Karoline Kamosi, known professionally as Leki, was born on 28 January 1978 in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, and went on to build her career as a Congolese-Belgian singer of soul and R&B. At age twelve she had the opportunity to work in the studio alongside the Belgian group Technotronic, where her elder sister Ya Kid K was lead vocalist of the group behind the global hit "Pump Up the Jam", though the project ultimately came to nothing, as Leki was still too young for an international career at the time. Her early releases included "Throw 'm Up" in 2005, followed by a series of releases that included "Peculiar Places" in 2010 and "Get Over" in 2012, each contributing to her growing visibility in European pop-R&B circuits. Chronologically, her debut studio album Breakin' Out arrived in 2004, followed by Warrior Girl in 2005 and Multiplicity in 2008; her fourth album, Leki & The Sweet Mints, was issued in 2009 through Universal Music, a milestone that underscored her expanding profile. Her 2012 solo album The Journey followed, although it did not achieve significant commercial traction. Throughout her career, Leki cultivated a philanthropic presence, founding the non-profit Nanda and launching the single "Peculiar Places" in 2010 to raise funds for a hospital in her native village of Malambu, a project that reflected her broader commitment to humanitarian development in Africa.
