BY EDITORIAL
January 6, 2022

While 2021 Had Its Ups And Downs, Congolese Music Artists Around The World Did Not Fail To Deliver Some Of The Best Rhythms The World Will Ever Know.

Songs by Innoss’B, BM, Dadju, MPR, Fally Ipupa, Hiro and more.

Highlighted below are some 2021 hit songs by Congolese artists all over the world, including their collaborations with international artists, in no particular order.

1. BM – ‘YELE‘
‘[Mama] Yele’, music project by Congolese-born Afro-pop singer, songwriter and producer, Bolia Matundu better known as BM, released on October 12, 2021. The song has since gone viral with the trending #yelechallenge featuring performances from all parts of the world.

Join the challenge by posting your performance on social media with the #yelechallenge

2. DADJU, ANITTA – ‘MON SOLEIL‘
‘Mon Soleil’ (french for My Sun[shine]), a music collab between French-Congolese singer Dadju Djuna better known as Dadju and Brazilian singer/songwriter Anitta, was released on June 25, 2021.

The music video now has over 61 M views on Youtube.

3. TEDDY DISO – ‘LELO LELO‘
‘Lelo Lelo’ (Lingala for Today, Today) by upcoming Congolese artist Teddy Diso is a music project produced by Congolese Gospel singer Moise Mbiye and released in August 2021. The song has since become a Gospel hymn in Congolese households and celebrations.

4. BOB ELVIS – ‘LETTRE A YA TSHITSHI‘
‘Lettre à Ya Tshitshi’ (french for Letter to Ya Tshitshi) by Congolese singer and activist Bob Elvis is a music project released in November 2021.

In the song, the artist speaks to late Etienne Tshisekedi, father of DRCongo’s current president. The artist was “inspired by the social conditions of the [Congolese] people” and although the song has been censured by the Congolese government, the song has already accumulated over 500K views on Youtube and continues to be one of the top songs of 2021.

5. FALLY IPUPA – ‘NZOTO‘
‘Nzoto’ (Lingala for Body) by Congolese international singer Fally Ipupa was released in November 2021. The dance moves and outfits are inspired by “the Ekonda people, a tribe belonging to the Ana Mongo/Bangala community of great leaders, who once had warriors, singers and dancers.” The singer who is from the tribe, celebrates his cultural heritage in this song.
Join the viral #nzotochallenge by performing to the artist’s song.

6. MAUD ELKA, HIRO – ‘SONGI SONGI‘
‘Songi Songi’ (Lingala for Gossip) is a song by Congolese-French artists Maud Elka and Hiro which was released .
The song is the story of a woman who is afraid that what she’s hearing about her man might be true. She hears from people that her man might already have a woman back in Kinshasa while she’s been thinking he is faithful to her.

The song was such a success that Maud Elka recently did a remix together with Tanzanian artist, Alikiba.