Charles Arthur Locko Samba, performing under the name Locko, ranks among Cameroon’s award-winning exponents of Afrobeat and R&B. Breakthrough success arrived in 2015 with the release of his first album, Skyzo. Subsequent output—a continuing sequence of hit singles, EPs, and LPs that includes the 2019 project Cloud Nine, his first for Universal South Africa—has positioned him at the forefront of Central African pop.
Yaoundé-born Locko began exploring music early, gaining command of guitar and, most notably, piano, lending his voice to the school choir, and posting online covers of contemporary hits. His debut single, “Perfect Girl (feat. Numerica),” appeared in 2014, the same year he signed with Big Dreams Entertainment, which issued Skyzo the following year. Widely embraced 2016 tracks “Ndutu” and “Sawa Romance” preceded his 2017 appearance on the pan-African collaboration series Coke Studio Africa, making him only the second Cameroonian participant. Sophomore album The Bridge followed in 2018, while major-label debut Cloud Nine arrived in 2019. The Locked Up EP, featuring Gaz Mawete and Charlotte Dipanda, surfaced in 2020.
