Born in Curaçao, Monifa Jansen is a model/entrepreneur. She was named one of Curaçao’s Most Influential People of 2020 by Fresku Daily, one of Curacao’s first fashion and lifestyle magazines, and was recently on the December artist edition cover of Malvie Magazine, a French publication. Jansen holds the title of Miss Curaçao Universe 2011 and she represented her country in the Miss World 2011 and Miss Universe 2012 pageants, but her creative endeavors span beyond just modeling and pageantry. Modeling is actually a minimal indicator as to how gifted this multipotentialite Curaçaoan beauty is. A profound lover of music, Jansen is now seeking to cement herself within the industry.
Her most recent feature in “CHAPA”, with Mosta Man, Knaller, Yeyo Sossa, produced by OX & EL GENIUZ, has already amassed over 100k views on Youtube despite being out for less than a month. Jansen’s raunchy and sensual verse on the track channels really engaging flows with very modern vocal styling, depicting her as a new wave of talent in the music industry. As she prepares to release her first solo single Presu , Jansen expressed “I was always surrounded by music, being that my father and all my uncles are musicians. I learned to play almost every instrument there is. Music has always been one of my many passions. I used to sing in the fan when I was a kid, thinking I was a superstar singing in front of a massive crowd. When modeling really started to pick up, I didn’t have a lot of time to do much else. I was traveling a lot, in a different city every week. It was difficult to find the time to focus on anything else. But due to the pandemic, I was forced to slow down, which evidently prompted my decision to get into the studio. And I completely fell in love with music all over again,”
Jansen has all the qualities of a Nubian Goddess and if you’ve ever come across her profile on social media, it would be remiss of you to ignore that. Her plethora of followers on Instagram are moved to an ever-lasting state of awe and adulation every time she posts a picture after a photoshoot. However, she is not naïve to the perceptions of her endearing physical features, and she refuses to let that be the all-encompassing definition of her character or professional depth. Though she is heavily invested in growing as a musician right now, she still is perpetually grateful for the platform modeling gave her and praises stalwarts in the industry like “Naomi Campbell, who is a British woman of Jamaican descent, who has always been my inspiration when it comes to modeling. Her vigor and grace stays unmatched to this day. She’s one of the reasons why I started to love my black skin again!”
Even if an individual is not intentionally deceptive about their lifestyle and interests, we must acknowledge that social media is merely a reflection of one’s life they want to be seen and not the full story. Those sentiments are true to such an individual as Jansen. Few people would look at her Instagram profile and know that she had to overcome many insecurities before she could become a model and recording artist. “I’m not going to lie! I was not always very confident when I was younger. Coming from an island where colorism is so deeply embedded in the culture that it’s normalized, led me to believe for a greater part of my life that I could never be beautiful because of the color of my skin. But for some reason, it never kept me from trying. I knew that I had to give 200 percent of myself, to even get noticed and I did. That’s the message that I’m pushing to the younger generation of black women such as myself. Push yourself even harder than you are now. Make them notice you!” Jansen reveals.
As every strong, black, Caribbean woman, Jansen understands how to use adversity and unfavorable circumstances to her advantage. Though she highlighted colorism as a noteworthy social issue in Curaçao, at her core Jansen just wants to make her island proud with her artistic endeavors. Even with her irrefutable sense of island pride, Jansen embraces all Caribbean music and she is ambitious about her collaborative aspirations in the industry. “Some Caribbean artists that I would love to work with are Shenseea, Popcaan, and Rihanna. A girl can dream, right? When it comes to music, Rihanna is my all-time idol. Her music is raw and unapologetic. She represents women who live their lives with no regrets and that is someone I aspire to be,” Jansen states.
The success of female artists in the music industry is not only measured by their vocal ability and songwriting skills but is also heavily dependent on their sex appeal. We asked Jansen if she ever felt like her beauty and sensuality disables people from seeing how talented she really is. Without hesitation, she asserted, “I believe that it’s the mindset one has that depicts one’s reality. If you believe that your image is a burden, it will be a burden. If you believe that it is an asset, it will open many doors. Of course, it’s not all roses and daisies, but neither is life. It’s about finding the good in each situation and making it work for you. I was able to visit many countries, meet a lot of interesting people and change a lot of lives through my mindset; it’s not about what I look like on the surface, but who I am on the inside. “
The cultural exposure and visibility that social media facilitates in our modern Caribbean society are truly advantageous. Now more than ever, we are able to connect with and admire social leaders like Jansen because of the standout qualities they possess. For Jansen, it’s her intelligence, jaw-dropping beauty, and her musical talent that are all on display for us to see, admire, and emulate. Her dimensions of appeal give her a unique advantage in the music industry, hence why we believe she is poised to become Curaçao’s first global modern music icon.
