Toussaint Chiza

Following his success as Tusse, Toussaint Chiza steps forward with his most personal project to date. With his debut album *It Takes a Village to Love a Child*, he recounts his journey from the Congo to Sweden and back to his roots. Here, African gospel meets modern influences and a powerful story of identity, family, and courage. A concert filled with presence, power, and music created on his own terms

Category & Stage	Duration	Price	Age limit
Pop & rock Uppsala Concert & Congress, Stora salen	about 90 minutes	General admission: 360 SEK MHV: 270 SEK Student/youth: 270 SEK A service fee applies	13 years

About the Performance

After leaving major record labels, Toussaint is now creating music on his own terms. The album *It Takes a Village to Love a Child* reflects his entire journey—from his childhood in the Congo and his escape as a child on the back of a truck, through his upbringing in Sweden, to his return to Africa, where he traveled for the first time since childhood. It’s a story about identity, family, and the courage to own one’s own story. The sound draws inspiration from the Black music scenes in London and the U.S., as well as African gospel. In South Africa, he recorded parts of the album together with the Thanda Choir, a homeless gospel choir that lived in a church—a shed the size of a living room, without electricity and in 45-degree heat. Despite the heat and the smell of diesel, everyone sang with a power that came straight from the heart, which became the foundation of the album.

Toussaint Chiza

When Toussaint met producer and composer Irya Gmeyner while working on the music for the TV series *The Thin Blue Line*, a creative spark was ignited that would change his life. Perhaps for the first time, he met someone who saw his true musical potential and was interested in letting him tell his own story.

After his success as Tusse—with victories in both *Idol* and *Melodifestivalen*—he was ready to leave the major labels and a music industry that felt like a straitjacket, in order to rediscover his passion for creating music. Choosing to be true to himself is a commercial risk, but for Toussaint, the opportunity to own his own story outweighs success that feels like a burden.

– “This album is a journey of reconciliation for me—reconciling with my family and, above all, with myself. All my experiences have made me who I am, and instead of hiding them, I’ve chosen to write an album about my journey. I hadn’t expected to draw so much strength from working on this album. It was the very music we wrote that gave me the courage to return to Africa and discover my roots. The songs make it easier to remember, to rejoice in how it all ended well despite the darkness along the way,” says Toussaint.

Presented by Uppsala Konsert & Kongress.