020. It comprises nine tracks and contains the songs "Take off Trouser", which was nominated for Song of the Year at the 2020 Liberia Music Awards, and "Flukor", which won Song of the Year at the 2021 Tunes Liberia Music Awards.
Rabbie Nassrallah, who is better known as Nasseman, is a Liberian reggae singer, songwriter, and activist. He gained recognition after releasing the 2015 single "Till We Meet Again", which was written to honor his mentor Ras Katata. His music primarily addresses social ills prevalent in Liberian society. Nasseman has written songs for several Liberian artists, and released the albums Till We Meet (2008) and Redemption Time (2012).
Eric Torh, who is better known as Eric Geso, is a Liberian singer and songwriter. He is the recipient of several accolades, including Male Artist of the Year at the 2015 Liberia Music Awards and Best New Artist at the 2016 Liberian Entertainment Awards. His debut studio album, Aziooo, was released on May 15, 2019. It was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2019 Liberia Music Awards and for Best Album/Mixtape/Compilation at the 2020 Tunes Liberia Music Awards. Geso released his second studio album, New Sound, on October 15, 2021. His music is a mixture of Afropop and Gbema.