Fally Ipupa gives revellers a show to remember

By David Odongo

Fally Ipupa made a rather quiet entry but an unforgettable exit at The Bomas of Kenya on Friday evening.

Appearing on stage with his characteristic dark military jacket, faded jeans and white sneakers, Fally Ipupa Gaga kicked off his second trip to Kenya with an enchanting performance of ‘Sexy Dance’, that sent fans at the packed Bomas of Kenya auditorium into wild roars.

There was an airy elegance to the opening number that saw him set the right tempo for his concert, which he maintained throughout the evening.

He chanted ‘Ba Cherie ko ya ka/Ba ninisaba tonton/ Ba? ko ya ka/ Ba ninisaba tonton’ to ear-splitting jubilations from the crowd, intermittently emitting a sly smile.

Celebrated Congolese musician Fally Ipupa proved yet again that he is the new King of Lingala when he entertained fans at the Bomas of Kenya on Friday.

Ipupa’s dancers get down to action during the performance that left fans asking for more. Photo: Pius Cheruiyot/Standard

After a raucous opening, he took off his jacket to perform one of the most popular numbers, Lourdes, treating the enthusiastic fans to an unforgettable choreography of the evening. The audience could not have enough of his enthralling moves as he glided across the stage belting out the song’s eternal refrain.

Like good theatre, Fally Ipupa varies the pace and texture of his live shows, always keeping the audience on the edge of their seats.

The artiste, who won a MTV Award last year, had an easy-going, if sometimes sly stage presence.

Nothing seemed to fluster Fally Ipupa, including tuning issues.

After trying to handle his guitar himself, he called his technician on stage to handle it and went back to what he does best – singing and dancing. Fally did not also shy away from showing his many skills.

Did not disappoint

His band members did not disappoint either. With his arms flying around and his brow furrowed in concentration, veteran drummer Christian Luyundula pounded his cymbals while celebrated guitarist, Cousteau Mopiwi, wearing a blue plaid shirt and boyish grin, echoed lyrics in the background.

Accompanied by six dancers wearing skinny black plants, black tees, loafers, and a vest featuring the band’s emblem, the depth of talent of his band was manifest.

With their performance, Fally Ipupa demonstrated the one profound aspect that differentiates him from other artistes: He delivers emotionally driven performances and his zeal for music and devotion to the lyrics is unmatched.

Fally Ipupa was born in 1977 in Kinshasa (DRC), the capital of African music. Like many young people of his generation, music took precedence over everything else – including his studies.

He horned his singing in various small bands in Kinshasa in the early 1990s.

He later caught legendary Congolese Linga singer Koffi Olomide’s eye, who admitted him into Latin Quarter in the late 1990s.

He stayed with Koffi’s band for ten years, before leaving in 2006 to record his first album, ‘Straight Path’, produced by David Monsoh, a veteran who has worked with big names in African music, including Koffi Olomide, Papa Wemba, DJ Arafat and Douk Saga.

Mature and full of variety, thanks to several collaborations with more established artistes, his first album introduced him to music lovers in his native country, and the continent.

Commercial success

The album was a major commercial success, selling over 100,000 copies and winning him a gold disc.

Three years after the release of his first album, numerous tours across the world and collaborations with several artistes, Fally Ipupa went back to the studio and recorded a new 16-track album, Arsenal de Belles Melodies (Beautiful melodies of Arsenal).

The album won him his second gold disc and has sold over 300,000 copies to date, with 40,000 of the sales in the fist week of its release.