Papa wemba
He'd have liked me to have a 'proper' job and be a 'real' person in society. He would have preferred me to become a doctor or a lawyer, you know. Well, my father didn't want me to take up a singing career, because I was his first-born son. I know that your mother played a major role in helping you develop your singing talent. You're known as the "Kasaï Nightingale" because of your distinctive high voice. I feel that all the artists who guested on my album really gave the best of themselves - and I won out at the end of the day because I got to lord it over everyone! (Laughs). In the 70s and 80s he was known in the music business as the One-Man Hit Machine. Suzy is another of the absolute greats in my opinion. There are other guests on my album, too, people like Suzy Kasseya, for example. He's got the same kind of musical "baggage" as Ray and he's really established himself as a brilliant solo artist over the last few years. I feel incredibly honoured that Ray accepted my invitation and came into the studio to work with me because he not only brought his art and his musical skills, but his soul too!Īs for Lokua Kanza, he's someone I have a lot of respect for. Even though he's never played rumba on his own albums, he possesses a complete mastery of it. Ray was born into the Congolese music tradition and he grew up steeped in the music. I don't feel I've come out the other side yet! The main reason I invited people like Ray and Lokua to work on my new album is because I feel they really know the music. You know, I still see myself as an artist who's 'stuck in the tunnel'. Why did you decide to work with guest stars? Did you feel Papa Wemba wasn't enough in his own right? You invited quite a few famous compatriots to guest on your new album - like Ray Lema and Lokua Kanza, for example. I didn't forget to mention my parents or my sons in my songs either! We all know a child is supposed to obey his parents but it's important that young people should listen to their grandparents as well, even if they weren't directly responsible for bringing him into the world. Another message I'm keen to get across is the importance of love and friendship in life - love and friendship are absolutely essential if you want to see any kind of peace on earth! I'm also into the idea of teaching the younger generation to respect their elders. Well, I'd say I'm concerned about a lot of different issues, like intolerance and ignorance, for example. Apart from the obvious role call of thanks at the beginning of several tracks, what are the main themes you tackle on your new album? Your music has always been very dance-oriented, but whatever style you play in your lyrics always play a major role too.
But others are recorded in a more Latin-style - and a couple of tracks are pure Congolese rumba from Kinshasa! There are songs which experiment with soul influences and soukouss. If you listen to the new album, you'll find there's a bit of everything going on. And basically the idea with the new album was to bring all those different musical styles together on one CD. The thing is, I've always been involved in playing several different musical styles at the same time. Before I started work on this album I sat down and listened to a lot of my old albums - and, in particular, all the records I've made since settling in France 15 years ago now. I wouldn't refer to Bakala Dia Kuba as an album that sums up my career - because it's certainly not the last album I intend to make! I think Bakala Dia Kuba is more a case of taking a step back and looking where I'm at. There's a sense that my eyes can see miles into the distance - and that's something else I feel very strongly about my personality.Īfter a career spanning more than 30 years and a whole string of successful album, should we see Bakala Dia Kuba as a sort of 'personal assessment' of your career? But there's also another idea going on there and that's about staying vigilant and aware. I think my eyes on the album cover convey a sense of soul and melancholy - because that's very much part of my personality. Eyes are precious things for human beings, you know, the human stare is charged with an incredible power. If you take a look at the album cover you'll see there's just an image of my eyes. I feel like I've got a whole tribe of followers behind me and I have to sort of keep an eye on them, you know, make sure they don't go off the rails and end up on the wrong side of the tracks. The thing is, I've come to feel responsible for my 'clan' out there. It's true that I wanted to put something of myself across in the album title. Would you say the title reflects your current state of mind in any way? Papa Wemba, your new album is called Bakala Dia Kuba, which, in English, means "Well-Informed Man".