James Patrick known professionally as Barkonny is a Tanzanian singer, songwriter and dancer born on 14 May 1999 in Mwanza region.

His desire to become a musician started early at his 10. In the ages of 13 to 20, he was dancing and singing in his local church's choir and he helped in songwriting. Later he officially began music as a solo artist in 2021.

His debut in music marked him as a gospel artist and he went by the stage name Jarmez but in 2024 he shifted his interests to secular music and he rebranded himself to Barkonny following the release of singles 'You' and 'For Me' that year.

His music is defined as Afropop and R&B with lyrics that are a mixture of English and Swahili.