M'bilia Bel

Mbilia Bel was born Marie-Claire Mboyo Moseka on 10 January 1959, in Léopoldville, Belgian Congo (now Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo), to Mbala Mbondi and Mboyo Mbilia. Her father, Mbala Mbondi, known as "Louis XIV", was a charanga dancer in Bumba, Mongala Province. She completed six years of primary school and pursued studies in Humanities, which she did not finish. She initially began singing as a backup vocalist at the Catholic parish in the 12th quartier of the N'Djili commune. == Career ==

1979–1987: Les Redoutables, Sam Mangwana and Afrisa International In 1974, at the age of 15, Mboyo responded to a radio advertisement soliciting backing singers for Abeti Masikini's group, Les Redoutables. Impressed by her audition, Tabu Ley promptly renamed her "Mbilia Bel". In the song, she narrates the ordeal of a woman abandoned by her husband and had to raise her children alone. The album's eponymous single won Best Song, and Mbilia Bel was awarded as the Best New Artist. Afrisa's popularity began to rival that of François Luambo's band OK Jazz. During that year, Mbilia Bel was featured on Afrisa International's album Faux Pas, which was released by Genidia, a label owned by Tabu Ley. In 1984, she appeared in Afrisa International's production, Loyenghe, and subsequently performed four politically charged songs: "Mobutu Peuple Ba Vote Yo Massivement", "Otumoli Mobutu Otumoli Ba Mama", "La Zaïroise", and "Candidat Ya MPR: Mobutu". These tracks supported Mobutu Sese Seko's regime and its political propaganda promoting the one-party state's ideology of Authenticité, which emphasized traditional elements to bolster the regime's image. That same year, she contributed to two albums and one joint album, including Bameli Soy, Ba Gerants Ya Mabala, and the four-track collaboration Keyna Et Cadence Mudanda, which featured the smash hit single "Nakei Nairobi", a praise song for Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi, and brought her significant acclaim across Africa. In 1985, Mbilia Bel performed with Afrisa International on two albums: Boya Ye, released in the UK by Sterns, and ''La Beauté D'Une Femme''. Later that year, on 7 September, they performed at the now-closed Upper Cut Club in Stratford, London. Music journalist Alastair Johnston recalled that "the sound system blared African pop as the place slowly filled up with London's expatriate African community dressed for a night out". == Solo career ==

1988–1995: Departure from Afrisa International and releases The recruitment of Faya Tess continued to fuel internal discord within Afrisa International, impacting the orchestra's consistency on their forthcoming record Contre ma volonté. Phénomene was recorded at Studio Davout. Rigo Star Bamundele arranged, provided backing vocals, and mixed the album at Studio Plus XXX. Produced by Kilimanjaro Int'l Productions and distributed internationally, the album was reissued in CD format in 1997 by Terrascape in Belgium. Mbilia Bel released her second studio album, Désolé!!!, in 1991. It was co-produced by Celluloid, a French record label, and KS Production and consisted of eight tracks. Désolé!!! was composed, arranged, and programmed by Rigo Star, who included drums, percussion, and synthesizers. He played all guitar and bass parts and contributed to the backing vocals. Mbilia Bel then worked with him on a joint album titled Ironie, which came out in 1993. The nine-track album was produced by Celluloid, with Rigo Star handling the production and musical arrangement. That same year, Mbilia Bel released the ten-track album 8/10 Benedicta, produced by A Music Production in Belgium and later reissued in 1994 by SonoDisc in France. 1996–2005: from Yalowa to Belissimo Mbilia Bel's fourth studio album, Yalowa, came out in 1996 in the United States under IMA Records. The record, which contains ten tracks, was written and arranged by Rigo Star and included a guest appearance by Vivick Matoua. In a review for RootsWorld, Opiyo Oloya characterized the album as a "sacrilegious cross-breeding of African and western pop rhythms", noting subtle soukous influences that did not dominate the music. After nearly six years in Paris expanding her European audience, Mbilia Bel returned to Zaire in 1996 to re-establish herself in the Zairean music scene. She guest-performed on Simaro Lutumba's 1997 album Trahison, which commemorates thirty-six years of Lutumba's musical and artistic career. Mbilia Bel performs the song "Mama Kulutu" in a duet with Pépé Kallé on the album. She also appeared on Général Defao's album Copinage. Comprising ten tracks, the album was produced by Syllart Productions, a France-based label specializing in African and Afro-Latin music established by Senegalese producer Ibrahima Sylla. Without any changes to the visuals, the same music videos eventually reappeared on television channels for public airing. She subsequently took part in the Empire Fondation orchestra's concert at Pullman Kinshasa Grand Hotel on 30 November and appeared at Empire Foundation's debut concert at the LSC in Paris on 27 March 2003. In July 2003, she won ACMCO's Best Female Singer of 2002 in their annual referendum, and in December, Welcome's breakout single "Douceur" earned her the Best Central Africa Female accolade at the Kora Awards in Sun City. From 27 September to 9 October 2004, Mbilia Bel performed at Pullman Kinshasa Grand Hotel for the commemorative events marking the tenth anniversary of Abeti Masikini's death. The event was coordinated by the Abeti Masikini Foundation in conjunction with Akueson Worldwide of France and Shabani Records of the DRC. She further promoted the album with a tour spanning Dubai, Ethiopia, Zambia, Namibia, and Tanzania. 2006–2014: from "Kokoka" to The Queen In 2006, Mbilia Bel collaborated with Kenyan singer Suzanna Owíyo on the single "Kokoka", which earned them a nomination for Best Collaboration at the 7th edition of Kisima Music Awards. In October 2007, Mbilia Bel embarked on a tour of Kenya, headlining two concerts, one of which was the Luo Sigalagala event organized by the GoDown Arts Centre. On 29 March 2008, she appeared at Simaro Lutumba's ''Vivement Simaro, merci l'artiste'' concert at the Pullman Kinshasa Grand Hotel to celebrate his 70th birthday, and later performed at Tshala Muana's concert at the same venue to mark her 30-year music career. In June 2009, she collaborated with Simaro Lutumaba to interpret his song "Mobali Ya Bato", which quickly peaked atop the Congolese charts. On 17 October, she performed at the Pullman Kinshasa Grand Hotel in tribute to Franco Luambo, with former OK Jazz members and contemporary rumba artists, including Koffi Olomide, Malage de Lugendo, Papa Noël Nedule, Wuta Mayi, Edo Nganga, Michel Boyibanda, Jossart N'Yoka Longo, Bozi Boziana, Manda Chante, Papa Wemba, Tshala Muana, Simaro Lutumba, and Bana Ok. On 28 May the next year, she participated in the Élection de Miss Tshangu, which was part of the 6th edition of the Festival Socioculturel de la Tshangu (Festsha) held at Hotel Apocalypse 22 in the Masina commune. Following her Canadian tour, she graced the closing of the 3rd edition of the Afro-Colombian Champeta Festival at Plaza de la Aduana in Cartagena, Colombia, in August 2010. During this performance, she was accompanied by guitarist Lokassa Ya Mbongo, and the event was attended by the city's mayor, Judith Pinedo Flórez. In early December 2010, Mbilia Bel announced that her upcoming thirteen-track album, The Queen, was nearing completion. In July 2013, Mbilia Bel and Tshala Muana were special guests at Yvonne Chaka Chaka's performance at Stade Félix Éboué in Brazzaville during the ninth edition of Pan-African Music Festival (Fespam). She then went on to perform in Golungo Alto, Cuanza Norte Province of Angola, and followed it up with a show at Pullman Kinshasa Grand Hotel to celebrate Tshala Muana's 35-year music career. On 21 September 2014, Mbilia Bel teamed up with Didier Awadi, Hanisha Solomon, Naledi Ya Tshwane, Ray-Son, Simply Chrysolite, and Femi Kuti for a pro bono performance at Warner Theatre in Washington for PAD's Stop Africa Land Grab Concert, aimed at raising awareness about the massive land acquisitions in Africa by foreign investors, which often lead to food shortages and conditions that allow the Ebola virus to thrive. 2014–2021: from ''Royaume d'amour to Signature 8646'' In December 2014, Mbilia Bel released a maxi-single titled ''Royaume d'amour'', with recording done in Brazzaville and Libreville and production by Claudi Nyere. On 8 March the following year, she performed in Pointe-Noire for International Women's Day and subsequently made a guest appearance on SOS Salsa's album Wo Wo Wo. In July 2015, she played at Stade Félix Éboué, in Brazzaville, during the 10th edition of the Republic of Congo's Pan-African Music Festival (FESPAM). The following year, in July, Mbilia Bel performed at a concert by Krist Duford Productions at the La Détente bar in Bacongo neighborhood of Brazzaville to honor mothers. Mbilia Bel commenced work on her 18-track double album Signature 8646 in mid-2016. In an interview with Les Dépêches de Brazzaville, she stated that Signature 8646 would be her final album. Initially set for release on 25 January 2017, ten days after her birthday celebration, the album was officially launched on 10 May and was produced by Eagle Center in Moungali, with Claudrick Miéré as the producer. Signature 8646 is a fusion of Congolese rumba and soukous. It explored themes of love, jealousy, sentimentality, and education. The first concert marked the 57th anniversary of Congolese Independence Day at the New Meladen Club in Upper Hill, where she urged her fans to champion peace and brotherhood. In January 2018, she appeared on Tshala Muana's Congolese rumba-inspired song "Don De Dieu", and the next month, she collaborated on Romain Gardon's single "Dis-moi maman". On 25 May, Mbilia Bel appeared on Iyenga's debut studio album Lonkaya. She subsequently performed at the second International Rumba Festival at Béatrice Hotel in Kinshasa, which paid tribute to her late husband and mentor, Tabu Ley Rochereau. On December 7, she headlined the final edition of the year's Kigali Jazz Junction in Kigali, where she shared the stage with Mike Kayihura and the Netunez Band. On 31 January 2019, Mbilia Bel made a guest appearance on Ninita's single "Pardonne-moi", which Ninita described as her most successful collaboration in an interview with Les Dépêches de Brazzaville. On 23 March, she was the headliner at the "Concert de la Francophonie" alongside Jean Goubald Kalala and Fanie Fayar at the Halle de la Gombe in Kinshasa. This event, organized by Orchestre Symphonique Kimbanguiste, spotlighted notable French music and honored Congolese artists. In February 2020 she appeared as one of the main acts at Festival Amani where she was appreciated by the 36,000 attendees. Her set included popular 1980s tracks "Mpeve Ya Longo" and "Yamba Ngai". She was scheduled to perform at Casino de Montbenon on 14 March in Lausanne, Switzerland, but the event was called off because of the COVID-19 pandemic. On 25 August, she performed with Les Bantous de la Capitale and other Brazzaville and Kinshasa artists at Maïsha Life in Kinshasa to mark Congolese rumba singer Jeannot Bombenga's 86th birthday. 2021–present: Big Mama In September 2020, Mbilia Bel, along with her manager, Jules Nsana, made an official visit to the Congolese First Lady, Denise Nyakéru Tshisekedi, where she announced plans to celebrate her 40th anniversary in the music industry with a concert on her birthday. Denise endorsed the event, which was set to take place at Pullman Kinshasa Grand Hotel. On 3 February 2021, Mbilia Bel released the maxi-single Big Mama as a gesture to console her fandom following the event's delay. Mbilia Bel was summoned to the podium by Odinga, where her 1984 smash hit "Nakei Nairobi" was played. She then encouraged Nyeri residents to vote for Odinga and Martha Karua. Mbilia Bel was set to perform at Monumental Bullring in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, on 30 June 2024 as the main act on the second day of the Festival Vive La Salsa with other co-headliners. However, her set was postponed due to challenges obtaining a travel visa from the Colombian Embassy in Kenya. El Universal reported that civil protests were happening in Nairobi, where the embassy is based. These protests, incited by a contentious finance bill, disrupted operations and rendered it infeasible for M'bilia Bel to travel to Cartagena de Indias in time for the festival. == Personal life ==

While performing with Afrisa International, Mbilia Bel became romantically involved with Tabu Ley Rochereau. Their relationship resulted in an engagement in 1984 and the birth of their daughter, Melody Tabu, in the mid-1980s. By around 1988, the romance had ended and coincided with her decision to leave Afrisa International. Unverified rumors suggested that the dispute arose following Tabu Ley's decision to add singer Faya Tess to Afrisa International, although both Mbilia Bel and Rochereau publicly denied any conflict at the time. She later withdrew from the arrangement to focus on advancing her solo career. In a 2025 interview on TV47 Kenya, Mbilia Bel said that marriage does not suit her personal outlook or lifestyle. == Discography ==

With Afrisa International • Bel Ley (1982) • Eswi Yo Wapi (1983) • Faux Pas (1983) • Loyenghe (1984) • Bameli Soy (1984) • Ba Gerants Ya Mabala (1984) • Keyna Et Cadence Mudanda (1984) • Boya Ye (1985) • ''La Beauté D'Une Femme'' (1985) • Nadina (1986) • Beyanga (1987) • Contre ma volonté (1987) Solo albums • Phénomène (1988) • Désolé!!! (1991) • 8/10 Benedicta (1993) • Yalowa (1996) • Welcome (2001) • Belissimo (2004) • The Queen (2011) • Signature 8646 (2017) Collaborative albums • Exploration (with Madilu System, Rigo Star) (1989) • Ironie (with Rigo Star) (1993) Maxi-single • ''Royaume d'amour'' (2014) • Big Mama (2021) Contributing artist • 2008: The Rough Guide to Congo Gold (World Music Network) == Awards and nominations ==