Fally Ipupa

Profile Overview

Fally Ipupa Nsimba (born 14 December 1977) is a Congolese musician and dancer. Often referred to as the "Prince of Rumba", he is known for his tenor vocals and his fusion of contemporary and traditional Congolese music genres, including Congolese rumba, soukous, and ndombolo. His lyrics often explore themes of romance, suffering, and joy.
Born to a Mongo family in Kinshasa, Ipupa made his public musical debut in 1997, at the age of 19, with the Kinshasa-based band Talent Latent. In 1999, he joined Koffi Olomide's Quartier Latin International, and in 2006, he signed a record deal with Obouo Productions for his debut solo studio album, Droit Chemin, which achieved gold status after selling over 100,000 copies within a month. In 2007, he won the Césaire de la Musique prize for Best Male Performer. In April 2008, Ipupa won the Kundé d'Or for Best Central African Artist, and by May 2009, he ranked as the fifth most searched public figure on Yahoo France, before releasing his second studio album, Arsenal de Belles Mélodies, on 25 June of that year, which featured chart-toppers such as "Chaise Électrique" (featuring Olivia) and "Sexy Dance" (featuring Krys), which became some of his signature songs. The album quickly sold over 500,000 copies in France. Ipupa subsequently won two consecutive 2010 MTV Africa Music Awards for Best Francophone Artist and Best Video for "Sexy Dance". His third studio album, Power "Kosa Leka", spawned the hits "La vie est belle", "Ndoki", and "Service".
In 2013, Ipupa won the Trace Urban Music Award for Best African Artist and was signed to the French record label AZ by Julien Creuzard. Following Creuzard's departure from AZ to establish Elektra France in May 2016, Ipupa joined the new label. His fourth studio album, Tokooos, yielded his highest commercial success and was certified gold by SNEP, making him one of the first Kinshasa-based Congolese solo artists to achieve that honor. Tokooos was also certified platinum by the Centre National de la Musique and 6× diamond by Africa Music & Charts. His fifth studio album, Control, followed in November 2018 and was certified 4× diamond by Africa Music & Charts. Tokooos II followed in December 2020 and received the same 4× diamond certification, with Tokooos II Gold released on 25 February 2022. His seventh studio album, Formule 7, was released in December 2022 and received platinum certification from the Centre National de la Musique as well as 3× diamond certification from Africa Music & Charts. His eighth studio album, XX, is a double-disc set, with the first installment, also titled XX, issued on 17 April 2026, while the second, XX Delirium, is planned for release on 18 September. The first volume topped the SNEP Top Albums chart, making Ipupa the first African artist to achieve that feat.
In 2014, Forbes ranked Ipupa as the sixth richest African musician, and Jeune Afrique named him one of the fifty most influential African artists in 2018. He is the most-streamed French-speaking artist on Boomplay and the most-followed Congolese artist on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. In July 2025, he topped Billboard France's ranking of the most-streamed Congolese artists whose careers originated in either the DRC or the Republic of the Congo. Ipupa is also known for his humanitarian work: he is the founder of the Fally Ipupa Foundation, which provides aid to marginalized groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including victims of sexual violence and disease, as well as orphans.