The Most Famous
SINGERS from Democratic Republic of the Congo
This page contains a list of the greatest Congolese Singers. The pantheon dataset contains 3,528 Singers, 6 of which were born in Democratic Republic of the Congo. This makes Democratic Republic of the Congo the birth place of the 71st most number of Singers behind Algeria and Slovakia.
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 51.15, Papa Wemba is the most famous Congolese Singer. His biography has been translated into 26 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 (1957 - )
With an HPI of 46.46, Marie Myriam is the 2nd most famous Congolese Singer. Her biography has been translated into 29 different languages.
Marie Myriam (born Myriam Lopes, 8 May 1957, Luluabourg, Belgian Congo, (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) is a French singer of Portuguese descent.
3. Koffi Olomide (1956 - )
With an HPI of 45.41, Koffi Olomide is the 3rd most famous Congolese Singer. His biography has been translated into 17 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 28 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. In 2013, he founded his own recording label, Koffi Central. On 13 October 2015, he released 13ième apôtre, a quadruple album comprising forty songs, which he proclaimed to be his last, before later resurfacing with Nyataquance (2017), Légende Millénium (2021), and Légende Éd. Diamond (2022).
4. Maître Gims (1986 - )
With an HPI of 41.90, Maître Gims is the 4th most famous Congolese Singer. Her biography has been translated into 30 different languages.
Gandhi Alimasi Djuna (French pronunciation: [ɡɑ̃di bilɛl dʒuna]; born 6 May 1986), better known by his stage name Maître Gims (French: [mɛtʁə ɡims]) and more recently just Gims (, GHIMSS; sometimes stylized in all caps), is a Congolese-French singer, rapper, producer, and songwriter. He grew up in France and currently lives in France and Morocco. He is a former member of the hip hop group Sexion d'Assaut and released his first major album, Subliminal in 2013. The album sold over a million copies in France and peaked at number two in the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. His other two albums follow: Mon cœur avait raison in 2015 and Ceinture noire in 2018 reached number one in France and Belgium (Wallonia) and peaked in the top 40 in various European countries, including Denmark, Italy, and Switzerland. He has topped the French singles charts four times, including once as a featured artist, most recently in 2018 with his song "La même". The song was the most performed in France in 2018 and it helped Gims become the most performed artist on French television and radio for the same year. In 2018, he was the 7th most performed artist in the world on Deezer. 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. 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. In 2022, he played the song "Arhbo" for the 2022 FIFA World Cup along with Ozuna, which they also performed during the closing ceremony.
5. Mohombi (1986 - )
With an HPI of 36.59, Mohombi is the 5th most famous Congolese Singer. His biography has been translated into 25 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 (2002 - )
With an HPI of 27.65, Tusse is the 6th most famous Congolese Singer. His biography has been translated into 26 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.
Pantheon has 6 people classified as singers born between 1949 and 2002. Of these 6, 5 (83.33%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living singers include Marie Myriam, Koffi Olomide, and Maître Gims. The most famous deceased singers include Papa Wemba. As of April 2022, 1 new singers have been added to Pantheon including Tusse.
Living Singers
Go to all Rankings
Marie Myriam
1957 - Present
HPI: 46.46
Koffi Olomide
1956 - Present
HPI: 45.41
Maître Gims
1986 - Present
HPI: 41.90
Mohombi
1986 - Present
HPI: 36.59
Tusse
2002 - Present
HPI: 27.65
