2015–2017: Solo career debut and ''Carrière d'honneur - Retirada'' Watanabe departed Wenge Musica Maison Mère on 8 April 2015 and held a press conference on 24 April at Roméo Golf in Kinshasa to announce the beginning of his solo career, stating, "A child who has reached the age of maturity must already think about leaving the family home in order to apply the rudiments of the education acquired. Without a doubt, Werrason is a great trainer full of talent..." On 29 April, he held his first rehearsal with his newly formed orchestra, Team Wata, during which he was visited and supported by his former bandmate
Bill Clinton Kalonji. The rehearsal took place near Zamba Playa, Werrason's rehearsal spot, and close to Ferré Gola's venue, Chez Mama Kulutu 1, 2, 3. On 12 May 2015, Watanabe went to
Paris to sign a record deal with Ivorian producer
David Monsoh's
Obouo Music. He signed a three-album deal with Obouo Music and a 5-year publishing agreement with
Because Music worth $500,000. He performed his debut solo concert at Roméo Golf with Team Wata on 3 July, becoming one of the few Congolese musicians to sell out a concert without having released an album. While producing ''Carrière d'honneur - Retirada'', Watanabe gave a concert at Ciné Atlántico in
Luanda, Angola, on 5 May 2016. Initially planned for Watanabe's 34th birthday on 29 August, the lead single "BM" was unveiled on 13 July 2016, attracting over 100,000 views on its release day. To support ''Carrière d'honneur - Retirada'', Watanabe embarked on a 12-concert tour with Team Wata in Angola in May 2017. Watanabe's first major international solo performance was scheduled for 15 July 2017 at
Olympia Hall in Paris. However, just two days before the event, the venue submitted a request to the
Paris Police Prefecture to cancel the concert due to threats from
Combattants, a dissent faction opposed to President
Joseph Kabila and Congolese musicians allied with him, who threatened to carry out a "new
Bataclan" attack if Watanabe performed. Although the prefecture initially permitted the concert to proceed, imposing time restrictions and prohibiting demonstrations, disturbances on the day of the event, including vehicle fires near
Place de l'Opéra, led Paris Police Prefet
Michel Delpuech to cancel the show. On 7 October, he took the stage at Chez Randy Ex-treme in
Ngaliema's Ma Campagne Avenue, and joined JB Mpiana on stage at his Klubb concert. Watanabe performed in
South Africa in January 2018, and in March, he played two consecutive shows in
Lubumbashi. He then hosted two consecutive concerts in
Abidjan, performing at the Palais des Congrès of the
Hôtel Ivoire on 7 September and the
Palais de la Culture d'Abidjan on 8 September. His previously unreleased track, "5ème Vitesse", premiered on 18 September.
2018–2023: Mi-ange mi-démon and performances At the end of 2018, Watanabe revealed through
Instagram that his second
Congolese rumba double album would be titled
Mi-ange mi-démon and was slated for release in 2019. On 26 November 2018, he released the promotional single "Reine de Saba", with the accompanying music video premiering on 11 January 2019. Despite the initial April 2019 release target, the album faced several delays, with the launch postponed to December 2019 and then further pushed to January 2020 as the final touches were made in Paris. On 11 October 2020, Watanabe announced the release of the first single from
Mi-ange mi-démon, titled "Désolé", which tendered an apology for the sexual controversies and legal issues that have besmirched his public image. The single was made available on 20 October, accompanied by a music video directed by French filmmaker
Chris Macari. while the second part,
Tout simplement moi (mi-démon), followed on 26 February 2021.
Tout simplement moi (Mi-Ange) featured appearances from Reddy Amisi and Debordo Leefkunfa, On 12 August, Watanabe was part of the youth delegation received at the
Cité de l'Union Africaine to commemorate
International Youth Day. Four months later, Watanabe was selected as one of four artists by Minister of Tourism
Modero Nsimba Matondo to join the 24th
UNWTO General Assembly in
Madrid, Spain, to showcase Congolese culture and promote the DRC as a tourist destination through his music and live acts. Afterward, he attended a reception hosted by Spain's
King Felipe VI, followed by the unveiling of his single "Wosso" on 21 December. Watanabe also delivered a performance at the closing of the
International Tourism Fair in Madrid on 22 January 2022, then appeared in
Istanbul, Turkey, on 19 February at the Gar Musichall, and followed with a concert at Millionaire Club in Kinshasa. On 17 March, he appeared on the single "Leopards Fimbu International" to rally support for
Les Léopards in the
2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers' playoff stage, with artists
Félix Wazekwa, Flaety W. Manuke,
Lokua Kanza, Kadiyoyo, JB Mpiana,
Barbara Kanam,
Koffi Olomide,
Cindy Le Cœur,
Kristy Diamond, Laetitia Lokua, Adolphe Dominguez, Werrason, Lemiran LEM, Ferré Gola, and
Innoss'B. On 25 December, Watanabe took the stage at
Stade des Martyrs with Team Wata, attracting a turnout of 50,000. In May 2023, he performed in
Saint-Étienne with Team Wata and later appeared on fellow Congolese singer Samarino's single "Laisse les parler" on 5 November. On 6 August, Watanabe and Team Wata performed at the
Esplanade Du Palais Du Peuple in Kinshasa as part of the penultimate day of the Nuits de la Francophonie event for the
9th Francophone Games. However, during their performance, Watanabe addressed the audience, conveying that their set would not proceed as expected due to a mishap involving Team Wata's key members in
Equatorial Guinea and noted that he had to enlist additional musicians for the show. On 24–25 November, Watanabe achieved two sold-out consecutive concerts in
Pointe-Noire and
Brazzaville.
2024–present: Chemin de la gloire and performances Watanabe began working on his third album,
Chemin de la gloire, in December 2021. In August 2023, he went to Paris to finalize the album and posted on social media that
Chemin de la gloire was nearing completion. The album officially debuted on 15 March 2024 as an 18-track
double album dominated by
Congolese rumba. Dan Kalala Kalambay of
Ouragan extolled the album as an "unparalleled opus" with "impeccable sounds" and "a forged and nonsensical language". and later joined
Mike Kalambay onstage at his concert on 27 July at Stade des Martyrs. On 12 September, Watanabe sold-out
La Seine Musicale nine days ahead of his rescheduled concert. He performed many fan-favorites, such as "Remise et reprise", "Par amour", "Confession intime", "Racoeur", "Abeti Faux", "D de D", and "De la République". The concert featured an ensemble of guest musicians, including Sarah Solo, DJ Mombochi, and Werrason. Dan Kalala Kalambay lauded the event as a "historical show", calling Watanabe "undoubtedly an excellent dancer". Wrapping up his European tour, Watanabe hosted an exclusive VIP concert titled "Le retour de Wata" on 30 November at the Hilton Hotel in Kinshasa, followed by a free performance named "Retour à la maison" on 7 December at Stade Vélodrome in
Kintambo. Watanabe ended the year with concerts on 20 December at Résidence Hotel in
Bukavu, 21 December at Est Métro Tunnel nightclub, and 31 December at a gala night hosted by the Hilton Hotel. On 15 February 2025, Watanabe made a guest appearance at
Werrason's concert at the Arena Grand Paris in
Tremblay-en-France. On 24 May, he headlined a concert at
Dôme de Paris, where fellow Congolese singer
Robinio Mundibu made a surprise appearance, declaring it his "first time performing live" in his career. == Discography ==