M'bilia Bel
M'bilia Bel performed live concert in Kinshasa, DRC, August 2010
M'bilia Bel performed live concert in Kinshasa, DRC, August 2010
Background information
Birth nameMarie Claire Mboyo Moseka
Born (1959-01-10) January 10, 1959
Belgian Congo (now DR Congo
GenresCongolese rumba and soukous
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active1980s—present
LabelsRounder Records, Shanachie Records and more

Marie-Claire Mboyo Moseka (born January 10, 1959), known professionally as M'bilia Bel, is a Congolese rumba, soukous, and world music singer and songwriter.[1] She is known as the "Queen of African Rumba".[2] She rose to fame after first being discovered by Sam Manguana and later by Tabu Ley Rochereau who helped her gain confidence, master her powerful soprano voice, and achieve acclaim as one of the best Congolese female singers.[3][4][5]

Biography

Early life and musical career

Bel became successful at a young age, inspired by her father, who played guitar. She joined the local church choir, where her artistry for singing expeditiously became conspicuous. At the age of seventeen, Bel began her performing career, singing as a backup singer for Abeti Masikini, the "Queen of Perfumed Soukous," and later with Sam Mangwana. In the late 1980s, she caught the attention of Tabu Ley Rochereau, who recognized her preternatural vocal abilities. Rochereau took her to join his band, Orchestre Afrisa International, and became her mentor in 1981. As Tabu Ley's protegee, she leveraged his composing genius and her own voice to produce many hits for l'Orchestre Afrisa International.[6][7][8]

In 1981, Bel soared to prominence with the release of her debut solo studio album, Eswi Yo Wapi, with Orchestre Afrisa International.[9] In 1982, she released her second song with Afrisa, Mpeve Ya Longo (Holy Spirit in Kikongo), a moving song about spousal abuse. In the song, she tells the story of a woman who had been abandoned by her husband and has to raise her children herself. The song was popular, especially among woman in Zaire.[10][11]

By the mid-1980s, she officially married Tabu Ley. The birth of her first child prompted her to take a break from performing. However, she reunited with Rochereau for an album in 1987 before eventually relocating to Paris in 1988. There, she started working with guitarist Rigo Star Bamundele and, between 1989 and early 1990, toured the United States, Great Britain, and West Africa. During this time, Tabu Ley recruited another female artist, Kishila Ngoyi (known as Faya Tess), to accompany Bel. l'Orchestre Afrisa International continued to achieve success, with their tour to Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda resulting in several hit albums.[12]

After her departure from Afrisa, both the band's popularity and Bel's solo career experienced a decline. However, she made a triumphant comeback in 2004 with the release of her album "Bellissimo" (meaning "very beautiful" in Italian). The album received excellent reviews.[12]

Her music

Bel's debut solo studio album, released in 1981, was Eswi yo Wapi. The album's eponymous single, which roughly translates to "Where did it hurt you?", was composed by both Tabu Ley and M'bilia Bel. The song won the award for the Best Song of 1982 in Zaire, and Bel won the award for best newcomer. Other songs on the album such as Tabu Ley's "Lisanga ya Bambanda," "Kelhia," and Dino Vangu's "Quelle Mechancete," were big hits for Afrisa International. Afrisa's popularity began to rival that of François Luambo's band TP.OK Jazz.[13] Bel swiftly became the main attraction at Afrisa's concerts in the Congo and wherever they toured, often whipping huge crowds into a delirium when she joined the Rocherettes (dancers) in their routines. By the mid-1980s, Bel officially married Tabu Ley and gave birth to a daughter named Melody Tabu.[13]

Bel's songs continued to dominate the Congolese music scene, among them "Mobali na ngai wana" ("This Husband of Mine"), composed by Tabu Ley and Roger Izeidi, an adaptation of a traditional song in Lingala with a Rap/animation of Bayanzi. In the song, Bel praises her husband as being winsome, elegant and efficacious and stresses that even though he has the opportunity to choose from any of Kinshasa's beautiful women, he chose her. Other songs that dominated the charts during her reign in Afrisa included "Balle a terre", "Bameli soy", "Ba gerants ya Mabala", "Keyna", "Cadence Mudanda", "Bafosami", "Nakei Nairobi", "Ba jeux de Coin", "Paka Wewe", "Boya Ye", "Yamba Ngai", "ShaWuri Yako" "Beyanga", and "La Beaute D'une Femme".[13]

In 1987, Afrisa toured East Africa, particularly Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda, culminating in the album Nadina, which had Lingala and Swahili versions of the title song. The tour was well received. M'bilia Bel took center stage, overshadowing other Afrisa artists including Ndombe Opetum, who had returned from T.P OK Jazz. Upon their return to Kinshasa, rumours started surfacing about a rift between Tabu ley and M'bilia Bel. Both publicly denied having any problems when they were interviewed by journalists.[12][13]

Solo career

Bel quit the band late in early 1988 to embark on a solo career. She briefly utilized a Gabonese producer in Libreville before leaving for Paris, where she joined guitarist Rigo Star Bamundele. Her first album with Rigo Star, entitled Phénomène, was a huge success in Kinshasa as well as abroad. Subsequent releases such as Desolé, 8/10 Benedicta, Yalowa, and Exploration met with limited success.[12]

Following the departure of M'bilia Bel, the popularity of Afrisa International as a band decreased substantially. Tabu Ley himself seemed to lose inspiration for composing as is evidenced by the substantial reduction in the number of albums released.[12] With the exception of her debut album, Phénomène, Bel's career also lost energy when she left Afrisa. She lived in Paris for almost six years to expand her European horizons, but in 1996, M'bilia Bel decided to return home to try to regain her place in the Congolese music scene. This time she approached Maestro Suzy Kaseya, well-known for his work with another Congolese singer, Tshala Muana. In 2001, Bel and Suzy released a CD of 10 tracks entitled Welcome, a huge success that won her a "Kora Award" for Best Female Vocalist of Central African. Tshala Muana received the same award in the same year.[14]

M'bilia Bel live concert in Kigali, December 2018

In 2004, M'bilia Bel and Suzy Kaseya released their second collaboration Belissimo, but the album was not a success. The local Congolese press accused the singer of neglecting to promote the album by refusing to meet with them that year. M'bilia Bel's title as Queen of Congolese rumba was also threatened by the ascent of young singers such as Marie José Njiba Mbuyi (Mj30) and Cindy Le Coeur. However, by 2009 she was collaborating with Lutumaba Simaro, one of the guitar masters of Congolese rumba, to interpret his song "Mobali Ya Bato", which quickly topped the charts. In 2010, M'bilia Bel traveled to Canada and Colombia for concerts. When she performed at the 3rd Afro-Colombian Champeta Festival in Cartagena with guitarist Lokassa Ya Mbongo, the then mayor Judith Pinedo Flórez gave her the key to city.[15][16]

After this tour, M'bilia Bel released a 2011 CD called The Queen with 13 songs, including a special track "Immigration Fatale", a song by singer Nyboma about the death of African children who cross the Mediterranean Sea in search of a better life in Europe.

In 2020 she appeared as one of the main acts at Festival Amani where she was appreciated by the 36,000 attendees. Her set included the hits Mpeve ya Longo and Yamba Nga from the 1980s.[17]

Discography

Albums

Year

Title

 Certification
1982 Eswi Yo Wapi
1983 Faux Pas
1984 Loyenghe
1984 Ba Gerants Ya Mabal
1985 Keyna/Cadence Mudanda
1986 Boya Ye
1987 Beyanga
1987 Contre Ma Volonte
1988 Phénomène
1991 Bameli Soy
1991 Désolée
1993 Ironie (with Rigo Star)
1997 8/10/Benedicta/8/10
1997 Yalowa
2001 Welcome
2004 Belissimo
2011 Queen
2014 Pantheon
Contributing artist

References

  1. ↑ Phull, Hardeep (2017-01-07). "The best international music you've never heard of". New York Post. Retrieved 2017-03-06.
  2. ↑ "Times of Zambia | Mbilia Bel coming". Times.co.zm. Retrieved 2017-03-06.
  3. ↑ Mukanga, Emmanuel N. (May 14, 2021). The Discarded Brick Volume 1: An African Autobiography in 26 countries on 3 continents. A trilogy in 3 seasons. Chennai, India: Notion Press. ISBN 9781638735809.
  4. ↑ M'Bilia Bel - Belissimo Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved 2023-07-09
  5. ↑ "WATCH: Rhumba queen Mbilia Bel joins raila on the campaign trail". Nairobi News. 2022-07-06. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  6. ↑ "Artist Profiles: M'bilia Bel | World Music Central". 2016-07-18. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  7. ↑ Kisangani, Emizet Francois; Bobb, Scott F. (2010). Historical Dictionary of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Lanham, Maryland, United States: Scarecrow Press. p. 497. ISBN 9780810863255.
  8. ↑ Blenkinsop, Ian; Ingham, Chris (October 2013). Music: The Definitive Visual History. London, United Kingdom: DK Publishing. p. 443. ISBN 9781465421265.
  9. ↑ Talking Drums: Volume 3, Issues 1-22. Talking Drums. 1985. p. 20.
  10. ↑ "Nakei Nairobi: Mbilia Bel Returns to Kenya for DR Congo Independence Concert – THE TANZANIA TIMES". tanzaniatimes.net. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  11. ↑ "M'BILIA BEL". JazzMusicArchives.com. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 Kisangani, Emizet Francois; Bobb, Scott F. (2010). Historical Dictionary of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Lanham, Maryland, United States: Scarecrow Press. p. 335. ISBN 9780810863255.
  13. 1 2 3 4 "Artist Profiles: M'bilia Bel | World Music Central". 2016-07-18. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  14. ↑ "Mbilia bel discography meaning" (PDF). img1.wsimg. p. 2. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  15. ↑ Alsema, Adriaan (4 August 2010). "Champeta rhythms to take the stage in Cartagena". Colombia Reports. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  16. ↑ Orozco Ramos, Dalida. ""La champeta es hija del soukous": Lokassa ya M'bongo". El Heraldo. Barranquilla, Colombia. p. 18 October 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2023. Antes de hacerle la primera pregunta, dice en lingala (su lengua natural) que está feliz en Cartagena. "Aquí se dio el fenómeno más importante de mi vida musical. Desde que vine por primera vez (1980), no pude evitar contagiarme con el calor humano y la amabilidad de la gente. Yo me siento como un cartagenero más, y hasta tengo las llaves de la ciudad", dice con orgullo para referirse a la visita de 2010, en la que recibió las llaves de la ciudad Heroica, junto a la otra estrella de la música africana, la gran Mbilia Bel, intérprete de temas como Mobali Na Ngai Wana (La Bollona).
  17. ↑ "Amani Festival: The DR Congo music festival celebrating life". BBC News. 2020-02-23. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
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