Fally Ipupa
Fally Ipupa N'simba (born 14 December 1977), known professionally as Fally Ipupa, is a Congolese singer-songwriter, dancer, philanthropist, guitarist, and producer. Often referred to as the "Prince of Rumba", he is noted for his tenor vocals as well as his blend of contemporary and traditional Congolese music genres, including Congolese rumba, soukous, and ndombolo. His lyrics often cover themes of romance, suffering, and joy.
Fally Ipupa | |
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Fally Ipupa in 2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Fally Ipupa N'simba |
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| Born | 14 December 1977 Kinshasa, Zaire (modern-day Democratic Republic of the Congo) |
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| Instrument(s) | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1997–present |
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| Formerly of | Talent Latent, Quartier Latin International |
Ipupa made his public musical debut in 1997, at the age of 20, with the Kinshasa-based band Talent Latent. In 1999, he joined Koffi Olomide's Quartier Latin International, before branching out as a solo artist with his debut solo studio album, Droit Chemin, which attained a gold record after selling over 100,000 copies within one month. In 2007, Ipupa won the Kora Award for Best Central Africa Artist. The same year, he became the first Congolese artist to sell out the Olympia Hall in Paris. In 2008, he toured France, Belgium, Germany, the United States, and Cameroon. In April of the same year, Ipupa won the Kundé d'Or for Best Central African Artist. Ipupa's second studio album, Arsenal de Belles Melodies, included chart-toppers like "Chaise Électrique" (featuring Olivia) and "Sexy Dance", which became some of his signature songs. The album quickly sold over 100,000 copies. Ipupa subsequently won two consecutive 2010 MTV Africa Music Awards for Best Francophone Artist and Best Video, with "Sexy Dance".
His third studio album, Power "Kosa Leka", featuring the singles "La vie est belle", "Ndoki", and "Service", sold over 30,000 copies in a month. In 2013, Ipupa won the Trace Urban Music Award for Best African Artist and was nominated for Best Live Act at the 2014 MTV Africa Music Awards. His fourth studio album, Tokooos, was certified gold by SNEP, making him one of the first Congolese solo artists that honor. Tokooos also peaked at number five on the French iTunes chart. The album's singles "Kiname" (featuring Booba) and "Bad Boy" (featuring Aya Nakamura) achieved gold certification. His fifth studio album, Control, released in November 2018, debuted at number ten on SNEP's list of the top downloaded albums in France. Ipupa released his sixth studio album, Tokooos II, in December 2020. On 25 February 2022, he issued Tokooos II Gold. On 17 October 2022, he published his seventh studio album Formule 7, which amassed over three million streams on Spotify within 24 hours and dominated French iTunes sales. In February 2024, Formule 7 became one of the best-selling African albums on the French market, according to SNEP.
In 2014, Forbes ranked Ipupa as the sixth richest African musician, and Jeune Afrique named him one of the fifty most influential African artists in 2018. He is the most-streamed French-speaking artist on Boomplay and the most-followed Congolese artist on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Ipupa is also known for his humanitarian work: he is the founder of the Fally Ipupa Foundation, which provides aid to marginalized groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including victims of sexual violence and disease, as well as orphans.