Born on January 1, 1951 in Niangoloko, Burkina-Faso, Daouda Koné, known as Daouda Le Sentimental, moved to France at a young age. While completing his studies at the Institut National de l'Audiovisuel (INA), he finally chose to return to Africa and worked for RTI, Radiodiffusion Télévision Ivoirienne. Gradually, his colleagues discovered his talent as a singer and encouraged him to put it to good use in more concrete productions. His program director decided to produce him, and a first single came out in 1976, Les Gbakas. Lola. The track was a hit, and Daouda went on to compose a debut album in 1978, Le Sentimental, whose fame and title earned him the name Daouda Le Sentimental. His music, somewhere between rumba and soukous, evokes, as its name suggests, love stories ("Mon Cœur Balance", "Bouquet De Fleurs"). After three more albums(Le Sentimental (1980), Je Reviendrai À Rome (1981) and Salsa De Niangologo (1982)), Daouda composed his hit "La Femme De Mon Patron" in Paris, accompanied by Alhadji Touré (bass), Toto Guillaume and Jules Kamga (guitar). The makossa-influenced track, which appeared on an album of the same title in 1984, became an icon and gave him the opportunity to perform on a number of international stages. Despite a few new songs, Daouda's career subsequently slowed down, and he gradually left the scene in the mid-1990s. A tribute compilation, Best Of Daouda: Sentimental, released in 2007, revived his classic Ivorian songs, and prompted him to return to the stage in 2010.
