2006–2008: Debut solo album While still with Quartier Latin, Ipupa signed a record deal with
Obouo Productions in 2006 for a solo album, titled
Droit Chemin. Despite numerous attempts to dissuade him from going solo, including by fellow Quartier Latin musicians, Ipupa entered the studio alongside select Quartier Latin musicians and the arranger Maïka Munan and recorded fifteen songs, twelve of which were selected for the album. At the same time, Ipupa worked on Quartier Latin's next record,
Danger de Mort. On 7 April 2007, Ipupa sold out the
Olympia Hall in Paris, becoming the first Congolese solo artist to do so since
Tabu Ley Rochereau in 1970,
Abeti Masikini in 1973, and Koffi Olomide in 1998. He was joined onstage by artists like Krys, Benji, and
Lokua Kanza. Louise Colcombet, writing for
Le Parisien, likened the concert to a
messianic arrival and extolled Ipupa as "the rising star of Zairean music". The performance was recorded and released as a DVD, titled ''Live a L'Olympia''. On 13 July, he joined the
Rythmes Africains event, jointly organized by Radio France Internationale, the
Paris City Hall, and the
International Organization of La Francophonie, hosted at the
Place de la Bastille, with other prominent African musical artists. After his European tour, he performed at the
Culture Palace of Abidjan in Ivory Coast, and later returned to Paris for a performance at the
Casino de Paris, where he was honored as the Best Male Performer at the Césaire de la Musique awards on 22 October. On 27 October, he participated in an international music festival titled 1st Movicel Live Fest at the
Estádio da Cidadela in Luanda, Angola. To round off the year, he won Best African Artist at the Pan-African Music Festival Black Music Awards in
Benin. In 2008, he held a series of concerts in France, Belgium, Germany, the United States, and Cameroon.
2009–2012: Arsenal de Belles Melodies, "Hands Across the World" Ipupa began working on his second studio album,
Arsenal de Belles Melodies, in early 2008. In May 2009, he performed to a crowd of 90,000 people at the Creole Night event hosted at
Stade de France in Paris by
Kassav', to celebrate their 30th anniversary.
Arsenal de Belles Melodies was released in June 2009, three years after
Droit Chemin. Consisting of 16 tracks and co-produced by Obouo Productions and
Because Music, He went on to perform at the
Zenith de Paris on 2 January 2010. To further support his album, Ipupa delivered a performance in Germany, followed by a concert at the
Accor Arena in Paris in July. He subsequently performed in Belgium, Switzerland, and the US. Other concerts were called off due to threats emanating from the Combattants, a dissident faction critical of then-Congolese president
Joseph Kabila, and Congolese artists who were aligned with him. On 14 December, Ipupa won two consecutive MTV Africa Music Awards for Best Video for "Sexy Dance" and Best Francophone Artist. He was slated to perform again at the Zénith de Paris on 1 January 2011, but the concert was postponed to 12 March 2011, due to challenges in obtaining a travel visa.
Le Potentiel reported that Maison Schengen, a visa consultancy agency, had denied European visas to multiple artists based in Kinshasa. The verdict sparked public reactions, with demonstrators protesting in front of the DRC's
Ministry of the Interior and Security. Despite the visa challenges, Ipupa sold out the venue, earned a nomination for
Best International African Artist at the
BET Awards, headlined the Sawa Sawa Festival in
Nairobi on 28 May, and achieved another sold-out performance on 11 June at the Stade de France during Nuit Africaine, performing alongside other African artists like
Werrason,
Jessy Matador,
Patience Dabany,
Coumba Gawlo,
Oumou Sangaré,
Sekouba Bambino, Petit Pays,
Meiway,
Magic System,
Passi,
Mokobé,
Baaba Maal,
Alpha Blondy,
Manu Dibango, and
Mory Kanté. Later that summer, he performed two consecutive sold-out concerts in Cameroon, at
Douala Bercy on 22 July and
Yaoundé Multipurpose Sports Complex on 23 July, with proceeds supporting
HIV/AIDS initiatives. In September 2011, Ipupa won four Afrotainment Museke Online Music Awards and two Okapi Awards.
2013: Power "Kosa Leka" and "Kitoko" In February 2013, Ipupa revealed on
Trace Urban's show
Guest Star that his third studio album,
Power "Kosa Leka", would feature "different nationalities" as well as a track titled "Sex'plosif" with American rapper
Eve. The record, released on 8 April 2013, was a blend of Congolese rumba, ndombolo, and hip hop. To promote the album, Ipupa embarked on a Pan-African tour, with live shows in Ivory Coast, Angola, Cameroon, Gabon, the DRC, the Republic of the Congo, as well as the UAE. On 11 April, a week after the album's debut, Ipupa was signed by Julien Creuzard to the
AZ label, a subsidiary of
Universal Music Group, for the production of three international albums. On 18 May 2013, he performed at the MTV Africa All Stars concert at the
Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, South Africa, alongside
Snoop Dogg,
2Face Idibia, and
Flavour. On 23 June, Ipupa released the single "Kitoko", featuring
Youssoupha, followed by a music video in September. The track was initially slated for inclusion on the international album but was ultimately released as a standalone single. On 1 November, he headlined a
benefit concert in
Harare's Glamis Arena alongside
Oliver Mtukudzi, Suluman Chimbetu, and
Jah Prayzah.
2014–2015: F'Victeam, Libre Parcours In 2006, Ipupa formed a backing band called F'Victeam and later established his record label under the name F'Victeam Entertainment. The band consisted of guitarists, percussionists, drummers, keyboardists, singers, and
atalakus. On 5 May 2014, Ipupa released the ndombolo-infused single "Original" on
Facebook and
YouTube to promote F'Victeam. The music video featured
zouk vocalists
Lynnsha and
Fanny J and
NBA player
Serge Ibaka dancing to the song. It also included scenes from several of Ipupa's previous live shows. "Original" revived ndombolo, which had seen a decline partly due to the migration of Congolese artists to Europe; it amassed over two million views within six months on YouTube. While promoting his group, Ipupa won Best Artist in Central Africa at the
African Muzik Magazine Awards, held in
Dallas, Texas. He then toured Washington as part of a
US-Africa Summit, to which President
Barack Obama had invited 47 African leaders, in August 2014. A dozen African artists were selected to attend, with Ipupa being the sole representative from Central Africa. A few months after "Original"'s launch, Ipupa announced that he would produce F'Victeam's debut album,
Libre Parcours. In October, he published the album cover on his Facebook page as well as a few videos of the recording sessions on
Instagram. During an interview with
Afropop Worldwide, Ipupa clarified that
Libre Parcours is not his fourth studio album but that of his collective, for which he served as producer and featured artist on select tracks.
Libre Parcours was released in March 2015 as a double album and included seven tracks featuring Ipupa, one with Shella Mputu (ex-singer of Quartier Latin International) and another with Christy Lova, daughter of
Ntesa Dalienst. It sold nearly 15,000 copies in one week, including 5,000 following its launch. After his visit to the US, he took part in the
Anoumabo Urban Music Festival in Abidjan, an event organized by the Ivorian band
Magic System. Ipupa was honored with the Special Prize for African Integration by the Ministry of African Integration and Ivorians Abroad. On 28 June, he received a nomination for Best International Act at the
BET Awards. He also performed at the
Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, singing the songs "La vie est belle", "Original", and "Libre Parcours 2". In September, he gave two performances, at
Hotel Palm Camayenne and
Esplanade of the People's Palace in Conakry, Guinea, in promotion of
African music. On 21 August, he played at the
People's Convention Center in Dallas, followed by a concert in Houston on 28 August. He presented his previous album,
Power "Kosa Leka", on 29 August in Portland, followed by concerts in Atlanta on 30 August and Minneapolis on 4 September.
2016–2017: Tokooos album and tours Following his record deal with the AZ label in 2013, Ipupa began recording his first international album,
Tokooos, in October 2015. He teamed up with Nigerian singer
Wizkid in Paris to record a single, which came out on 6 October. In March 2016, he issued the single "Hymne Coca-Cola" on YouTube for a Coca-Cola campaign in the DRC. The next month, he was featured on the eponymous
debut album by French rapper
MHD, on the track "Ma vie". In May 2016, Julien Creuzard departed from AZ to establish the new label
Elektra France, with Ipupa now under its banner. In late November 2016, he announced via Instagram a collaboration with French rapper
Booba. "Kiname" was certified gold on 16 May 2017 by SNEP. Ipupa went on to release the single "Eloko Oyo" on 7 April, a traditional song of the
Mongo people. On 16 June, Ipupa released "Bad Boy", featuring
Aya Nakamura, a track that contains a sample of a guitar riff played by
Simaro Lutumba in his 1983 song "Faute ya Commerçant". On 22 June, Ipupa was scheduled to perform at
La Cigale in Paris to present his forthcoming album. The proceeds from the concert were intended for donation to UNICEF to aid in the fight against chronic malnutrition among African youth. The show was canceled by the
Paris Police Prefecture, however, due to concerns about potential "serious disturbances to public order" stemming from threats by the
Combattants.
Tokooos was released on 7 July 2017 by
Elektra France, a subsidiary of Warner Music France.
Tokooos marked a departure from Ipupa's previous work, as it ventured into
urban music. The album comprised 18 tracks, with a range of styles from Congolese rumba,
French hip hop,
R&B, and
ndombolo. The album's title derived its name from the
Lingala word
kitoko, signifying something good and exuding a positive aura. Building on this concept, Ipupa coined the term "Tokooos music" to describe his new artistic style and musical philosophy. Two tours were organized for
Tokooos, collectively known as the Tokooos Tour, with approximately fifty concerts held in various international cities. The first leg commenced on 2 September 2017 in
Lomé, Togo, and concluded on 19 February 2018 in
Los Angeles. Ipupa capped off 2017 by winning the title of "Best International Artist of the Year" in the Skyrock 2017 awards. The second leg of the tour, held from March to August 2018, included concerts and showcases across African countries and Europe. In October 2020,
Tokooos crossed the 50-million-stream mark on Spotify, and that month, it was certified gold by SNEP, with sales exceeding 50,000 copies. Ipupa became the first Kinshasa-based artist and the first solo act from
Central Africa to receive a SNEP gold certification, while
Tokooos also became the second Central African album to earn a SNEP gold disc after
Bisso Na Bisso's
Racines in 1999. On 10 May 2023, the record went platinum after sales topped 126,133 units.
2018–2019: Control and Accor Arena concert , February 2020|240x240px Recorded simultaneously with
Tokooos since the end of 2016 and in preparation for his return to Congolese rumba, Ipupa released three promotional singles from his forthcoming fifth album,
Control: "École", on 25 July 2018, "Canne à sucre" on 31 August 2018, and "Aime-moi" on 26 October 2018.
Control was published on 2 November 2018. The album was mainly recorded in Ipupa's own studio, Tokooos Studio, and Studio Ndiaye in Kinshasa, with some finishing touches done in Parisian studios. It consisted of 31 songs, including the three previously released singles. Ipupa presented the record on the program
Journal Afrique on
TV5Monde a week after its release and announced a concert in Kinshasa on 30 November 2018.
Control was a commercial success, debuting at No. 10 on the French iTunes chart As had been his practice since 2015, Ipupa announced a summer world tour in 2019, which would cover the US, Zambia, South Africa, the Republic of the Congo, the DRC, and Australia. On 28 February 2020, Ipupa performed at the
Accor Arena in Paris in front of 20,000 people. Due to the prohibition of several Congolese concerts on French territory arising from the specter of "serious disturbances to public order" precipitated by the belligerent
Combatants, Didier Lallement, the
prefect of Paris, passed a decree on 26 February 2020, banning all demonstrations in the vicinity of the arena, and established a security cordon around the venue. A few hours before the start of the concert, violence erupted around the
Gare de Lyon by people accusing Ipupa of being too closely associated with the Congolese regime. Despite threats against Ipupa and the event, the concert sold out on the same day.
2020–2022: Tokooos II, Tokooos II Gold In an interview with
Afropop Worldwide on 10 July 2019, Ipupa announced that his sixth studio album,
Tokooos II, was nearing completion. He later promoted the album with a concert at the Accor Arena in Paris on 28 February 2020.
Tokooos II was released on 18 December 2020 by Elektra France. The digital edition contained 16 songs and the physical edition 22. The album features collaborations with
Dadju, Naza,
Ninho, and
M. Pokora and fuses traditional Congolese rumba, soukous, ndombolo, R&B, and
trap beats.
Tokooos II was well-received, especially in European markets. It entered the SNEP Top 200 Albums, where it peaked at No. 80 for a week. The album also gained traction in Belgium, reaching No. 58 on
Ultratop's
Wallonia chart and No. 100 on Ultratop's
Flanders chart. The Congolese rumba-tinged single "Amore", in which Ipupa conveys his sorrow and yearning for the return of a departed lover, achieved gold certification from SNEP and exceeded one million
Spotify streams in four months. The soukous-influenced track "Likolo", featuring Ninho, garnered five million Spotify streams in four months, "Un Coup", a fusion of Congolese rumba and R&B performed with Dadju, racked up ten million YouTube views in its first month, made it onto Music in Africa's "15 trending clips in
Central Africa", and was certified gold in May 2025 after exceeding 15 million streams outside of France. On 26 December 2020, Ipupa sold out the
Sofitel Abidjan Hôtel Ivoire in Ivory Coast and received the Best African Artist of the Year prize at the fourth edition of the African Talents Awards. In February 2021, he performed at the
Yaoundé Multipurpose Sports Complex in Cameroon in front of 3,000 people, in celebration of president
Paul Biya's 88th birthday. To promote the album further, he unveiled a lineup of multiple African concerts, referred to as the "Tokoos II Tour Part I". It kicked off on 9 October in
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and concluded on 10 January 2022, in
Bafoussam, Cameroon. It covered 19 countries, primarily in
French-speaking regions, where Ipupa performed with F'Victeam. a follow-up to
Tokooos II, with 15 additional tracks added to the original list. A few collaborations enrich
Tokooos II Gold, including with
Niska on "Chérie coco",
Leto &
Guy2Bezbar on "Sugar Daddy",
Youssoupha on "B.A.T", and
Youssou N'Dour on the remix of "Migrant des rêves". He released the promotional single "Nzoto" on 12 November, which blended ndombolo and traditional Congolese rumba, overlaid with
Mongo sounds. Prior to its launch, it achieved commercial anticipation, peaking at No. 3 on iTunes France's best-selling pre-orders by 15 February. The album's release followed a successful period for Ipupa, including his recognition as Best Francophone Male Artist at the 7th African Entertainment Awards USA on 26 December 2021 and a performance at the opening ceremony of the
2021 Africa Cup of Nations at
Olembe Stadium in Cameroon. In mid-2022, five months after the album's debut, Ipupa launched the "Golden World Tour", performing in major cities across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, including stops in Luanda, Brazzaville, Amsterdam, Paris, London, Brussels,
Porto,
Spa,
Cabinda,
Dubai,
Düsseldorf,
Pointe-Noire, and Kinshasa.
2023–2024: Formule 7, Macron-Ipupa diplomacy sparks On 17 October 2022, during an interview with the French television channel
France 24, Ipupa announced the release of his seventh studio album,
Formule 7. On 28 October, he posted three singles from the album on YouTube—"Bloqué" (composed with Alex Shua), "Science-Fiction", and "Se yo"—which garnered millions of views.
Formule 7 came out on 16 December on Elektra France. It consisted of thirty tracks, with a predominant blend of Congolese rumba. Cameroonian singer
Charlotte Dipanda made a guest appearance on the track "Garde du cœur".
Formule 7 became the first Congolese rumba release to earn SNEP gold export certification, and it amassed over 3 million streams within 24 hours on
Spotify. It also ranked among the best-selling albums on the French
iTunes, peaking at No. 25, as well as reaching No. 85 on the SNEP Top 200 Albums chart for eight non-consecutive weeks and gaining a No. 134 peak in Belgium. On
Boomplay, two years post-release,
Formule 7 exceeded 200 million streams, with "Mayday" being the platform's most-streamed track. On 5 January 2023, Ipupa appeared at the Sofitel Abidjan Hôtel Ivoire to promote the record. He won the
All Africa Music Award for Best Male Artist in Central Africa and was nominated for Best Artiste in African Contemporary for the hit single "Bloqué". On 26 February, French President
Emmanuel Macron summoned Ipupa to the
Élysée Palace as part of his approach to
France–Africa relations. Afterward, Ipupa posted on his Twitter that he had discussed the
ongoing Kivu conflict and the role of Congolese music among young people with Macron. Their meeting elicited mixed reactions, with some critics alleging that Macron was leveraging Ipupa's image for his benefit and insinuating French support for
ongoing fighting between Rwandan-backed
M23 rebels and Congolese government forces. On 27 May, Ipupa sold out
Stade Alphonse Massemba-Débat in the Republic of the Congo and subsequently performed at the opening ceremony of the
2023 Jeux de la Francophonie in Kinshasa, on 28 July. On 25 November 2023, Ipupa sold out
Paris La Défense Arena, becoming the first African solo artist to do so. He brought a lineup of musicians to the stage, including Aya Nakamura,
SDM,
Mokobé, KeBlack, Naza, Dadju,
Tayc,
Singuila,
Youssou N'Dour,
RJ Kanierra, and Petit Fally. He was later awarded a gold plaque for selling 40,000 tickets to the show. Tayc expressed his gratitude on Instagram, saying, "Big Brother, don't change anything, your people love you". On 13 December, he sold out the
ING Arena in Brussels, three days ahead of his scheduled concert. During preparations for the concert and in the company of the Brussels mayor,
Philippe Close, Ipupa was awarded a commemorative plaque for the sold-out concert. He then performed at the
LDLC Arena in Lyon on 6 July 2024, followed by a sold-out concert at
Arkéa Arena in Floirac, France. On 14 July, Ipupa performed at the multi-day music festival
Les Ardentes in Liège, Wallonia, before playing at the Neema Fest in
Milan. On 26 July, Ipupa released the single "207", a collaboration with fellow
Mongo folk singer René Soso Pembé, which exalts Mongo cultural roots. The song is sung in
Mongo and Lingala, with Ipupa, Pembé, and F'Victeam clad in traditional Mongo garments. In a
Jeune Afrique interview, Ipupa remarked, "we really have to go back to our roots, to our culture to make hits..." Within four days, "207" racked up over a million views on YouTube, taking No. 2 on Congo's YouTube weekly chart, with 402,000 views that July. The single also set off a viral trend of Mongo-style hip-swaying dancing across social media, inspiring numerous personalities to partake in dance challenges. The next day, he was invited by French President Macron to perform at the exclusive summit gala dinner held at the Élysée Palace, attended by heads of state and other distinguished guests. Ipupa concluded the summit with a private concert at the
La Gaîté Lyrique hall in Paris, becoming the first Congolese musician to perform at the venue. He later sold out the
Mitsubishi Electric Halle in Düsseldorf, Germany, on 12 December, and took the stage at the Mother Africa Festival in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on 27 December.
2025–present: performances, standalone releases, and XX On 1 January 2025, at the request of Gabonese president
Brice Oligui Nguema, Ipupa performed in
Oyem's public square for New Year's celebrations, entertaining dignitaries and government officials. The following day, he gave an exclusive performance at the
Palais du Bord de Mer in Libreville. After canceled New Year's concerts in
Conakry on 31 December 2024 and 1 January 2025, he rescheduled and sold out two back-to-back performances. The first, a private affair, was held on 10 January at Chapiteau by Issa, followed by a public concert at
Stade Petit Story on 11 January. On 29 March, Ipupa released the Congolese rumba-inspired single "Mayanga", along with its accompanying music video. Produced by Daniel Obasi for
Vlisco Group and directed by Obasi, the video promotes
African wax prints. The song is described by the brand as "an expression of admiration—a love letter to African women, their beauty, and the confidence they exude in Vlisco fabrics". The event, featuring 30 artists, including prominent French rap acts and international and Congolese musicians, sought to raise funds for child victims affected by the
M23 insurgency in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, with proceeds allocated to
Dadju's Give Back Charity. The show, initially slated for 7 April, was postponed due to its overlap with the International Day of Remembrance of the
1994 Rwandan genocide. On 2 May, Ipupa released the single "Le Temps". On 4 July, he appeared on
Angélique Kidjo's single "Nadi Balance", alongside Sheila Maurice-Grey and Nigerian
highlife band
the Cavemen. He later took part in the opening ceremony of the inaugural
World Music and Tourism Festival on 16 July at the
Palais du Peuple in Kinshasa, an event organized by the Congolese government with assistance from
UN Tourism. By 22 July, Ipupa was ranked as the most-streamed Congolese artist by
Billboard France, among artists who launched their careers in the DRC or the
Republic of the Congo. which he began recording in October 2022, after the release of
Formule 7— would be issued as a
double album, with the first edition, also titled
XX, released on 17 April 2026. The first volume debuted at the top of the SNEP Top Albums chart, making Ipupa the first African artist to reach number one there. ==2022 Stade des Martyrs crowd crush==