JB Mpiana

Born Jean-Bedel Mpiana wa Tshituka in Kananga on 2 June 1967, JB Mpiana grew up in Kinshasa, where he began singing at ten and performed in church and school groups. A singer, dancer and songwriter, he works across rumba, soukous and ndombolo. In 1984 he joined Wenge Musica after stepping in for a singer who could not reach the high notes of Ngabelo, and within a few years he had become the group's president and one of its leading voices.

Wenge Musica's debut album, Bouger Bouger, came out in 1988, and the group won over the Congolese scene with Mulolo, a song Mpiana wrote and which was voted song of the year, earning the band the award for breakthrough act. Kin É Bougé in 1991 confirmed the momentum, with Mpiana's title track and his rendition of Alain Makaba's Princesse Pathy. The partnership ended in December 1997, when Mpiana formed Wenge BCBG with most of the members, while Werrason, Didier Masela and Adolphe Dominguez created Wenge Musica Maison Mère. That same year he released his first solo album, Feux de l'amour, led by the signature track Ndombolo.