Empire ISIS
| Empire I | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Miriam Moufide |
| Born | Wales, UK |
| Origin | Morocco, United Kingdom and Montreal, Canada |
| Genres | dancehall, reggae, hip hop, pop and World music |
| Occupation(s) | Vocalist, singer-songwriter, rapper, activist |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Labels | Monumental Records, HLM, Distribution: Universal/DEP |
Empire I (true name Miriam Moufide, also stage-named The Gangstress) is a singer, songwriter and social activist based in Kingston, Jamaica. Her musical style has been described as a blend of dancehall, reggae, hip hop, pop and World music. She is signed to Monumental Records and distributed by Universal Music Group and Zojak Worldwide.
Born in Wales to a Moroccan father and British mother, she was raised in Morocco. At age 7 she moved to Montreal, where she lived with her 2 brothers, mother, and Ugandan/Yemeni stepfather.
At the age of 16, Moufide moved to Costa Rica for school and began a four-year trip around the world, living with small and marginalised communities. Her love for music and anthropology led her to visit and live in 30 different countries, and to eventually put her experiences to music.
At 21 while in the Amazon rainforest attending the Bumba Meu Boi festival, she met members of the Rainbow Caravan for Peace and made the decision to join them as they visited indigenous villages and festivals. Drawing on her education in theatre, music and workshop facilitation she worked with them performing in street theatre and giving workshops on bioregionalism, permaculture, ecovillage design, nutrition and spiritual gatherings. Her lyrics often focus on social matters like women’s rights (“NANA Power”), building community (“Participate”) and defending your dreams ("Get up on it", "Won't surrender").
The artist tries to use her international recognition to draw attention to issues that matter to her, by hosting and performing charitable events, especially in her home cities of Montreal and New York City.
The song S.O.S. To Freedom is currently being used in a campaign against human trafficking across the United States. You can also find her NANA Power song utilized in the Girls Action Foundation's, Light a Spark cause.
Moufide, having taken the stage name Empire ISIS, began making music while traveling in Jamaica, working with the legendary Jamaican musicians Dean Fraser and Chinna Smith, as well as Miami-based producers The Iconz. She recorded her debut album “Empress Gangstress” in part at Bob Marley's legendary Tuff Gong Studios in Kingston. It featured reggae singers Bushman and Half Pint. Empire ISIS has played in over 20 different countries, including Brazil, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Senegal and Canada and the American festivals SXSW and CMJ.
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