Aja Monet

Surrealist blues poet aja monet is preparing to take her audience on a profound emotional journey on August 26. Following the upcoming release of her second studio album “the color of rain”, tagged “drink sum wtr,” the artist will appear as a guest at Komünite.

Blending music and poetry on a “harmolodic,” vulnerable, and rebellious plane, monet transforms her voice—rooted in New York’s historic poetry clubs—into a tool of resistance that accompanies social change. The youngest winner of the Nuyorican Grand Slam Poetry Award, she traces themes of resistance, love, and an unending search for joy in performances nourished by the improvisational spirit of jazz.

After her 2017 book “My Mother Was a Freedom Fighter”, which was nominated for an NAACP Image Award, she released her latest poetry collection “florida water,” inspired by her life and organizing work in South Florida. In 2024, she gained global recognition with her first poetry album “When the Poems Do What They Do,” which was nominated for a Grammy. Having performed on prestigious stages from Guggenheim to Lincoln Center, and from the Newport Jazz Festival to the Barbican Centre, monet further solidified her place in contemporary poetry and jazz by being named Artist-in-Residence at the 2025 London Jazz Festival.

A recipient of numerous honors—including the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Poetry Award (2019), Nelson Mandela Changemaker Award (2024), Harry Belafonte Social Justice Award (2024), EBONY 100 Artist-in-Residence, and the 2025 Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Vanguard Award—monet also serves as the Artistic Director of the global V-Day movement, which aims to end violence against women.