Monique's Page

At first glance, the beautiful and statuesque, 6 foot 2 inch tall, African-Suriname Goddess named Monique Mijnals (pronounced my-NAHLS) is an awe inspiring portrait. Upon getting the chance to speak with her you’ll find that she is warm, witty and wise and you are immediately drawn to her enveloping charm, her lovely alto speaking voice, her enchanting Dutch/Sranan Tongo accent and her free and infectious laughter.

Monique was born in the country of Suriname, which is located just outside of Guyana in South American. At the age of five she and her family moved to Holland (The Netherlands) and she has lived there since that time. Monique grew up with lots of music in her life and had, early on displayed a good ear and a beautiful singing voice, but it was when her sister passed way from cancer several years ago that she decided she should actually do something with the gift of music the creator had given her. She started out singing and felt that using an instrument would make her feel more secure in her new endeavor so she tried learning piano and that did not work for her. She then bought a guitar and took some lessons and she, in her words “knew this instrument belongs to my soul”.

Although the lovely Mijnals has lived most of her life in Holland, she has maintained her Surinamese culture and it is greatly reflected in her music. In addition to her first language which is Dutch, she also speaks, quite fluently, English and Sranan Tongo (a Creole language and is the mother tongue of about 500,000 people in Suriname who are descendants of slaves brought from Africa during the colonial period). She includes several songs in her native language of Sranan Tongo, you’ll also hear some South American influences in her music as well. She also writes her own material. Her voice is deep and silky, she reminds one of, perhaps a Joan Armatrading with a gorgeous Dutch/Sranan accent and a heavy acoustic flavor.

Monique is also a great fan of Aretha Franklin, the late Nina Simone and the late Josephine Baker and she cites them as major influences in her musical life. This Suriname Beauty also includes dancing and painting among her many talents. She also spends a great deal of time in the gym keeping that fantastic body in tip-top shape to deal with the rigors of the music industry.

Monique Mijnals, Suriname’s Pride, is definitely a force to be reckoned with and she is currently working on her first cd and it will be full of African-Suriname and Dutch culture with beautifully woven stories of her life.

With her beautiful and contagious smile, Monique (who simply goes by Mo at times) has a simple philosophy and that is to “Enjoy Life” and she does just that and brings much joy into the lives of those who are touched by her music and her presence.

JuliusClayManagement
Album Earth Meets Monique Mijnals online:
Website: www.moniquemijnals.com
Email: info@moniquemijnals.com
mijnals@gmail.com
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/moniquemijnals
Twitter:http://twitter.com/EarthMonique
Facebook: http://facebook.com/monique.mijnals
Hyves: http://moniquelucenda.hyves.nl/
Ilike: http://www.ilike.com/artist/monique+mijnals
Skype:moniquem38