Lokua Kanza

Pascal Lokua Kanza (born 21 April 1958), known professionally as Lokua Kanza, is a Congolese singer, songwriter, arranger, producer, philanthropist, television personality, and multi-instrumentalist. He is known for his soulful, folksy sound, which is atypical of the dancefloor-friendly African rumba music. He sings in French, Swahili, Lingala, Portuguese, English, and Wolof. He was a member of the coaching panel of the Voice Afrique Francophone from 2016 to 2017.

Kanza began his career as a guitarist in Abeti Masikini's band Les Redoutables in 1980 and later moved to Ivory Coast, where he worked with Best Orchestra. In 1984, Kanza relocated to Paris, where he emerged as a significant figure within the French world music scene. His eponymous debut solo album, Lokua Kanza, released in 1992, catapulted him to stardom and won the Best African Album at the African Music Awards. Kanza's second album, Wapi Yo (1995), yielded his highest commercial success, with the lead single "Shadow Dancer" charting in several European countries. Kanza released his third album, Lokua Kanza 3, in 1998, followed by Toyebi Té (2002), Toto Bona Lokua (2004), Plus Vivant (2005), Nkolo (2010), Bondeko (2017), and Moko (2021).