MBILIA BEL ON THE ICON

Mbilia Bel was born Marie-Claire Mboyo Moseka on 10th January 1959, in Léopoldville, Belgian Congo, to Mbala Mbondi and Mboyo Mbilia. Her father, known as Louis XIV, was a charanga dancer in Bumba, Mongala Province. Dubbed the Queen of African Rumba and Queen Cleopatra, she is regarded as one of the most influential figures in 20th-century Congolese and African popular music. Her music is a blend of traditional Congolese rumba, soukous, rap, and zouk, with lyrics that often delve into themes of love, politics, hedonism, militancy, jealousy, sentimentality, and education. Mbilia completed six years of primary school and pursued studies in Humanities, which she did not finish. Mbilia developed a passion for music after seeing Togolese singer Bella Bellow during her 1969 tour of Congo. She initially began singing as a backup vocalist at the Catholic parish in the 12th quartier of the N'Djili commune. In 1974, at the age of 15, she responded to a radio advert soliciting backing singers for Abeti Masikini's group, Les Redoutables into which she was inducted. A few months later, she left it and chose to undertake a year-long sabbatical. She subsequently rejoined them in 1979 at Abeti's behest but once more exited in 1980 to pursue academic aspirations, enrolling in an institution in Gombe for executive secretarial training. In mid-1981, Mbilia was offered the chance by Sam Mangwana to accompany the Bo-Bongo orchestra for some concerts. During this period, he introduced her on the Zaire N°1 show by Benoit Lukunku Sampu, which catapulted her into prominence, but following disillusionment during a tour in Shaba, she parted ways with Sam. Michel Sax, a saxophonist with Afrisa International, recommended her to the band's owner, Tabu Ley Rochereau, as a substitute for the Yondo Sisters, who had left the group and impressed by her audition, Tabu Ley promptly renamed her Mbilia Bel. She gained significant recognition after joining Afrisa International in 1981, debuting her lead vocals with the Tabu Ley-written 1982 hit Mpeve Ya Longo, released in early 1982 through his record label, Genidia. The song addressed domestic violence, telling the story of a woman whose husband abandoned her and left her to raise their children by herself. It struck a chord with women and received widespread recognition nationwide. She also performed lead vocals on several other songs written by Tabu Ley. Together with Tabu Ley, she co-wrote Eswi Yo Wapi, which earned her the award for Best Song, while she was also named Best New Artist. By 1983, she had earned the sobriquet Cleopatra of Zairean music, and Afrisa International's popularity was beginning to rival that of Franco Luambo's TPOK Jazz. Mbilia Bel and Tabu Ley's collaborative album Keyna boosted their popularity in East Africa, particularly through the Tabu Ley-written smash hit Nakei Nairobi (Lingala for I am going to Nairobi). The song's mention of the Kenyan slogan Harambee Nyayo was interpreted by many Kenyan media outlets as a reference to President Daniel Arap Moi, who had previously prohibited Zairean music in Kenya, but reportedly changed his position after Nakei Nairobi was released. Afrisa also toured London in 1984. In 1985, Mbilia Bel performed with the band on two albums and on the standalone single Shauri Yako with Tabu Ley and Afrisa. She made her debut at the World of Music, Arts and Dance festival at Mersea Island in Essex. While performing with Afrisa International, Mbilia began a romantic relationship with Tabu Ley Rochereau. They became engaged in 1984 and had a daughter, Melody Tabu, in the mid-1980s. In 1986 Afrisa International embarked on a tour of East Africa, where they performed in Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda, and the tour culminated in the album Nadina. The tour was successful, with Mbilia emerging as the band's focal performer. Following their return to Kinshasa, rumors began circulating about a rift between Tabu Ley and Mbilia Bel. Both denied any discord and she rejoined Tabu Ley in 1987 for the album Beyanga. Around 1988, their relationship had ended and coincided with her decision to leave Afrisa. Some media reports attributed the split to Tabu Ley's decision to enlist another female singer, Thérèse Kishila Ngoyi, famously known as Faya Tess to Afrisa International. After their split, she briefly considered marrying Gustave Bongo, a nephew of former Gabonese President Omar Bongo as his third wife, due to significant financial incentives. She later withdrew from the arrangement to focus on advancing her solo career. The recruitment of Faya Tess continued to fuel internal discord within Afrisa, until Mbilia Bel departed to pursue a solo career, citing the lack of transparency in management and the conflation of professional and personal relationships. She debuted her solo studio album, Phénomène in 1988. After six years in Paris expanding her European audience, Mbilia Bel returned to Zaire in 1996 to re-establish herself in the Zairean music scene.