Mon Rovîa, the Liberian-born, Tennessee-based singer-songwriter, invites listeners into his origin story on his debut album, “Bloodline.” 
Released Jan. 9, 2026, via Nettwerk Music Group, “Bloodline” is a 16-track, 42-minute project that moves like a memoir, blending themes of memory, identity, migration, grief and resilience.
Born Janjay Lowe, he performs as Mon Rovîa as an homage to Monrovia, Liberia, his birthplace. He’s been releasing music since 2017 and has built a fast-rising career that’s included performances at Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits and Newport Folk Festival along with a Grand Ole Opry appearance.
He has also made history as the first musical guest on “The Mel Robbins Podcast,” and his momentum is hard to ignore: more than 200 million lifetime streams, more than 2.4 million followers across platforms and upward of 1 billion TikTok views, according to Nettwerk.
The album opens with “Black Cauldron,” a vivid, scene-setting prologue that frames the record’s emotional stakes from the jump. From there, “Pray the Devil Back to Hell” widens the lens, drawing from Liberia’s civil war era and the long shadow conflict can cast across families and communities.
Across the track list, Lowe writes in snapshots — short, potent scenes that add up to something bigger by the time you reach the end. Songs like “A Foreshadowing” and “Little by Little” read like chapters, moving the narrative forward without overexplaining it.
A run of previously released tracks helps define the record’s emotional range, including “Oh Wide World,” “Running Boy,” “Heavy Foot,” “Whose Face Am I,” “Field Song” and “Old Fort Steele Trail.” “Heavy Foot” in particular carries a protest-song spirit without losing the warmth and intimacy that make Mon Rovîa’s writing feel so immediate.
What makes “Bloodline” land for me is the production. It’s rooted in acoustic guitar and ukulele, but the arrangements bloom with textures that sound like banjo, mandolin, fiddle, piano, pedal steel and drums. The result is folk music that feels classic without sounding stuck in the past.
The album closes with “Where the Mountain Meets the Sea,” a reflective landing point that looks back on the journey without turning it into a victory lap.
After 16 songs, “Bloodline” feels like the arrival of a major new voice — personal, purposeful and built to last.
Get “Bloodline” from Mon Rovîa, Bandcamp, Amazon, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Spotify, Pandora, Tidal, Deezer and qobuz.
Favorite Tracks
Black Cauldron
Pray the Devil Back to Hell
Bloodline
Old Fort Steel Trail
Whose face am I
Somewhere Down in Georgia
Heavy Foot
Where The Mountain Meets The Sea
