Fally Ipupa comes of age and offers free course in music to rivals
What you need to know:
For his generation of musicians, including Ferre Gola, Fabregas and Celeo Scram, Fally is the first to return the favour to his band by allowing creative control and freedom of production.
“When you have 30 talented men and women contributing to your work, you must appreciate their input,” he says, adding: “My band functions like a football team. Individualism would reduce the overall performance.”
The 2014 Best Live Act category nominee, for the MTV Africa Music Awards acknowledges the growth of his band. “F-Victeam has officially 30 members in addition to several apprentices and casual workers, who support our processes.”
In Congo’s war of musical dominance, Fally Ipupa reasserts his tenure yet again, as the contemporary rhumba king. This surpasses expectations from his mentor Kofi Olomide and rival Ferre Gola.
After releasing three successful albums Droit Chemin, Arsenal de Belles Melodies and Power Kosa Leka, the singer now presents 23 tracks produced by his 30-piece band F-Victeam in an album titled, Libre Parcours (Free Course), released on March 15.
Critics and fans alike have been eager to see if Fally’s consistency would continue, given the demands of being signed up to an international recording label, Universal Music group in France.
The compositions in Libre Parcours, include a wide array of production styles. For the first time in Fally’s records you will hear songs in Kiswahili such as Sonzo, courtesy of band members who come from eastern Congo such as Pitcheur Kalombo.
During a telephone Interview with Fally from Kinshasa, he explained: “I asked my vocalists to consider our Swahili fans because previously we only composed songs in Lingala, French and English.”
Fally says: “I travelled to Kenya on several occasions while in Quartier Latin (Koffi Olomide’s band). It is there I got to love the language.”
Poisson d’ Avril (April Fool) and Sensation are songs that infuse the style from TP OK Jazz into contemporary rhumba with the usual R&B flair that Fally prefers.
In Obligation du jour (Obligation of the day) Fally’s influence is evident on lead vocalists Atele Kunianga, Masudi and Tony Katulo.
Libre Parcour has three dance videos popularly known in Lingala circles as generique, which are usually intended to introduce new styles. Fally Ipupa pays tribute to his predecessors, Nyoka Longo (Zaiko Nkolo Mboka) and JB Mpiana (Pentagone) by using their dance styles to complement his.
For his generation of musicians, including Ferre Gola, Fabregas and Celeo Scram, Fally is the first to return the favour to his band by allowing creative control and freedom of production.
“When you have 30 talented men and women contributing to your work, you must appreciate their input,” he says, adding: “My band functions like a football team. Individualism would reduce the overall performance.”
The 2014 Best Live Act category nominee, for the MTV Africa Music Awards acknowledges the growth of his band. “F-Victeam has officially 30 members in addition to several apprentices and casual workers, who support our processes.”
Noni Muhia, an ardent Congolese rhumba fan told the Saturday Nation: “Fally’s signing with Universal Records has seen him promote young talent in DRC.”
Through Fally Ipupa Foundation (FIF), he continues to provide relief food in northern Kivu and Goma. These parts of eastern Congo are ridden with conflict, and the musician once nearly lost his life while travelling through the region.
“I live in Kinshasa but that does not mean I am not affected by what my brothers and sisters in Kivu and Goma are going through,” Fally told the Saturday Nation.
“When we play music in these areas, even the rebels put down their arms to dance with the locals,” says Fally.
West African soccer stars Didier Drogba, Yaya Toure, Emmanuel Adebayor, Didier Zokora, Gervinho and Rigobert Song are some of the major donors to the Fally Ipupa Foundation. Their participation is appreciated in different songs.
The international community also acknowledges his efforts. The musician is scheduled to perform during the Green Earth Day today, April 18, alongside American R&B queen Mary J. Blige, hip-hop soul maestro Common and multimillion-dollar selling rapper Will.i.am.
Fally Ipupa has a knack for acquiring a new generation of fans and retaining his conservative base. In Libre Parcours he reveals the talents in his band, allowing the members full creative control. Less than three weeks into its release, Libre Parcours has received over two millions views on the popular social networking sites.
The writer is a media law student from The London School of Journalism ([email protected])
