Born on November 11, 1972 in Koulinié, near Logoualé in western Côte d'Ivoire, Guehi Glai Léon grew up in a religious environment. As a child, he came into contact with music through the traditional songs sung in the churches his mother attended. Quickly drawn to gospel, he moved to Abidjan in 1990 to build his artistic career as a backing singer. Quickly spotted as a promising talent, he won the Cocody Rock Stars competition in 1997. This recognition opened the door to major projects, including the interpretation of the Ivorian national anthem to celebrate the country's independence in 1999, and he went on to make his first recordings. His first album, La prophétie, released in 2002, helped to raise the profile of O'Nel Mala. A mix of gospel, highlife and zouk, the singer who defines his music as "Afrofusion" confirmed expectations with Lousha , released in 2006. This ascent was crowned with the Tiercé d'Or de la musique ivoirienne in 2008, and O'nel Mala established himself as one of the country's leading exponents of religious song. After C nou maman (2012) and Divine Connexion (2016), the author of the hit "Vêtu de gloire " (2002) returns in 2023 to celebrate 25 years in the music business with a concert in Abidjan.
