Fabregas Le Métis Noir

A versatile central African singer, songwriter, dancer, and producer, Fabregas le Métis Noir emerged in the mid-2010s with a vibrant sound that combines soukous, a style that evolved from Congolese rumba, and its kinetic subgenre ndombolo. Born Fabrice Mbuyulu in Kinshasa, the sprawling capital city of the Democratic of Congo, Fabregas discovered his love of music in church, where he also learned to sing. He began singing professionally in 2007 as a member of Wenge Musica Maison Mere and parlayed that experience into a successful solo career in 2013 with the release of his debut album, Amour Amour. He landed his first big hit, "Mascara," the following year, and has since gone on to issue a string of acclaimed full-length efforts including the two-volume set Je Pense (2016) and Mise à Jour (2019). ~ James Christopher Monger