Mohombi Nzasi Moupondo (born 17 October 1986) is a Congolese-Swedish musician, singer, composer and dancer. He grew up in

Norsborg Norsborg is a part of Botkyrka Municipality in Stockholm County, Sweden. Norsborg consists of the residential areas Hallunda, Eriksberg, Botkyrka, Eriksberg and Slagsta. Norsborg and Hallunda are contiguous suburbs. History Norsborg was previousl ...

and

Kista Kista () is a district in the borough of Rinkeby-Kista, Stockholm, Sweden. It has a strategic position located in between Sweden's main airport, the Stockholm-Arlanda International Airport and central Stockholm, and alongside the main nationa ...

near

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

. Mohombi was

RedOne Nadir Khayat ( ar, نادر الخياط; born 9 April 1972), better known by his stage name RedOne, is a Moroccan singer, songwriter, record producer and record executive. As a record producer and songwriter, he has worked with many high-profi ...

's first signing to 2101 Records in joint venture with

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

. From 2000 to 2008, Mohombi was part of the Swedish hip hop group

Avalon Avalon (; la, Insula Avallonis; cy, Ynys Afallon, Ynys Afallach; kw, Enys Avalow; literally meaning "the isle of fruit r appletrees"; also written ''Avallon'' or ''Avilion'' among various other spellings) is a mythical island featured in the ...

with his brother Djo Moupondo. Mohombi released his debut solo single "

Bumpy Ride "Bumpy Ride" is a soca song by Swedish-Congolese R&B singer-songwriter Mohombi from his debut studio album, ''MoveMeant'' (2011). It was released as his debut single in the United States on 24 August 2010. Written by RedOne, Bilal "The Chef" ...

" in August 2010. The single became a worldwide hit, and charted in the top-ten in several countries, and was followed by his debut studio album ''

MoveMeant ''MoveMeant'' is the debut studio album by Swedes, Swedish-Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congolese contemporary R&B, R&B recording artist Mohombi. It was released on 28 February 2011 on RedOne's joint venture with Universal Music Group, Univers ...

'' in February 2011.

Biography

Early life

Mohombi was born to a Swedish mother and a Congolese father. He has 14 siblings. Mohombi and his family left the war-torn Congo and emigrated to

, Sweden in 1999 when Mohombi was 13. When he turned 20 years old, Mohombi rented a room in Radio 1 UAE's Simon B's childhood house just to get to know him better. His parents regularly exposed him to varied musical influences from early on in his childhood Mohombi studied at

Rytmus Patrik Vrbovský (born 3 January 1977), better known by his stage name Rytmus, is a Slovak rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, and television personality. Born in Kroměříž of Romani descent, raised in Pieštany, Rytmus co-founded the Slovak ...

Music High School in Stockholm and appeared early on stage, in 2002 in the Swedish revival of ''

Wild Side Story ''Wild Side Story'' is a parody musical that originated in 1973 as a drag show on the gay scene of Miami Beach, soon developed there into an underground happening for mixed audiences, and up until 2004 was performed hundreds of times in Florida, ...

''. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in music from the

Royal College of Music, Stockholm The Royal College of Music, Stockholm ( sv, Kungliga Musikhögskolan i Stockholm) is the oldest institution of higher education in music in Sweden, founded in 1771 as the conservatory of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. The institution was mad ...

. He speaks

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

Lingala Lingala (Ngala) (Lingala: ''Lingála'') is a Bantu language spoken in the northwest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the northern half of the Republic of the Congo, in their capitals, Kinshasa and Brazzaville, and to a lesser degree in ...

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

, Swahili and

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

In duo Avalon

, Mohombi and his brother Djo Moupondo, a local club DJ known as DJ Djo formed the group

combining the

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rou ...

and hip hop of the time with the distinctive African beats on which they were raised. From 2004 to 2008 the group sold over half a million records and won the All African

Kora Awards The KORA All Africa Music Awards are music awards given annually for musical achievement in sub-Saharan Africa. The awards were founded in 1994 by Benin born businessman, Ernest Adjovi, after a discussion in Namibia with the country's President Ha ...

, an African equivalent of the Grammy for the category Best Group – Diaspora Europe/Caribbean category, while Mohombi became a prolific songwriter in his own right. At this point, music was only a part-time job, and looking for something more, Mohombi headed to Los Angeles to delop further his career. In 2005, Avalon participated in the

Melodifestivalen Melodifestivalen (; literally "the Melody Festival") is an annual song competition organised by Swedish public broadcasters Sveriges Television (SVT) and Sveriges Radio (SR). It determines the country's representative for the Eurovision Song ...

, in a bid to qualify for

Eurovision Song Contest 2005 The Eurovision Song Contest 2005 was the 50th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Kyiv, Ukraine, following the country's victory at the with the song "Wild Dances" by Ruslana. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (E ...

representing Sweden with English and French multilingual song "Big Up" that also included an intro in Lingala language. Also in 2005, the duo Avalon participated in the show "sthlm", an annual music festival organized at Lava Kulturhuset. On 2 June 2007, Avalon participated in Hoodsfredsfestivalen in Kista. And on 21 December 2007, Avalon also launched its studio album ''Afro-Viking'' destined mainly for the African market. Avalon has also collaborated with artists / songwriters such as

Bob Sinclar Christophe Le Friant (; born 10 May 1969), better known by his stage name Bob Sinclar (), is a French record producer, DJ and remixer. He is the owner of the record label Yellow Productions. Musical career A native of Paris, Le Friant began DJ ...

, Million Stylez, Mohaamed Lamine, Silver Room, Alexander Papadimas and many others.

2010–2012

Mohombi collaborated with Swedish rapper

Lazee Mawuli Kulego (better known by his stage name Lazee) is a Swedish rapper from the Malmö suburb Lindängen. Biography Lazee was born in Malmö, Sweden, to parents of Ghanaian origin. His passion for music grew at a young age and he was heavily in ...

on "Do It", which was released in Sweden on 31 May 2010. It debuted at number nine on the

Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan (, lit. "the Sweden top list") is the Swedish national record chart, formerly known as Topplistan (1975–1997) and Hitlistan (1998–2007) and known by its current name since October 2007, based on sales data from the Swedish R ...

. In Los Angeles, Mohombi was introduced through friends to the Swedish-Moroccan producer

. The singer's debut single, "

" was the first release on RedOne's label 2101 Records, a joint venture with

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a t ...

. It was released in the United States on 24 August 2010. Mohombi released "Miss Me" as his debut single in the United Kingdom on 31 October 2010. It features American rapper

Nelly Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, actor and entrepreneur. He embarked on his music career with the hip hop group St. Lunatics in 1993 and signed to Universal ...

. His third single called "Dirty Situation" was released in Europe on 11 November and features R&B singer

Akon Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (; born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of " Locked Up" (featuring Styles P) ...

. "Dirty Situation" is played at the beginning and then again later on in the middle of the music video for "Miss Me". Mohombi's debut album, ''

'' was released in Europe Monday 28 February 2011 and in the US by the end of 2011. Mohombi features on the track "Hoola Hoop", a track on the 2011

Stella Mwangi Stella Nyambura Mwangi (born 1 September 1986) is a Kenyan-Norwegian singer, rapper and songwriter. Much of her music concerns the situation in her home country Kenya, and discrimination her family had to endure after moving to Norway in 1991. ...

album ''

Kinanda ''Kinanda'' is the second studio album by Norwegian- Kenyan singer Stella Mwangi, released on June 10, 2011, in Norway. It peaked to number 15 on the Norwegian Albums Chart. Singles *"Smile" was released as the first single in 2010. *" Haba Haba ...

''. Mohombi's single, "Coconut Tree" featured vocals by

Nicole Scherzinger Nicole Scherzinger (; born Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Valiente, June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She is best known as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, one of the best-selling g ...

. In 2011, Mohombi made his first annual appearance at the MAD Video Music Awards, in Athens, Greece, duetting with Katerína Stikoúdi, on a joint version of "Coconut Tree (Coconut Tree Make Me Stay)". On 2 September 2011, Mohombi released another single called "Maraca" on iTunes in Sweden. Mohombi also recorded the song "Suave (Kiss Me)" with

Nayer Nayer Regalado, known mononymously as Nayer, is an American singer. She gained recognition in 2011 after being featured on Pitbull's hit single "Give Me Everything", and releasing her single " Suave (Kiss Me)" featuring Pitbull and Mohombi whic ...

Pitbull Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...

. He was nominated for Best Swedish Act at the 2011 European Music Awards in Belfast. This Must Be Pop listed him 7th in their Top 10 of 2012. On 16 December 2011, he appeared as musical guest on

season 1 Season One may refer to: Albums * ''Season One'' (Suburban Legends album), 2004 * ''Season One'' (All Sons & Daughters album), 2012 * ''Season One'' (Saukrates album), 2012 See also * * * Season 2 (disambiguation) * Season 4 (disambiguat ...

of ''

The Voice of Romania ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

''.

Later work

In 2014, Mohombi decided to abandon

Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, Dutch law. UMG's cor ...

and form his own music label, La Clique Music, releasing his album ''

Universe The universe is all of space and time and their contents, including planets, stars, galaxies, and all other forms of matter and energy. The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological description of the development of the universe. Acc ...

''. Mohombi was invited in July 2015 to represent his country's youth at a summit organized by the United Nations in New York City. He was also a jury member of the 2015 Best of the Best All Stair season, the biggest talent show in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In 2015 Mohombi participated with

on "

Baddest Girl in Town "Baddest Girl in Town" is the third single from American rapper Pitbull's ninth studio album ''Dale'', which won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album. The track features singer Mohombi and reggaeton rapper Wisin Juan ...

" with

wisin Juan Luis Morera Luna (; born December 19, 1978), best known as his stage name Wisin (), is a Puerto Rican reggaeton rapper, singer and record producer, best known as a member of the reggaeton duo Wisin & Yandel. Wisin is noted for his unique and ...

. In 2016 Mohombi participated with

Joey Montana Edgardo Antonio Miranda Beiro (born May 3, 1982), better known as Joey Montana, is a Panamanian reggaeton singer. He is best known for the hit singles " Picky" and his collaboration with Sebastián Yatra, " Suena El Dembow". Biography After f ...

on Picky (remix) with

. Also In 2016, Mohombi co-won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

for his participation on the Pitbull album '' Dale'' for the category: Best album of the year. He participated in

Melodifestivalen 2019 Melodifestivalen 2019 was the 59th edition of the Swedish music competition Melodifestivalen and was held between 2 February 2019 and 9 March 2019. Presenters were Sarah Dawn Finer, Kodjo Akolor, Marika Carlsson and Eric Saade. Edward af Sillé ...

with the song "

Hello ''Hello'' is a salutation or greeting in the English language. It is first attested in writing from 1826. Early uses ''Hello'', with that spelling, was used in publications in the U.S. as early as the 18 October 1826 edition of the ''Norwich C ...

", where he made it to the final finishing in fifth place. In 2020, he participated in

Melodifestivalen 2020 Melodifestivalen 2020 was the 60th edition of the Swedish music competition Melodifestivalen. The competition was organised by Sveriges Television (SVT) and took place over a six-week period between 1 February and 7 March 2020. Retrieved 3 Septem ...

with the song "Winners". He reached the finale, in which he finished in twelfth place, scoring a total of 26 points.

Awards and nominations

Melodifestivalen 2005 Melodifestivalen 2005 was the selection for the 45th song to represent Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest. It was the 44th time that this system of picking a song had been used. Five heats had taken place to select the ten songs for the final, ...

. *At the

: **Kora All African Music Awards 2003 **Kora All African Music Awards 2004 * 2008/2009: Kora All African Music Awards Nominee 2009/2010 – Best African Artist/Group. * MTV European Music Awards 2011 – Nomination: Best Singer Swedish of the Year. * 2011: nominated for Swedish

Grammis The Grammis are music awards presented annually to musicians and songwriters in Sweden. The oldest Swedish music awards, they were instituted as a local equivalent of the Grammy Awards given in the United States. The awards ceremony is generall ...

for Bumpy Ride. *

Latin Italian Music Awards Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

2015 – Mohombi wins a Latin Italian Music Awards for his participation on Pitbull's album DALE. * U.S

2016 – Best Latin Album. Mohombi wins a grammy for his participation on Pitbull's album ''DALE''. *

Billboard Music Award The ''Billboard'' Music Awards are honors given out annually by '' Billboard'', a publication covering the music business and a music popularity chart. The ''Billboard'' Music Awards show has been held annually since 1990, with the exception of ...

2016 – Mohombi wins a Billboard Award for his participation on Pitbull's album DALE. *

Big Apple Music Award Big or BIG may refer to: * Big, of great size or degree Film and television * ''Big'' (film), a 1988 fantasy-comedy film starring Tom Hanks * '' Big!'', a Discovery Channel television show * ''Richard Hammond's Big'', a television show present ...

2017 – Best African Act Awards. * In 2018: Mohombi is nominated for the Daf Bama Music Awards in the category of Best African Artist of the Year. * In 2018: Mohombi is nominated for the Latin Grammy Awards as a composer of

J Balvin José Álvaro Osorio Balvín (born 7 May 1985), known professionally as J Balvin, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. He has been referred to as the " Prince of Reggaeton" (from Spanish: "Príncipe del Reggaetón"), and is one of the best-sell ...

album Vibras. *

. * 2019: Mohombi wins an award in the BMI Award 2019, in the category: contemporary Latin song of the year to be composer on the title '' Mi Gente '' of

. *

Discography

* ''

'' (2011) * ''

'' (2014) * ''Rumba 2.0'' (2020)

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1986 births Living people 21st-century Democratic Republic of the Congo male singers 21st-century Democratic Republic of the Congo singers 21st-century Swedish singers Cash Money Records artists Dancehall musicians Dance-pop musicians Democratic Republic of the Congo emigrants to Sweden English-language singers from Sweden Grammy Award winners Interscope Records artists Latin Grammy Award winners Musicians from Stockholm People from Kinshasa Singers from Stockholm Spanish-language singers of Sweden Swedish dance musicians Swedish male dancers Swedish male singers Swedish people of Democratic Republic of the Congo descent Swedish pop singers Swedish rhythm and blues singers