Formation 1997–1999: Feud, Wenge Musica split, and Wenge Musica Maison Mère In 1997, after the release of then-Wenge Musica vocalist JB Mpiana's ''Feux de l'Amour'', the band's members started to develop a feud amongst themselves. In a concert in the GHK, the band began infighting, and according to some rumors, Werrason and JB Mpiana, fought onstage. All those in attendance were shocked, including
Papa Wemba, who was a special guest of the band. The band split on 7 December 1997. A couple of weeks later, on 20 December 1997,
Werrason, Didier Masela, and Adolphe Dominguez, all former members of the newly-disbanded Wenge Musica, formed Wenge Musica Maison Mère. At its foundation, the band received the support from
King Kester Emeneya,
Koffi Olomidé, and Marie-Paul Kambulu. Later on, they recruited musicians such as Baby Ndombe, JDT Mulopwe, Didier Lacoste, Serge Mabiala, Adjani, and
Ferré Gola, who came from JB Mpiana's Wenge BCBG. In 1997, the band had its first performance on the
RTNC, the Congo's national TV channel. According to the band's fandom, the phrase
Solola bien, meaning "speak properly", was aimed at JB Mpiana and Wenge BCBG amid their escalating rivalry.
Solola Bien! was produced and arranged by Maïka Munan and became a significant success across the African music market, earning a gold record in France from
SACEM after selling more than 100,000 copies in Paris and millions throughout Africa. The success of
Solola Bien! boosted Wenge Musica Maison Mère's reputation as a premier African band. On 28 November, following the success of ''Force d'Intervention Rapide
and Solola Bien!
, the band released a remix album, Terrain Eza Miné'', through Ets Ndiaye. Shortly afterward, Werrason became the band's sole leader when Adolphe Dominguez and Didier Masela left the band. Masela re-created Wenge Musica, and Dominguez founded Wenge Tonya Tonya. The album is widely regarded as a classic within soukous music. The double album includes guest appearances from
Manu Dibango,
Nathalie Makoma, and Déesse Mukangi. Shortly after the album's debut, Wenge Musica Maison Mère's lead guitarist, Burkina Faso Mboka Liya, exited the band following a dramatic incident at the Grand Hôtel de Kinshasa (now Pullman Kinshasa Grand Hôtel), where Werrason slapped him just before performing the song "Muana 13 ans" because he was seen chatting on his phone instead of concentrating. Feeling insulted by the subsequent suspension, Burkina Faso opted to leave despite Werrason's attempts to keep him in the band. To promote
Kibuisa Mpimpa (Opération Dragon), Wenge Musica Maison Mère performed on 15 July at a fair in
Lemba's Salongo garden, organized by the foundation of the late
Bernardin Mungul Diaka. They subsequently appeared at the third edition of the Pan-African Music Festival (
Festival panafricain de musique; FESPAM) on 6 August at the Palais du Parlement in Brazzaville, before touring to Nairobi,
Mombasa, and
Nakuru for concerts that had been postponed twice in July and continuing their tour with a performance in
Bangui. On 3 November, Werrason won two
Kora Awards: Best Male Artist of Africa and Best Male Artist of Central Africa, becoming the first artist to achieve two awards in a single ceremony before, and also received a nomination for Best Arrangement of Africa. The promotional tour followed, with concerts on 1 December at Camp Luka in
Ngaliema and 2 December at Planète Jupiter in
Gombe, before launching a
Zambian tour featuring three major shows. That same month, reports surfaced claiming atalaku Adjani Sesele, known for mimicking Didier Lacoste's voice on "Blandine", had left the band to join Dakumuda New-Man's Laviniora Esthétique. However, Werrason's associates dismissed the allegations, clarifying that Adjani had only paid a friendly visit and never intended to join the rival band. Meanwhile, people linked to Dakumuda's entourage maintained that Adjani had already signed with Laviniora Esthétique but concealed it out of fear of reprisal from Wenge Musica Maison Mère's fandom, who monitored his public appearances closely. Despite these issues, Wenge Musica Maison Mère achieved significant recognition from the Association of Music Journalists of Congo (
Association des Chroniqueurs de Musique du Congo; ACMCO), earning awards for Best Orchestra, Best Star (Werrason), Best Album (
Kibuisa Mpimpa (Opération Dragon)), Best Song ("Blandine"), Best Composer (Werrason), Best Singer (
Ferre Gola), and Best Host/Presenter (
Bill Clinton Kalonji). They then performed in
Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, for
New Year's celebrations, then returned to Kinshasa for a double production at
Stade des Martyrs in March 2002, aiming to surpass JB Mpiana and Wenge BCBG's December 2001 attendance record of 135,000. However, in February, Wenge Musica Maison Mère experienced internal tensions leading up to their planned two-day concert on 8–9 May 2002 at the
Zénith Paris. Key members, including Ferre Gola, Jus d'Été, Bill Clinton Kalonji, and Celeo Scram, posed challenges for Werrason due to mood swings and disciplinary issues. They were formally reprimanded and promised loyalty, but problems persisted. Adjani, for example, arrived late to rehearsal and was sent home immediately. Jus d'Été remained suspended for a month after refusing to travel to Equatorial Guinea for the New Year celebrations, and his suspension had not yet been lifted. Ferre Gola also grew increasingly anxious, fearing he might lose Werrason's favor and worrying about his status in the band. The Zénith Paris concert was rescheduled from 8–9 May to 26–27 April for administrative and logistical reasons, creating a scheduling conflict with former members of
Empire Bakuba and confusing fans about which band would take precedence. Other administrative challenges included repeated lateness and discipline issues from Adjani, Serge Mabiala, and soloist Japonais, who were given verbal warnings but later forgiven and included in the team. To prevent defections, Werrason required all musicians to sign loyalty contracts. Meanwhile, the WMMM's junior band, Opération Dragons, continued to perform in Kinshasa. The event was organized by Félix Petit, who had successfully staged other large Congolese shows in the venue. The band rehearsed intensively at Nzamba Playa, conducting full-day sessions while Werrason evaluated around 50 new dancers under Jeanne Bête Sauvage's supervision. Their European tour departed with a team of 85 people, including 35 performers. Before officially beginning the tour, they performed a private show in Brazzaville, then sold out both Zénith concerts, becoming the first band of their generation to do so. According to Joseph Kanka of
Le Phare, the Zénith concerts established
Congolese music's dominance on the African continent. and other performances in
Geneva,
Stockholm,
Bonn,
Liège,
Lausanne, and
Berlin. During the London stop, a member named Lumumba unexpectedly left the band without notifying Werrason, causing concern among his entourage; nevertheless, Werrason was unfazed. Ferré reportedly viewed young tenor
Héritier Watanabe, who could imitate his voice flawlessly, as a potential rival and feared being replaced as lead singer, and he was said to have sold his
Mercedes vehicle before the tour, which some interpret as a prelude to quietly leaving with a band with friends to form his own band. By July 2002, the album was expected to include around fifteen tracks and was tentatively titled
Koyimbiko, after a
Kongo dance also known as Ngwashi or Makolo pente, with contributions from Werrason and other members. In August 2002, the album was retitled
À la Queue Leu Leu, and during the same month, Adjani and Serge Mabiala were reportedly absent from the
recording sessions for nearly a month, appearing only sporadically in Paris and Brussels, while Japonais submitted an appeal to lift his indefinite suspension. The album's release, initially scheduled for October 2002, Around the same time, Didier Lacoste left Wenge Tonya Tonya to join the band. WMMM returned to Kinshasa on 21 December, and the album, finally titled
À La Queue Leu-Leu (Koyimbi Ko!), was released on 28 December as a
double album, containing 17 tracks that blended
Congolese rumba,
ndombolo,
soukous, and
charanga. It marked the band's first album where nearly all members contributed original songs, with notable tracks including contributions from Werrason ("Ligne 11", "Salsister", "Fany", "Calmement"), Flamme Kapaya ("Yandi Mosi W.R."), Baby Ndombe ("Mama Mabe"), Ali Mbonda ("Ma Personnalité"), Elliot Mongombe ("Nostalgie", performed as a duet by Ferré Gola and Héritier Watanabe), Céléo Scram ("J'en Ai Assez"), Ferré Gola ("Chetani" and "Victime D'Amour"), Bill Clinton Kalonji ("Style Moomberg"), Aimelia Lias ("Effet Placebo"), JDT Mulopwe ("Examen"), Bamba Munkir Criss ("Détournement"), Papy Kakol ("Nasilisi Maloba"), and Kabosé Bulembi ("Jugement Dernier").
À La Queue Leu-Leu (Koyimbi Ko!) was the band's last release with JPS Productions. Its initial distribution faced difficulties due to poorly duplicated
cassette tapes from Brazzaville's Ndiaye studio, which temporarily imperiled the band's reputation, but after rectification, the album achieved great success, topping the charts in Kinshasa. To celebrate their return and the album release, they sold out
Stade des Martyrs on 4 January 2003, with Opération Dragon opening the concert and Werrason, Ferré, Jus d'Été, Baby, Kabosé, Héritier, Bill Clinton, Céléo, and Aimelia present, while Adjani, Serge Mabiala, and Japonais were absent. During this time, Gianfranco from Wenge Tonya Tonya joined WMMM. The band then collaborated on the album
Anti Balles with Adricha Tipo Tipo, featuring vocals by Lacoste, Ferré, Héritier Watanabe, JDT Mulopwe, Jus d'Été, non-member
Djene Djento, and instrumental performances by
atalaku Bill Clinton and guitarist Flamme Kapaya. In March 2003, Werrason suspended Céléo for two months due to repeated misconduct, including mistreatment of fans, provoking rival musicians, and involvement in several fights, with the final incident at a fan club meeting causing injuries and prompting Werrason to publicly announce the suspension. The band later performed in
Libreville, Gabon, invited by the Fondation Horizons Nouveaux, led by
Edith Lucie Bongo, and signed a partnership to support social and humanitarian projects in Gabon and the DRC. In June 2003, Werrason further suspended Jus d'Été indefinitely and Héritier and Ali Mbonda for a month for failing to participate in the band's three-day trip to Cameroon, though Ali Mbonda was later reinstated after appealing. According to spokesperson Jules Masa, the disciplinary actions were due to repeated offenses, including Héritier's verbal outbursts toward the marketing director of Monib Production and Jus d'Été's complaints about accommodations in Gabon. and they later won awards from the Association des Chroniqueurs de Musique du Congo for Best Orchestra, Event of the Year for Werrason's second concert at Zénith Paris, and Best Star for Werrason. They then participated in the fourth edition of Pan-African Music Festival (FESPAM), from 2–8 August 2003 in Brazzaville. In September, some WMMM fans confronted Ferré at Zamba Playa, suspecting he was receiving special treatment, such as being allowed to travel alone to Europe, at the same time that Aimelia's promotion to rehearsal chief and disciplinary officer caused further strain within the band. Meanwhile, guitarist Thierry Mogratana left
Papa Wemba's Nouvelle Écriture and was seen joining WMMM just as the band prepared for a London tour. On 11 October, WMMM embarked on a London tour with 21 people (17 musicians and four dancers), leaving Baby and Adjani in Kinshasa due to indiscipline, as Adjani frequently missed rehearsals and concerts and often arrived late, while Baby opposed Aimelia's promotion and refused to participate in
music journalist Serge Kayembe's 10-year career celebration, angering Werrason enough to remove him from the travel list. Ferré narrowly escaped the same fate after his mother personally appealed to Werrason on his behalf, and after the band performed in London on 18 and 25 October before continuing to Angola via Kinshasa, Adjani was pardoned during the Angolan tour. At this time, Wenge Musica Maison Mère released a two-track maxi-single,
Tindika Lokito, which featured the title track, used in a
Skol beer promotion, and "Allez À L'Ecole". "Tindika Lokito", composed by Werrason, broadened ndombolo's popularity across
Central Africa,
Francophone West Africa,
East Africa, and into the
continent's diaspora in France and Belgium, and by December 2003
À La Queue Leu-Leu (Koyimbi Ko!) earned them a nomination for Best African Video at the Kora Awards while Werrason received a nomination for Best Male Artist.
2004–2009: Miracle, Témoignage, Alerte générale, other releases and performances In mid-2003, WMMM announced plans for a forthcoming album entitled
Miracle. In December 2003, it was clarified that
Miracle would be Werrason's second solo studio album, comprising ten tracks, with a planned 2004 release. A European tour in March 2004 included Paris, London, Brussels, Geneva, and Berlin, where the album was promoted; however, its release was delayed. Another European tour was announced for September 2004, with a 25-member ensemble traveling to Paris, Brussels, Sweden,
Norway, and
North America to help finance the album's production; however, visa restrictions prevented the tour from taking place. The success of
Tindika Lokito earned Werrason consecutive Kora Awards in December 2004 for Best Male African Artist and Best Central African Male. Amid internal disputes, emerging members such as
Ferré Gola,
Bill Clinton Kalonji, JDT Mulopwe, and Japonais departed to establish Les Marquis de Maison Mère and released their debut album
Miracles (Faites Vos Prières) that year. After the split, Werrason recruited younger musicians, including
atalaku Roi David and J. Trois. Journalist Martin Enyimo of
Le Potentiel noted that, unlike other departing members, Mabiala refrained from making inflammatory remarks about Werrason, and he eventually rejoined the band in February 2005 to work on
Miracle, The
ndombolo-infused eponymous track quickly became popular across Africa and sparked a
dance craze called "sele ba mama sele", in which women turn their backs to the audience, bend over, and wiggle their waists in time with the music while the singer comments, often with obscene lyrics, on their physical features. Wonder Guchu of
the Herald noted that the dance gained prominence in Zimbabwe after Monica "Mama Sele" Chikasha popularized it at
Tongai Moyo and
Alick Macheso concerts, and the presence of Congolese musicians in some Zimbabwean bands helped cement its appeal. Between 2006 and 2008, they released another maxi-single and one album,
Sous-Sol was the first disc by Werrason with a "
world music" style. The album
Mayi ya Sika contained 2 volumes. It was released in May 2008. On 8 November 2008, the band played in the
Zenith Paris for the third time, with guests including
Youssoupha. In 2009, the dance
Techno Malewa became immensely popular in Kinshasa's streets. It was released in the albums
Techno Malewa Sans Cesse and
Techno Malewa Suite et Fin (released in 2010), which placed No. 2 on the Congolese Hit Parade (#1 was
Bande Annonce by
Zaïko Langa Langa).
2010s WMMM played for the fourth time in the
Zénith Paris on 13 November 2010. They were invited to play in the
Stade de France with fellow Congolese singers
Fally Ipupa and
Jessy Matador. In 2011, with WMMM, Techno Malewa suite & fin is released In 2014, another Werrason solo album,
Flêche Ingéta, is released in December 2014 in Paris, and January 2015 in
Kinshasa. In 2017, they recruited Sarah Solo, a Congolese female guitarist, who played in
Diemba (Balançoire). After the song was released as a single, in November 2017,
7 Jours De La Semaine was released. After recruiting singers and instrumentalists, in 2019, the album
Formidable was released under Werrason's own label, Werrason World. In 2021, Werrason and his band announced their return to the Zénith Paris, in June. The concert was reported for the first time on 17 September 2021. By the week of the concert, the group did not have visas. For the second time the concert was reported, on 25 September. The cancellation of the concert was announced later. Days later, Werrason declared at a press conference that he believes "it is an injustice and that his concert was sabotaged by the French authorities." ==Legal issues==