Three weeks before his two concerts at Stade de France, on Thursday, May 2, and Friday, May 3, Congolese star Fally Ipupa hosted an evening in Paris for the release of his album XX, released on April 17. The album brings together artists such as Beninese singer Angélique Kidjo, Nigerian artist Wizkid and the best of French rap (SDM, KeBlack, Guy2Bezbar), celebrating his 20-year career.
At the entrance of Titi Palacio, in the 4th arrondissement, hostesses handed out a replica of a Congolese passport printed for the occasion, featuring the singer’s portrait. Inside, there were customs stamps from countries he has visited: Cameroon, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, Canada, United Arab Emirates, Angola, France, United States. That morning, the king of 2.0 Congolese rumba was without a voice. The cause: too many trips to the US and Europe to promote his album. “I sang a lot on TV and radio shows,” he whispered to Le Monde. “So the doctor ordered me a week of silence.” To make himself heard above the noise, he grabbed our recorder and held it directly to his mouth to give his answers.
You have 74.18% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.
