Fally Ipupa

Fally Ipupa N'simba (born December 14, 1977), known professionally as Fally Ipupa, is a Congolese singer-songwriter, dancer, philanthropist, guitarist, and producer.

Often referred to as the "Prince of Rumba", he is noted for his soulful and mellow tenor vocals, as well as his blend of contemporary and traditional Congolese music genres, including Congolese rumba, soukous, and ndombolo.

His lyrics often encapsulate universal themes of romance, suffering, and joy.

Fally Ipupa was born as Faustin N'simba Ipupa on December 14, 1977, in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo; DRC).

His parents, Faustin Ebombo Ipupa and Monique Botuli Mbo, raised him alongside his brother, Bony, and two sisters, Tyna and Niclette Ipupa.

Ipupa grew up in the Bandalungwa commune, surrounded by nightclubs, bars, and the headquarters of Wenge Musica, which ignited his interest in music.

Despite his stuttering and lisping during childhood, Ipupa developed an interest in music through observing traditional groups during holidays and public events.

He was particularly drawn to playing the drum and occasionally got into trouble for enthusiastically trying to replicate it on his blackboard.

Ipupa also sang in church with his mother and later took to performing music in the streets with improvised instruments, along with his companions Atele Kunianga, Pitshou Luzolo, and Sankara de Kunta.

Although his parents hoped for him to pursue a medical career given his aptitude for science, Ipupa remained committed to music.

He collaborated with various orchestras and groups, such as Flash Succes, Fraternité Musica, New City de la Bogania, Kibinda Nkoy, ultimately contributing to the formation of Nouvelle Alliance.

Ipupa gained a reputation as a singer, dancer, and atalaku (showmen or hype men who augment the rhythm and interactivity of performances), and his proficiency continued to develop as he accrued more experience with conventional instruments.

Ipupa made his public musical debut in 1997 at the age of 20 with the Kinshasa-based band Talent Latent.

In 1997, Ipupa joined Talent Latent, a music band created by Mosain Malanda and Faustin Djata.

Ipupa became the band's conductor.

He was accompanied by his childhood friends, including Atele Kunianga and Pitshou Luzolo, as well as the atalakus Lisimo Gentamicine and Cellulaire Yankobo.

In 1999, he joined Koffi Olomidé's Quartier Latin International before branching out as a solo artist with his debut solo studio album, Droit Chemin, which attained a gold record after selling over 100,000 copies within one month.

Opting to abandon formal schooling to fully commit to his musical aspirations, the band released their debut album A l'oeuvre on connait l'artiste in January 1999.

The album gained national recognition and made a few appearances on the Congolese national television RTNC, where he performed the song "Courte joie."

While A l'oeuvre on connait l'artiste received some recognition, Ipupa began working on the band's second studio album but faced a significant setback as several key members left to establish the Quartier Latin Académia in Paris.

Faustin Djata, a staff member in Koffi Olomidé's ensemble, introduced Ipupa to Koffi, who invited him to join his orchestra due to his musical abilities, earning Ipupa the sobriquet "Anelka" and the distinction of being the "most expensive transfer," an allusion to the high-profile transfer of Nicolas Anelka to Real Madrid, valued at £22.3 million during that period.

Ipupa joined Koffi Olomidé's orchestra in May 1999.

In 2007, Ipupa won the Kora Awards for Best Central Africa Artist.

In the same year, Ipupa became the first Congolese artist to sell out the Olympia Hall.

In 2008, he toured in France, Belgium, Germany, the United States, and Cameroon.

In April of the same year, Ipupa won the Kundé d'Or for Best Central Africa Artist.

Ipupa's second studio album, Arsenal de Belles Mélodies with chart-toppers like "Chaise électrique" and "Sexy Dance," became some of his signature songs.

The album quickly sold over 100,000 copies, with 40,000 sold weekly.

Ipupa subsequently won two consecutive 2010 MTV Africa Music Awards for Best Francophone Artist and Best Video for "Sexy Dance".

His third studio album, Power "Kosa Leka," featuring lead singles such as "La vie est belle", "Ndoki", and "Service," sold over 30,000 copies in a month.

In 2013, Ipupa won the Trace Urban Music Award for Best African Artist and was nominated for Best Live Act at the MTV Africa Music Awards in June 2014.

His fourth studio album, Tokooos, was certified gold by SNEP, making him one of the first Congolese solo artists from Central Africa to achieve a gold record from SNEP.

The album lead singles, "Kiname" (featuring Booba) and "Bad Boy" (featuring Aya Nakamura), achieved gold certification from SNEP and gained popularity across Africa.

In 2014, Forbes ranked him as the 6th richest African musician.

His fifth studio album, Control, released in November 2018, debuted at number five on SNEP's list of the top downloaded albums in France.

Jeune Afrique named him one of the 50 most influential African artists in 2018.

He is also the most-streamed French-speaking artist on Boomplay and the most-followed Congolese artist on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Ipupa released his sixth studio album, Tokooos II, in December 2020.

On February 25, 2022, Ipupa released Tokooos II Gold, a follow-up to his sixth studio album.

On October 17, 2022, he released his seventh studio album Formule 7, which amassed over 3 million streams on Spotify within 24 hours and dominated French iTunes sales.