Dosse-Via Trenou

Dossé-Via (born October 23, 1992) is a West African author, actress, model, astrologer and the founder of the astrology platform KnowTheZodiac as well as the homegoing travel agency Magic & Melanin.

A multidisciplinary entrepreneur, Dossé-Via has accumulated a following of over 1 million astrology enthusiasts and has helped over 100 humans of the African diaspora return to West Africa.

Her EP of mantras and meditations, Dream with Dossé-Via, provides soulful and healing affirmations to help raise our collective vibration.

Dossé-Via was born in Boulogne-Billancourt, France on October 23, 1992 to parents Dossevi and Ameyo Trenou.

She is of Togolese, Béninese, Brazilian, and Sénégalese descent.

Dossé-Via moved to Texas with her family at the age of three, and then subsequently moved to Georgia when she was 7 years old.

She was primarily raised in Georgia and attended Atlanta International School, Crews Middle School, Brookwood High School, and North Atlanta High School between the ages of 7 and 17.

Dossé-Via developed a passion for astrology at the age of ten, due to an early introduction by her parents.

She would spend days reading astrology books and researching her birth chart placements – as well as those of her family and friends – on the now defunct site AskJeeves.

As a child Dossé-Via also loved writing, acting, songwriting, dancing, singing, and creating screenplays.

Her vivid imagination allowed her to create works of art simply for the fun of it.

English, French literature, and theater were some of her favorite subjects in school.

When she was 17, Dossé-Via moved to California to attend her dream school, the University of Southern California, where she majored in Narrative Studies and French with a minor in songwriting.

While attending undergrad at USC, Dossé-Via began a Twitter page called @ScorpioMystique, where she shared astrological insights about her Sun sign – Scorpio – as a digital diary of sorts.

Her Twitter page grew exponentially as a result of Dossé-Via’s vulnerable and relatable way of sharing her experience as a Scorpio.

Fellow Scorpio Katy Perry followed the @ScorpioMystique page on Twitter in 2013.

Shortly afterwards, Dossé-Via expanded her reach by creating the platform KnowTheZodiac to help educate all twelve zodiac signs about the depths and nuances of astrology.

Dossé-Via created sign-specific astrology pages on the social media platform Instagram (@knowaries, @knowtaurus, @knowgemini, @knowcancers, @knowleo, @knowvirgo, @knowlibra, @scorpiomystique, @knowsagittarius, @knowcapricorn, @knowaquarius, @knowpisces), which have grown into a global phenomenon, with celebrities such as Miguel, Drake, Kendall Jenner, Jaylen Brown, Karrueche, India Arie, and Ella Mai engaging with and resharing her work.

Dossé-Via’s been a contributing writer, presenter, TV personality, and astrologer for Essence Magazine, Love & Hip Hop, POPSUGAR, Refinery29, WWD, MTV, Heal Haus, Columbia University, New York University, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, and more.

While at USC, Dossé-Via pursued her love for modeling and walked in several seasons of Los Angeles Fashion Week.

In 2014, she made the cover of California Apparel News wearing designer Bri Seeley.

After graduating from USC on the Dean’s List in May 2014, Dossé-Via took six months off from school and focused on growing her astrology website and social media platforms.

In January 2016, Dossé-Via moved to New York to pursue her Master’s degree in English Education at Teachers College, Columbia University.

While living in New York, she was signed to the modeling agency EMG Models and walked in several seasons of New York Fashion Week.

She graduated from Teachers College in May 2017, after having taken a year off to give birth to her first child, Nova Michelle Trenou-Wells.

In January 2018, Dossé-Via began her homegoing travel agency Magic & Melanin after having undergone a healing trip to visit her grandmother in her native home of Togo, in West Africa.

That trip helped Dossé-Via begin her journey of decolonization and ancestral remembrance, and she felt compelled to help other humans of the African diaspora return to their roots and get to know their heritage.

In June 2018, Dossé-Via took part on her own homegoing journey to the Motherland through her decision to leave the United States and repatriate to her homeland of Togo in order to be closer to her aging grandmother and raise her children in West Africa.

Magic & Melanin has offered nine group trips to the Motherland, including two-week immersive experiences and three-month residency programs.

Magic & Melanin is also a production company, with a focus on creating short films and documentaries that follows the journeys of BIPOC Afro-descendants returning home, as well as the experiences of those in America who are seeking to embark on a pilgrimage to West Africa, but not necessarily knowing how or where to begin.

Magic & Melanin’s work has been featured in media outlets such as VOX, Condé Nast Traveler, TEEN VOGUE, Refinery29, and more.

Dossé-Via has been named a Condé Nast Top Travel Specialist for the past three consecutive years.

On October 21, 2019, Dossé-Via launched her astrology app KnowTheZodiac on iOS, and subsequently released an Android version in 2020.

The KnowTheZodiac app is frequently listed as one of the best astrology apps available on the market.

The app is set to be relaunched to include a premium version in spring 2024.

Dossé-Via’s one of the only astrologers of African descent to have her own app on both the Apple Store and Android with a team of mainly Black, Indian, and indigenous women astrologers.

One of her intentions is to continue to create opportunities for underrepresented astrologers to share their wisdom to her large community of over 1 million readers.

In 2020, Dossé-Via signed to Thompson Literary Agency as a professional author, and in 2021, after a highly-sought after auction bid for her book proposal, she received her first major book deal with Hachette Book Group (Running Press Imprint).

Her debut book, Signs & Skymates: The Ultimate Guide to Astrological Compatibility, was released in December 2022 and was a #1 best-seller in the astrology category on Amazon.

Dossé-Via’s first children’s book Melanin Magic: A Young Mystic’s Guide to African Spirituality will be released in October 2024, via Running Press Kids.