Fally Ipupa

Congolese singer-songwriter and guitarist Fally Ipupa spent seven years performing with soukous luminaries Quartier Latin International before launching his solo career in 2006. Born Fally Ipupa N'simba in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on 14 December 1977, he grew up in a Catholic family surrounded by music and began singing in the local church choir. He joined the aforementioned Quartier Latin International in 1999 and made a name for himself as the "conductor of the orchestra" before quitting the band in 2006. He achieved gold status with his debut solo album, 2006’s Droit chemin, keeping up the pace on his second gold-certified solo effort, Arsenal de Belles Melodies, released in 2009 and featuring a collaboration with R&B singer (and former G-Unit member) Olivia on lead single “Chaïse électrique". In 2010, he scooped three prizes at the MTV Africa Music Awards: Artist of the Year, Best Video, and Best Francophone. His third album Power "Kosa Leka"—his last to be produced by David Monsoh—arrived in 2013. He charted in France for the first time with his fourth album and international breakthrough, Tokooos, which was released in 2017 via Elektra France and Warner Music France. He maintained his grip on the charts with the 2018 follow-up, Control, which went to number 74 in France, with 2020's Tokooos II also charting in France and Belgium. In October 2022, the Congolese rumba master announced the release of seventh solo album Formule 7 on the set of the French television channel France 24, and the LP arrived two months later. That same year, his 2017 album Tokoos went gold in France, five years after its release.