blackwave.

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Territory: Europe
blackwave.

about the artist

After a chance encounter gigging in Brussels, little did the now duo of rapper Jay Atohoun and singer-producer Willem Ardui know that their brief exchange at the time would become the boundless, grooving expanse of blackwave.

Immediately exercising their creative rapport, they were soon eagerly trading ideas online which culminated in their standout debut project, "Mic Check" in 2017, which continues to catch ears and turn heads the world over to this day.

Syphoning diverse themes from the likes of hip-hop, pop, jazz, soul and funk through their nostalgic, and at times rose-tinted lens, their vividly transformative approach grants them…

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After a chance encounter gigging in Brussels, little did the now duo of rapper Jay Atohoun and singer-producer Willem Ardui know that their brief exchange at the time would become the boundless, grooving expanse of blackwave.

Immediately exercising their creative rapport, they were soon eagerly trading ideas online which culminated in their standout debut project, "Mic Check" in 2017, which continues to catch ears and turn heads the world over to this day.

Syphoning diverse themes from the likes of hip-hop, pop, jazz, soul and funk through their nostalgic, and at times rose-tinted lens, their vividly transformative approach grants them the creative freedom to blur the lines between both genre and era for a chameleonic sound that's unmistakably their own.

Keen to translate their music into a live setting, they connected with equally as passionate musicians at the Royal Conservatory in Antwerp and were fast selling out shows across the country. They swiftly captured the attention of their native Belgium, receiving nationwide radio play which soon progressed to a performance at the infamous Pukkelpop festival.

Their tireless work ethic gained a dizzying momentum in 2018, earning them numerous national TV appearances, multiple number one hits, an international tour, multiple awards and the release of their most impactful single to date, "Elusive." This would be the first taste of their 2019 debut album, "ARE WE STILL DREAMING?" which would also feature the likes of Winston Surfshirt, Pell, Benny Sings and Caleborate to name but a few.

Noticing they take inspiration from life's events both large and small led them to live their lives to the fullest, compounding their already stratospheric trajectory.

More experiences meant more music. In 2020, the duo decided to go to the cosmopolitan melting pot of Los Angeles. The City Of Angels, for Ardui and Atohoun also the city of dreams. A dream world in which they rediscovered themselves as artists and as people. The spark from which blackwave. was born in 2016 catches fire again during this 20-day trip to the American west coast. With renewed passion, inspiration and vision, the duo writes and works on new music, as if in a daze, day and night, with no limits to the creative process. With about thirty demos in their pocket, Ardui and Atohoun fly back to Belgium. blackwave. starts polishing the American demos and distills 11 tracks. These now form 'no sleep in LA,' which they released independently in September 2022.

Their sophomore album debuted at #1 in the national charts and with standout singles 'a-okay' ft. Abhi The Nomad and 'cracked screen' ft. Lute, the duo managed to be featured on back-to-back editions of the famous EA Sports FC videogames (FIFA 23 & EA Sports FC 24). In the meanwhile blackwave managed to establish the reputation of being one of the most impressive live acts in Belgium. The band went on a European tour in 2023, where the duo sold over 15k tickets in 20 shows, including sold out shows in London, Antwerp, Utrecht, Nijmegen, Breda, Ghent & Leuven.

The duo will be finishing up their new album around summer 2025.

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