Garoute, Niska Pascal

Formerly Niska, Kanis is a Haitian-American recording artist with strong ties to her native community and the international Haitian Diaspora. With a desire to disprove the stereotypes and misconceptions about Haiti, her lyrics reveal a different side of her homeland, one that reflects its creativity and beauty. The multi-faceted singer-songwriter finds her inspiration in the rich culture and Haiti’s innate musical influence, she drew from the various different genres, combining Haitian Racine, Rap Creole, and Hip-Hop, and released her first studio album in December 2017, entitled Eneji.

Singles from her album, including Vèvè Lokal, Atè, and Pitit Tè a, immediately rose to the top of the Haitian music charts, Kanis introduced a new sound to Haiti, one that rapidly grew her fanbase, putting her on the map as the #1 Haitian female rapper, a phenomenon overnight. She began touring throughout the United States, the Caribbean, and Europe, but amidst her undoubtable success and her evolving career, she encountered a turning point—to her surprise, she discovered another Niska in the French music industry, a popular male artist with a large following in France and the Antilles. In order to grow as an artist and to clarify confusion for her fans, she knew what she had to do. After much thought and soul-searching, she unveiled a new name for herself, Kanis, thus launching the beginning of her official transition into the global market. Due to her accomplished background and ability to speak four different languages, Kanis expects to dominate not just one, but several different markets, filling an existing void and expanding her growing influence.