1995–1998: Moto Pamba and performances In 1995, Longomba left La Nouvelle Génération to pursue a solo career. Speaking to the Congolese French-language newspaper
La Prospérité, he said the decision was driven by mounting dissatisfaction with what he viewed as poor treatment of instrumentalists by singers. he relied on other musicians, with backing vocals by Ballou Canta and Shimita, additional vocals from Abby Surya, Dindo Yogo, Kuleta Pompon, Luciana Demingongo, and
Sam Mangwana, bass by Miguel Yamba, Ngouma Lokito, and Pablo Lubadika Porthos, guitars by Lokassa Ya M'Bongo, Emmanuel Samba,
Rigo Star, Dally Kimoko, and
Syran Mbenza, mixing by Thierry Doumergue, and percussion by 3615 Niaou and Mavungu Malanda. When submitting his touring lineup, he listed himself as drummer, a choice that drew objections from the promoter, who felt he should be recognized as the group's frontman. In
Mozambique, audiences frequently asked if he was a singer. Later, during a performance at
Kampala Serena Hotel, he was told to disguise himself under a
balaclava and glasses and go by the pseudonym "Willy" to avoid upstaging N'Goma, though N'Goma ultimately introduced him properly, which led to immediate applause.
1998–2000: Continent-wide success with Coupé Bibamba On 27 October 1998, Longomba debuted his second studio album,
Coupé Bibamba. The album was produced by Jip Productions and distributed in multiple formats, such as compact disc and
cassette, across several countries, including France,
Ivory Coast, and Kenya. Longomba played the drums, with Faustino Ngoita and Ntoumba Minka on bass guitars, Caien Madoka, Dally Kimoko, and Japonais Maladi on lead guitars, Mavungu Malanda and Zé Luis Nascimento on percussion, and Briscard Kouadio alongside Japonais Maladi on rhythm guitars. The eponymous techno-soukous-infused-single, which featured
Jocelyne Béroard on vocals, became a smash hit in Africa and Europe, as well as among diaspora communities worldwide, and remains a timeless classic in African music. The incorporation of
mabanga, a practice where musicians mention an individual's name during a song for a fee, was notable, with the mention directed at Robert Ogwal, also known as Rasta Rob, a prominent radio presenter in the
African Great Lakes Region at the time. "Coupé Bibamba" success enabled Longomba to embark on an
East African tour in early 1999, with sold-out performances in
Tanzania, including shows in
Dar es Salaam,
Moshi,
Arusha, and
Mwanza. As reported by
This Day, his music gained substantial recognition in southern Nigeria and swiftly proliferated to the north, where "every verse of the
Koran,
Hausa children know two lines of Comment tu t'appelle". In 2000, Longomba achieved the unprecedented feat of selling out three consecutive concerts at
Lagos National Stadium. having earlier, in 2001, become the first Congolese artist to perform in
São Tomé and Príncipe and, alongside
Miriam Makeba, the only
Sub-Saharan African artist to perform in
Libya during the creation of the
African Union. His collaboration with
Sony Music for the
World Tribute to the Funk compilation album for the song's new
funk remix titled "Comment Tu T'Appelles", featuring
James D-Train Williams, gained popularity among the continent's diaspora in France and the US and was also included in Edenways Records'
African Dance Floor compilation album. This led to Longomba's performance at
Zénith de Paris alongside
Jocelyn Lorette Brown,
Oliver Cheatham,
Jerome Prister, Imagination and
Anita Ward, all of whom were part of
World Tribute to the Funk.
2000–2008: Kafou Kafou, Mondongo and performances In July 2000, Longomba released his third studio album,
Kafou Kafou. Consisting of 10 tracks,
Kafou Kafou was produced by Jimmy Houetinou through Jip Productions and jointly distributed by Mélodie Distribution and Section Zouk Records. It later earned him the Jury Special Award at the 2001 Kora Awards, which he offered to
Nelson Mandela at
Sun City. and on 10 January 2003, he met privately with President Mandela in South Africa. Prior to that, in late 2002, he toured various African countries, including shows in
Ouagadougou and in
Equatorial Guinea, and also performed in Europe, with a concert in
Munich on 28 December.
Mondongo was a blend of
Congolese rumba, techno-soukous, R&B, and
Kompa. The album's lead single, "Karolina", became a staple at hall parties and is often cited as the most-played song at African events. In the song, Longomba expresses his admiration for his muse, Karolina, extolling her physical appeal comprehensively – from head to toe, front, and back. Longomba promoted the album with sold-out shows in
Harare,
Bulawayo, and
Chitungwiza towards the year's end, alongside Zimbabwean singer
Alick Macheso. To further support
Mondongo, Longomba went on a tour in Cameroon in 2004, with performances at
Cinéma Le Wouri,
Stade Mbappé Léppé, Cinéma Abbia, and
Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium. In November that year, Longomba received a nomination for "Karolina" at the
2004 Kora Awards. In March 2005, Longomba took the stage at the Africa Live 2005 concert, a
malaria-fighting event hosted at the
Iba-Mar-Diop Stadium, where he performed in front of 40,000 people with other co-performers including
Youssou N'Dour,
Orchestra Baobab,
Tinariwen,
Didier Awadi,
Corneille,
Salif Keita,
Rokia Traoré,
Manu Dibango, and
Seun Kuti. The event was organised by Youssou N'Dour as part of the
Roll Back Malaria Partnership (RBM), an initiative launched in 1998 by the
World Health Organization,
United Nations Development Programme,
UNICEF, and the
World Bank. Among their prominent performances was a notable appearance at New York's Satalla World Music venue, delivering two sets to a full house on 1 April. In September 2005, Longomba held three concerts in
Windhoek,
Swakopmund, and
Oshakati. In July next year, Longomba performed in
Libreville as part of the Amissa Bongo Foundation and Iriscom International's second edition of the Nuit de la Musique. He also played at the Sumbe International Music Festival, colloquially called "FestiSumbe", in
Sumbe in September 2006. In 2007, Longomba held two consecutive sold-out concerts at the
Hotel Ivoire in
Cocody and the
Yopougon Sports Complex in
Yopougon. He followed this up with a Labor Day concert in
Antananarivo in 2008, where he was joined by about twenty other artists.
2008–present: Superman, performances and collaborations In August 2008, Longomba published his fifth studio album
Superman, which contained standout tracks like "Super Man", "Torticolis", "Les Jaloux", "Malala", "Maze", "Meu Amor", "Banana", "La Go Là", "Baby", "J'Ai Envie de Toi", "BK", and "Banana Remix".
Barbara Kanam also made a guest appearance on
Superman. He later appeared in Antananarivo to commemorate the 50th anniversary of
Malagasy Independence on 26 June 2010. On 5 May 2014, in celebration of his birthday, Longomba debuted an audio preview of his new single, "Bundele", which was co-produced by London-based BA Nuisance and
Nigerian producer TeeBeeO. Prior to the premiere of the "Bundele" music video on 29 July 2014, Longomba collaborated with the Nigerian duo
P-Square on the track "Enemy Solo". He later performed on 4 April 2015 at the
Gidi Culture Festival in Lagos's
Eko Atlantic and appeared on
Nathalie Makoma's "Eyi Mabe", released on 30 December 2016. On 23 January 2017, he premiered the single "Rihanna", featuring
Yemi Alade, followed by the
Afrobeat-infused single "Esopi Yo", which included a guest appearance by
Tiwa Savage. Longomba performed at the Born In Africa Festival (BAFEST) at Eko Atlantic on 16 December 2018, an event organized by
Live Spot in collaboration with
Access Bank and other prominent organizations to honor loyal fans and celebrate African talent. On 25 December, he appeared on
BM's remix of "Rosalina", which sparked a global dance trend on social media platforms like
Instagram,
TikTok, and Facebook, with professional and amateur dancers showcasing their best moves. He later held two consecutive concerts in Uganda: one at the
Kampala Serena Hotel on 5 April 2019, and another at Greenlight Stadium in
Arua on 7 April, where he brought
Robinio Mundibu on stage, providing Robinio a platform to promote his
Extended play (EP)
Chiffre 9. He then unveiled the Moe Musa–directed music video for "Canon", a Congolese rumba and Afrobeats fusion, on 15 April. On 23 April 2021, Longomba was featured on
Harmonize's single "Attitude", which rapidly amassed three million YouTube views in 24 hours. He then appeared on Angel Mary Kato's single "Tanzania", a fusion of
Bongo Flava and soukous. On 29 October 2022, Longomba performed at the
Fally Ipupa concert at the
Stade des Martyrs de la Pentecôte. In November 2022, Longomba collaborated with
Werrason, Reddy Amisi,
Rebo Tchulo, Jeannot Bombenga,
Héritier Watanabe,
M'bilia Bel, Sista Becky, Poison Mobutu, Mianda Kabamba and Samarino on "Allons Tous Nous Faire Enrôler", a song composed for
CENI's campaign to raise awareness among the population about the identification and enrolment operation for the
2023 Democratic Republic of the Congo general election. On 31 December 2022, Longomba guest-performed on
Inoss'B's Afrocongo-style single "Maboko Milayi", which garnered two million views on YouTube within 13 days. In March 2023, Longomba was appointed as a coach for the first season of
the Voice Africa, a version of the global franchise tailored for the Anglophone African audience, offering a contrast to
the Voice Afrique Francophone. On 5 August, he shared the stage with
Afrigo Band during the
Legends of Sound concert held at the Sheraton Gardens of the
Sheraton Kampala Hotel. He later joined Innoss'B on stage during the "Umoja" humanitarian concert at the La Madeleine concert hall in
Brussels in December of that year, performing alongside
Yemi Alade and
Rebo Tchulo. On 6 July 2024, Longomba headlined a concert at Woodbine Park in
Toronto as part of the city's three-day annual AfroFest. However, as the festival neared its ending during Longomba's set, an incident involving teenage boys discharging
pellet guns incited pandemonium among the crowd, which abruptly terminated the event. He went on to perform alongside Ugandan rapper Keko at
Afro Explosion Uganda on 30 August at Eripak Beach in
Arua. On 15 November, Longomba released the single "Mbongo Na Ngai Moko", a fusion of ndombolo and soukous, which featured Innoss'B. == Artistry and legacy ==