A line from one of his popular singles “Bruce”, Fally iPupa N’simba is undoubtably the number one Francophone Musician in Africa. He hails from the repulbic of Congo, a country which has blessed our stereos with the sounds of artists like Awilo Logomba and Koffi Olomide among others. Fally Ipupa is a singer-songwriter, producer, guitarist and philantropist.
He is popularly known for his brand of Lingala music infused with the use of French.
Lingala (Ngala) is a Bantu language spoken throughout the northwestern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and a large part of the Republic of the Congo, as well as to some degree in Angola and the Central African Republic.
Style of Music
At a young age the singer started playing invarious small groups on Congolese streets until he was eventually noticed by the acclaimed group Quartier Latin, who scooped him up to play guitar for them. Over the next ten years he honed his craft under the watchful eye of his mentor, Koffi Olomide. Fally ended up composing two of Koffi’s biggest hits, namely Eternellement on the album Force De Frappe in 2001 and Ko Ko Ko Ko on the album Affaire d’Etat. This fast rocketed him to the position of band composer despite his young age.
Fally, as a young star, was still curious with his musical style and craved creativity and change. His influences and creative spirit saw him dreaming of creating a new sound. Feeling the constraints of Latin Quarter, he eventually had to break free in order to pursue a solo career. His first solo album was released in 2006 and Droit Chemin sold over 100 000 units, spawning the hits Droit Chemin, Liputa and Kidiamfuka.
Fally Ipupa’s career had just started. His silky smooth voice soon reached the hearts of many, both in DRC and internationally, due to his blend of various musical styles including soukous, ndombolo, pop and R&B. In 2009, his album Arsenal de Belles Mélodies received much media attention and rave reviews, with hits like Chaise Electrique, a duet performed with Olivia from the group G-Unit.
Awards and Nominations
- 2006: Straight Path went gold with over 100,000 copies sold.
- Trophée des Arts Afro-Caribbean
- Two black music awards for male artist of the year
- Best clip in Benin
- Male Artist of the Year in Côte d’Ivoire
- Named to International Reggea and World Music Awards: Best Soukous Entertainer
- In 2008 he won the award for best artist of the Central African Kora Awards
- In 2007 he won the Best Male Artist at African Césaire
- May 2009, it is the 5 th most searched personality on yahoo.fr
- 2009: Arsenal beautiful melodies went platinum with over 1 million copies sold
- 3 Ndule Awards 2010 in the DRC (“Best Album”, “Best Video” and “Best Song”)
- “Golden Microphone”, “Best Artist Central Africa” to Soundcity Music Video Awards (SMVA 2010)
- Double Mama at the MTV Africa Music Awards 2010 (Best Francophone Artist and Best Music Video: “Sexy Dance”)
- Nominated for MTV Europe Music Awards 2011
- Nominated for BET Awards 2011 [Best International]
- 4 trophies to Moamas Awards
- 2 Awards 2011 Okapi in DRCFally is the first Congolese artist of his generation to attempt an adventurous musical career which combines innovation and tradition. His fans and media alike have named him a prodigy who lives for his time without forgetting his roots.
- Appointed Nostalgies Music Awards 2012
- “Best African Artist” in the first edition of Trace Urban Music Awards in 2013.
- Afrimma the winner in Dallas for Best Artist Central Africa
- Nominated for BET Awards 2015 [Best International]
Fally is the first Congolese artist of his generation to attempt an adventurous musical career which combines innovation and tradition. His fans and media alike have named him a prodigy who lives for his time without forgetting his roots.
