Beninese artist Carine Au Micro has released her new single, “Mu Do Nku”
Originally from Benin, Carine Au Micro has forged her musical experience through collaborations with several emerging artists in the French music industry. She began early on to develop an interest in hip-hop, funk, jazz, and soul. Upon her arrival in Montreal in 2004, she joined the Imani Gospel Singers choir, and in 2013 and she performed in the Mahalia Jackson musical at the Segal Center in Montreal alongside 2010 Juno award-winning jazz musician Ranee Lee.
Following the release of her first EP, O La Si, in 2018, and influenced by artists like Angélique Kidjo, Carine au Micro returns with her new track “Mu Do Nku,” which means “I remember” in Mina (the official language of Benin). This song describes Carine’s visit to her ailing aunt’s side in Benin and the powerful intuition that made both understand that it was not a simple goodbye but a farewell – all without having to speak.
This fall, the singer will release her debut album DOTO N’ASE on October 7th, supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and the Conseil des Arts de Montréal. At the crossroads of different cultural influences, the album is, above all, marked by the heritage of her native Benin. It is a way for her to get closer spiritually to a country from which she is physically distant.
For the launch of her album, Carine Au Micro will perform on September 29, 2022, at Le Balcon. The event begins at 6:00 pm, and entrance is free.
Listen to “Mu Do Nku” below and learn more about Carine Au Micro via our Five Questions With segment.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Hi, my name is Carine Au Micro.
I am a Montreal-based artist, but I am from Benin, West Africa.
I like to say that I came to sing by mistake. I actually went on stage for the first time to dance.
Then, in High School, I was asked to come up on stage to sing. And people really liked my performance. It was nice and cool, so I kept on singing, but it was just for fun.
In 1998, I went to France, and I decided to keep on having fun until the day people start paying me for my singing. It was time for me to take it seriously, which I did.
Then I arrived in Montreal, and here I am again presenting my second project, “Doto N’ase.”
Tell us a bit about your most recent release.
“Doto N’ase” is the title of my second project. It is in my mother tongue, which is Mina. And it means “Listen carefully.”
I have chosen this title to invite people to reconnect with their inner voices. Some people will say the “child that still lives in you.” Some others will say, “read between the lines.” My album is about all that.
I was working on this project since the first one came out actually. And thanks to the pandemic, I was able to concentrate on it, and it is finally here.
Where do you tend to pull inspiration from when writing?
For this project, my inspiration was mainly from my deepest feelings about some situations I was living or some situations I was told about. So, it is a day-to-day life inspiration.
Do you have any upcoming shows or festivals you’d like to tell us about?
I am very excited to announce that I will be doing the Doto N’ase album launch on September 29th, 2022, at le Balcon from 6 to 9 pm. It is located at 463 Ste-Catherine Street West. A beautiful place, I have to say.
I am booked for some shows in February and march 2023.
And then some others are still being discussed, so I can’t really talk about them now.
What’s your goal for 2023?
My goal is to tour the world with my music! How about that, lol!