Barbara Kanam

Barbara Kanam (born September 27, 1973) is an award-winning Congolese singer-songwriter, music producer and actress.

Early life and work

Kanam was born in Bukavu, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo).

In 1991 (the year she became involved in music) Kanam earned a Brevet de Technicien Supérieur ("Advanced Specialist") degree in international business. She started to sing with and write music for an orchestra band called Devotion but also engaged in formal musical study. Kanam developed her vocal technique at the prestigious Psalmody Academy in Johannesburg, South Africa, and concurrently received guitar lessons. In 1994, after thirteen months of music lessons, Kanam created a musical arrangement for her first tour, the "Acoustic One Woman Show," which toured Central Africa.

In 1995, Kanam settled in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, where she experimented musically by joining a religious choir. She later joined a church ensemble called the "Grace Choir" in Cocody, Ivory Coast, as a regular singer. In 1997, Kanam resumed her studies in international business.