Ferre Gola

An enduringly popular singer, songwriter, and producer in his native Congo, Ferré Gola's dusty warm tenor earned him membership in a series of influential bands before launching his own solo career in the late 2000s. His introduction into the national music scene came in the late '90s, first as a part of the legendary soukous outfit Wenge Musica, then with the Werrason-led offshoot band Maison Mère, where he established himself in the early years of the millennium. After a brief stint in Koffi Olomidé's Quartier Latin, Gola transitioned into solo work, and he maintained a prolific and wide-ranging career during the next decade-and-a-half. His mix of Afro-pop, soukous, ndombolo, and Congolese rumba found a wide fan base and helped him chart a string of successful albums including 2009's Qui Est Derrière Toi? and 2013's sprawling double album Boîte Noire, which earned him the nickname "Jésus de Nuances" (or Jesus of Shades), thanks to his signature sunglasses. Prone to ambitious statements, Gola spread out his fourth album, QQJD, over three volumes in 2017. Born Hervé NGola Bataringe to a large family in Kinshasa, his musical ambitions and apparent talent led him to join several street groups before a chance appearance at a local fair brought him to the attention of Werrason, a founding member of the well-established Wenge Musica group. Bataringe was soon recruited to join the band, where he adopted the name Ferré Gola. When Wenge Musica splintered in 1997, he followed Werrason to the offshoot group, Wenge Musica Maison Mère. Over the next seven years, Gola became an integral member of the band, touring, recording, and often taking the lead alongside Werrason. His warm romantic vocal style won him many admirers, and in 2004 when the group again splintered he followed yet another offshoot called Les Marquis de Maison, whose debut album, Miracles, won them Best Central African Group at the Kora Awards. The band proved to be short-lived, however, and Gola decided to join up with Koffi Olomidé for several albums as part of his Quartier Latin, another soukous group. After years of participation in other groups, Gola finally made the jump to solo work with 2007's Sens Interdit. It was a modest success, but it was 2009's double album Qui Est Derrière Toi? that really helped establish him as a solo act both at home and in Europe, where it went gold in France. Over the next few years, Gola released several singles, picking up awards and nominations from prominent sources like the Afro-Carribean Arts Awards and the Kora Awards. His third album, another two-disc set called Boîte Noire, was a massive success, charting all over Europe and leading to his nickname of Jésus de Nuances thanks to its slick album cover of Gola in a dark jacket and shades. Further Kora and MTV Africa Award nominations followed as he became one of Central Africa's more visible stars. He built on this with the smash 2016 single "Tucheze," a collaboration with Kenyan singer Victoria Kimani. On his most ambitious release to date, Gola divided his fourth album, QQJD, into three volumes, each represented by a different colored album cover: red, blue, and gold. Released in 2017, QQJD yielded a number of prominent hits like "Jugement" and "Mea Culpa." Three years later, he issued the live set Home (Acoustique). ~ Timothy Monger