SINGERS from Democratic Republic of the Congo

Top 6

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Congolese Singers of all time. This list of famous Congolese Singers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Papa Wemba (1949 - 2016)

With an HPI of 54.03, Papa Wemba is the most famous Congolese Singer.  His biography has been translated into 29 different languages on wikipedia.

Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba (14 June 1949 – 24 April 2016), known professionally as Papa Wemba (French pronunciation: [papa wɛmba]), was a Congolese singer and musician who played Congolese rumba, soukous, and ndombolo. Dubbed the "King of Rumba Rock", he was one of the most popular musicians of his time in Africa and played an important role in world music. He was also a fashion icon who popularized the Sape look and style through his musical group Viva la Musica, with whom he performed on stages throughout the world.

2. Marie Myriam (b. 1957)

With an HPI of 47.90, Marie Myriam is the 2nd most famous Congolese Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 30 different languages.

Marie Myriam (born Myriam Lopes, 8 May 1957, Luluabourg, Belgian Congo, (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) is a French singer.

3. Koffi Olomide (b. 1956)

With an HPI of 47.49, Koffi Olomide is the 3rd most famous Congolese Singer.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Antoine Christophe Agbepa Mumba (born 13 July 1956), known professionally as Koffi Olomidé, is a Congolese singer-songwriter, dancer, producer, and founder of Quartier Latin International. Often referred to as the "King of Ndombolo", he is noted for his explosive high notes, deep baritone, and offbeat voice. Agbepa is considered one of the most significant figures in 20th-century Congolese and African popular music. His lyrics often explore themes of love, politics, technology, success, infidelity, religion, chicanery, and disillusionment. Through his music and stage performances, he introduced the slower style of soukous known as tcha tcho and popularized a flamboyant fashion subculture called La Sape, alongside Papa Wemba. Emerging as a ghostwriter for various artists in the Zairean music industry, he gained prominence in 1977 with the song "Princesse ya Synza", which featured Papa Wemba and King Kester Emeneya. In 1986, he established the group Quartier Latin International, which accompanied him onstage and on his albums since 1992, serving as a launching pad for emerging artists, including Fally Ipupa, Jipson Butukondolo, Deo Brondo, Montana Kamenga, Bouro Mpela, Ferré Gola, Marie-Paul Kambulu, Eldorado Claude, Djuna Fa Makengele, Soleil Wanga, Laudy Demingongo Plus-Plus, Éric Tutsi, among others. His career experienced a resurgence in 1990, when he signed a record deal with SonoDisc. With a nearly five-decade-long career, he is the first African artist to sell out the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, and one of twelve African artists whose work has been featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Throughout his forty-year career, Agbepa has recorded 32 studio albums, including seven under the Latin Quarter banner, one in collaboration with Papa Wemba, as well as 18 live albums, amounting to a repertoire of over 300 songs. He has won six Kora Awards, four of which in the 2002 edition, for his album Effrakata. Forbes has named him among Africa's 40 most influential celebrities. In 2013, he founded his own recording label, Koffi Central. On 13 October 2015, he released 13ième apôtre, a quadruple album comprising 39 songs, which he proclaimed to be his last, before later resurfacing with Nyataquance (2017), Légende Éd. Diamond (2022), and Platinum (2024).

4. Maître Gims (b. 1986)

With an HPI of 43.98, Maître Gims is the 4th most famous Congolese Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 32 different languages.

Gandhi Alimasi Djuna (born 6 May 1986), known professionally as Maître Gims and more recently just Gims (stylized in all caps), is a French-Congolese singer, rapper, producer, and songwriter. He grew up in France and currently lives in France and Morocco. He is a member of the hip hop group Sexion d'Assaut. He pursued an individual career under the name Maître Gims in 2013. He previously released an extended play in 2006, titled Ceux qui dorment les yeux ouverts. During his career he has worked with several international artists such as Sia, Pitbull, Lil Wayne, Stromae, Maluma, Sting, and others. He has sold over 5 million records, including 3 million albums since the start of his career. He started his solo career in 2013 with the release of his first album, Subliminal in May on Wati B and Monstre Marin Corporation, which sold over a million copies and peaked at number two in the French album charts. In December he released a reissue titled Subliminal la face cachée. The album contained songs such as "J'me tire", "Bella" and "Zombie". From its first week of operation, the album certified platinum and would end up being double diamond disc for over 1 million in sales. The album was a great success charting in France, Belgium as well as charting in Switzerland. In August 2015, Gims released his second album, Mon cœur avait raison. The album was divided into two parts: the red pill, which contains rap songs, and the blue pill, which contains pop-urban songs. The idea came from the movie The Matrix. A year later he released a re-release titled À contrecœur. The album contained his best songs in his career, such as: "Est-ce que tu m'aimes?", "Laissez passer", "Brisé", "Sapés comme jamais", "Tu vas me manquer", "Je te pardonne", "Ma beauté" and "Tout donner". The album was well received and after having counted nearly 85,800 records sold for its first week, it was certified platinum. At the end of 2018, more than 700,000 units had been sold in France and 581,000 units had been sold internationally. He released his third album in March 2018, titled Ceinture noire on the TF1 Group and Play Two labels. The album has been reissued several times: Transcendence reissue was released in April 2019 and an other reissue Décennie with 4 new titles was released in December 2019. The album entered pole position in Wallonia. 1st place remains for 7 consecutive weeks before dropping to 2nd place. The following week, he climbs back to first place. He entered Flanders 28th. The album contained songs such as "Caméléon", "Miami Vice", "Hola Señorita", "Reste", "10/10" and "Mi Gna". His song "La même" was the most performed in France in 2018 and it helped Gims become the most performed artist of 2018 on French television and radio, as well as the seventh most performed artist in the world on Deezer. During the COVID-19 pandemic confinement, Gims announces on a live Instagram a 100% rap album for the month of October 2020. According to some publications on his Instagram, Gims reveals that his album would be an 80% rap album contrary to what had been announced. On 4 December 2020, he released his fourth album titled Le fléau. In November 2020, In 2020, he won the International Artist of the Year in Distinctive International Arab Festivals Awards after his featuring in Mohamed Ramadan's song "Ya Habibi". On 17 September 2020, Netflix released a documentary about the last ten years of his career titled Gims: On the Record. A reissue entitled Les vestiges du fléau was published on 28 May 2021. A second reissue titled L'Empire de Méroé was released on 3 December 2021. The album contained songs such as "Yolo", "Immortel", "Jusqu'ici tout va bien", "Belle" and "Only You". On 5 October 2022, Gims revealed the new album's title, its release date and its cover. At the same time, the pre-order of the record was made available, accompanied by three tickets, gold, platinum and diamond to be won. In December 2022, he released his fifth album, Les dernières volontés de Mozart or LDVM (Symphony). The album is certified gold with more than 50,000 copies sold in June 2023. In July 2024, the album reached 100,000 copies sold and was certified platinum. The album will have finally had its small success, although it has sold less than his previous projects. In August 2022, he played the song "Arhbo" for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Official Soundtrack along with Ozuna, which they also performed during the closing ceremony. He has topped the French singles chart five times, including once as a featured artist, most recently in 2024 with "Spider", featuring Dystinct. On 13 September 2024, Gims released a second EP and his first since 2006, titled Le Nord se souvient containing the tracks "Spider", "Sois pas timide", "Terminal 2F" and "Vent du Nord" as well as three new tracks.

5. Mohombi (b. 1986)

With an HPI of 37.65, Mohombi is the 5th most famous Congolese Singer.  His biography has been translated into 26 different languages.

Mohombi Nzasi Moupondo (born 17 October 1986) is a Congolese-Swedish musician, singer, composer and dancer. He grew up in Norsborg and Kista near Stockholm. Mohombi was RedOne's first signing to 2101 Records in joint venture with Universal Music Group. From 2000 to 2008, Mohombi was part of the Swedish hip hop group Avalon with his brother Djo Moupondo. Mohombi released his debut solo single "Bumpy Ride" in August 2010. The single became a worldwide hit, and charted in the top-ten in several countries, and was followed by his debut studio album MoveMeant in February 2011.

6. Tusse (b. 2002)

With an HPI of 27.92, Tusse is the 6th most famous Congolese Singer.  His biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Toussaint Michael Chiza (born 1 January 2002), better known as Tusse, is a Congolese-Swedish singer who represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021.