Lokua Kanza

Born in Zaire as the eldest of eight siblings, Pascal Lokua Kanza took on part-time work during his school years to support the household after his father perished at sea while commanding a vessel. He devoted spare hours to mastering the guitar on his own and soon joined neighborhood groups to play alongside peers. With time his commitment deepened, leading him first to the Kinshasa Music Conservatory and then to performances alongside Abeti throughout Zaire before he relocated to the Ivory Coast seeking renewed prospects. Over the next three years he supplied both guitar and vocals to several African bar ensembles. Acceptance into Paris’s prestigious CIM prompted another move, this time to pursue jazz studies while sharing stages with artists he had long admired. Engagements with Franky Vincent, La Mafia, Ray Lema, and Papa Wemba allowed him to refine his personal approach and establish key relationships. In 1991 he entered the Soul Makossa Gang after adopting his middle name as his stage identity. The following year he introduced original songs, first during a joint appearance with Angélique Kidjo and subsequently on his debut solo recording. Determined to pay tribute to his roots, he tracked an album of candid, close-knit material in a modest studio with little post-production. The recognition that ensued drew the notice of Youssou N’Dour, who recruited him to contribute vocals to Womat. In 1994 Kanza rejoined Papa Wemba at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios for work on Emotion. That December the African Music Awards named his solo debut Best African Album. He issued his second album, Wapi Yo, in 1995; later the same year a collaboration with Geoffrey Oryema earned him a second African Music Award. By 1998 he had contributed to Natalie Merchant’s Ophelia and begun shaping his third record. The resulting album, 3, broadened the scope established on Wapi Yo with a larger, orchestral palette. In 2002 he scaled back to a more understated approach on Toyebi Te’. Although the folk-inflected set remained quieter than its predecessor, Kanza enlisted an array of contributors, among them his own children and Sylvain Luc.