Innocent Didace Balume (born 5 May 1997), known professionally as Innoss'B, is a Congolese singer-songwriter, rapper, percussionist, dancer, and philanthropist. Often referred to as the "Jeune Leader", he is renowned for pioneering the AfroCongo music genre, an eclectic fusion of

Congolese rumba Congolese rumba, also known as African rumba, is a dance music genre originating from the Republic of the Congo (formerly French Congo) and Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire). With its rhythms, melodies, and lyrics, Congolese ru ...

, indigenous

folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

, and

ndombolo Ndombolo, also known as dombolo, is a genre of dance music originating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Derived from soukous in the 1990s, with fast-paced hip-swaying dance rhythms, often accompanied by Beat (music), upbeat, Percussion ...

. Innoss'B was born into a musical family in war-ravaged

Goma Goma is a city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the North Kivu, North Kivu Province; it is located on the northern shore of Lake Kivu and shares borders with the Bukumu Chiefdo ...

North Kivu North Kivu () is a Provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, province bordering Lake Kivu in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The capital city is Goma. Spanning approximately 59,483 square kilometers with a population esti ...

, and grew up in the Birere area near

Gisenyi Gisenyi, historically rendered as Kisenyi, is the second largest city in Rwanda, located in the Rubavu district in Rwanda's Western Province. Gisenyi is contiguous with Goma as it was formerly also part of now Democratic Republic of the Congo, t ...

, Rwanda. At the age of six, he began his music career as a member of the family group Maisha Soul. The group gained recognition after winning the 2007 Revelation Award at the Goma Tourism Fair. He later ventured out as a solo artist after winning the

Akon Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam (born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon (), is a Senegalese-United States, American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, businessman, and philanthropist. An influ ...

-sponsored 2010 Vodacom Superstar contest, which led to his collaboration with Akon on the international song "Up and Away". On 17 July 2013, he released his debut studio album, ''Innocent Vol.1''. In October 2015, Innoss'B made a name for himself in

Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ), formerly named Léopoldville from 1881–1966 (), is the Capital city, capital and Cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa is one of the world's fastest-grow ...

with his collaborations with

Werrason Noël Ngiama Makanda ( 25 December 1965), known professionally as Werrason, is a Congolese singer-songwriter, composer, producer, philanthropist, and the bandleader of Wenge Musica Maison Mère. He was a co-founding member of Wenge Music ...

on a hit single "Eloko" and later with Koffi Olomidé on "Elengi" in October 2016. On 29 June 2017, he released his five-track

maxi-single A maxi single, maxi-single, or maxi CD (sometimes abbreviated to MCD or CDM) is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song. Maxi singles are often mistaken for extended plays (EPs), especial ...

, ''Plus''. The lead track, "Ozo Beta Mabe", became an instant hit in Africa with over one million views on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

in just five months, making Innoss'B one of the most successful young Congolese and African artists. The

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

tipped him as one of the African stars with the potential for global success in 2020, praising his unique style that has him "dancing to the beat of his drum" and bringing a "modern and youthful sound" to Congolese music. That year, Innoss'B became the first Congolese musician to reach more than 100 million views on

for his "Yo Pe" remix, featuring

Tanzanian Demographic features of the population of Tanzania include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations, and other aspects of the population. The population distribution in Tan ...

singer

Diamond Platnumz Naseeb Abdul Juma Issack, professionally known as Diamond Platnumz, is a Tanzanian bongo flava recording artist, dancer, philanthropist and businessman. He is the founder and CEO of WCB Wasafi Record Label, Wasafi Bet and Wasafi Media. Diamo ...

. On 26 December 2021, Innoss'B released his second studio album, ''Mortal 06''. On 29 March 2024, Innoss'B released his five-track

Extended Play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

(EP) ''Calcul''.

Early life and career

1997–2013: Early life and Maisha Soul

Innocent Didace Balume was born on 5 May 1997, in

, Zaire. His father was a dancer, and his mother was a cantor at church. He is the youngest of six children and has three brothers. Raised in Mikeno neighborhood, colloquially known as Birere, within Goma commune, Innocent spent considerable time at his paternal grandmother's residence, where he developed interest for

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

's music. In 2002, Innocent, his brothers, and nearly 300,000 others were evacuated following the Nyiragongo volcanic eruption. To raise awareness, the brothers formed a band called Maisha Soul while living in a

refugee camp A refugee camp is a temporary Human settlement, settlement built to receive refugees and people in refugee-like situations. Refugee camps usually accommodate displaced people who have fled their home country, but camps are also made for in ...

. The family band included Prince Agakhan Balume, Eric Fonkodji Balume, Achille Djibril Balume, and Innocent Didace Balume. They received training at Yolé!Africa, a youth cultural center founded by filmmaker and activist Petna Ndaliko Katondolo. Maisha Soul collaborated with several artists, including Pascal Lokua Kanza. Maisha Soul's "Another Way," debuted in 2005, won the Revelation 2007 Award at the Goma Tourism Fair. In 2009, Innocent participated in a provincial singing competition organized by the

International Committee of the Red Cross The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a humanitarian organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, and is a three-time Nobel Prize laureate. The organization has played an instrumental role in the development of rules of war and ...

and secured third place among over 20 selected groups. The following year, at just 13 years old, he won the Vodacom Superstar contest, co-hosted by

Vodacom Vodacom Group Limited is a South African mobile communications company, providing voice, messaging, data and converged services to over 130 million customers across Africa. From its roots in South Africa, Vodacom has grown its operations to ...

in partnership with

, Akonic Entertainment, and Nickie Davis. He achieved the feat with a performance of

's "

The Way You Make Me Feel "The Way You Make Me Feel" is a song by the American singer Michael Jackson. It was released by Epic Records on November 9, 1987, as the third single from his seventh studio album, '' Bad''. It was written and composed by Jackson and produced ...

." His victory earned him $25,000, and allocated a portion of his prize money to his former school in

. The win also provided a platform to launch his music career, and he later collaborated with Akon on the song "Up and Away". While still with Maisha Soul, he released his solo single, "I Can Be Your Blue Eyed Boy," through the band's label, Maisha Soul Records, in March 2012, which quickly became a smash hit and peaked atop the Africa Hit chart on Trace TV. He later participated in Lexxus Legal's self-titled album, ''Lexxus'', on the track "Dors Pas Tard". In December 2012, he toured

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

with Maisha Soul and their manager, Lady Nadia, where they appeared on various TV programs and radio stations, including Bakolo States, owned by Gary Iwele, and

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is an international broadcasting network funded by the federal government of the United States that by law has editorial independence from the government. It is the largest and oldest of the American internation ...

. In January 2013, Maisha Soul kicked off a tour in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, where they participated in the Cinema for Peace Humanitarian Awards, hosted by Congolese- Cypriot philanthropist and model Noëlla Coursaris Musunka and organized by the Cinema for Peace Foundation at

the Beverly Hills Hotel The Beverly Hills Hotel, also called the Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows, is located on Sunset Boulevard in Beverly Hills, California. One of the world's best-known hotels, it is closely associated with Hollywood film stars, rock stars, and ce ...

. During their performances, Maisha Soul conveyed the plight of the ongoing Kivu conflict in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. After returning to

on 28 January, Maisha Soul officially announced the release of their Swahili ''Keep Smiling''

mixtape In the modern music industry, a mixtape is a musical project, typically with looser constraints than that of an album or extended play. Unlike the traditional album or extended play, mixtapes are labeled as laid-back projects that allow artists mo ...

, recorded during their stay in the US. ''Keep Smiling'' was subsequently released on 29 January, and on 10 February, Innocent debuted another solo track, "Neti Na Uh", before setting out on another US tour with Maisha Soul. On 10 July, he disclosed to

Radio Okapi Radio Okapi is a radio network that operates in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. On an annual budget of USD$4.5 million, a staff of 200 provide news and information to the entire urban population of the DRC. Radio Okapi provides programming ...

their nationwide tour, which included visits to numerous major cities. He represented the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the Global Philanthropy Forum in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

and was later honored with the Special Jury Trophy at the Ndule Pan-African Awards in

Solo career

2013–2016: ''Innocent'' ''Vol.1'', management woes, and standalone releases

During an exclusive interview on Radio Kivu1 in early 2013, Innocent unveiled plans for his debut solo studio album, ''Innocent Vol.1''. The album, containing eight singles including his previous smash hit "Neti Na Uh", was released on 17 July by Interglobe Music. ''Innocent Vol.1'' was mainly performed in

Lingala Lingala (or Ngala, Lingala: ) is a Bantu languages, 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 de ...

to expand his audience in Kinshasa, although some critics viewed this as an arbitrary deviation from his earlier Swahili-based work endemic to the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. On 5 May 2014, Innocent was invited by the Master Peace Foundation to

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...

Liberation Day Liberation Day is a day, often a public holiday, that marks the liberation of a place, similar to an independence day, but differing from it because it does not involve the original creation of statehood. It commemorates the end of an occupation ...

for two consecutive concerts. He performed on stage with

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

singer Roel Van Velzen at Park de Wezenlanden in

Zwolle Zwolle () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Northeastern Netherlands. It is the Capital city, capital of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Overijssel ...

. In October of that year, Innocent ended his contract deal with Lady Nadia, citing incompetence and unprofessionalism. Innocent revealed that during her three-year managerial tenure, Maisha Soul only produced one music video, "I Can Be Your Blue Eyed Boy," which was only made possible through external support and not Lady Nadia's leadership. In February 2015, he released the single "Pola", which introduced his AfroCongo musical style. The song was produced by Eric Fonkodji Balume, known professionally as Djizzo, and directed by Achille Djibril Balume, who goes by the name Ach'B. Innocent teamed up with

on the hit song "Eloko", which premiered in October 2015. The music video, recorded in Kinshasa, showcased a guest appearance by comedian Fiston Sai Sai. In February 2016, he took to the stage at the Amani Festival in front of thirty thousand people in Goma. In May 2016, he was featured in the track "First Lady" alongside X-Maleya, the

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

ian

makossa Makossa is a music genre originating in Douala, Littoral Region, Cameroon in the late 20th century. Like much other music of Sub-Saharan Africa, it uses strong electric bass rhythms and prominent brass. Makossa uses guitar accompaniments, in t ...

group. In October of that year, he debuted another single "Elengi", featuring

Koffi Olomide Antoine Christophe Agbepa Mumba (born 13 July 1956), known professionally as Koffi Olomidé, is a Congolese singer-songwriter, dancer, producer, and founder of Quartier Latin International. Often referred to as the "King of Ndombolo", he is not ...

. Sung in French, Lingala, and English, the song explores themes of love and prosperity, blending AfroCongo with various

Afropop African popular music (also styled Afropop, Afro-pop, Afro pop or African pop) can be defined as any African music, regardless of genre, that uses Western pop musical instruments, such as the guitar, piano, trumpet, etc.Olabode, O. (2023, J ...

influences.

2017–2018: ''Plus''

In March 2017, Innocent announced to Télé50 that his forthcoming five-track maxi single, ''Plus'', was nearing its conclusive stages of production and slated for debut on 29 June. Issued by Maisha Soul Records, the maxi-single fused

with

and was supported by singles "Top Model", "Ozo Beta Mabe", "Lelo Lelo", "Mur", and "Mon Boulot". While working on ''plus'', he also made a guest appearance on Anita Mwarabu's single "Bolingo Mabe". The music video for "Top Model", which premiered on 2 November, featured his fiancée

Rebo Tchulo Deborah Tshimpaka Mulanga (born 5 December 1997), known professionally as Rebo Tchulo, is a Congolese singer-songwriter and dancer. She began her music career as a Gospel music, gospel singer. In 2017, Tshimpaka signed a record deal with Ferré Go ...

. It was followed by "Ozo Beta Mabe" on 1 February 2018, which showed Innocent dancing with his classmates in a school uniform in Kinshasa. The titular phrase "Ozo Beta Mabe," a

colloquialism Colloquialism (also called ''colloquial language'', ''colloquial speech'', ''everyday language'', or ''general parlance'') is the linguistic style used for casual and informal communication. It is the most common form of speech in conversation amo ...

loosely translating as "you do harm," is a commentary on universal negative behavior. "Ozo Beta Mabe" garnered significant popularity in the DRC and across Africa and was viewed more than a million times on

. "Lelo Lelo", infused with Congolese rumba and Afrocongo, features subtle hints of ndombolo that complement rather than overpower the sound. The song helped establish his name locally and was listed among ''Music In Africa'''s "Top 5 best rumba songs in 2018".

2019–2020: "Yo Pe", "Yo Pe Remix", "Olandi", "Best", and other ventures

On 11 August, Innocent debuted his single "Yo Pe" through Maisha Soul Records and

Believe Music Believe SAS (also known as Believe Music; previously known as Believe Digital) is a global digital music company headquartered in France. Believe has several brands including TuneCore, Nuclear Blast, Naïve, Groove Attack, Play Two and AllPoints. ...

, which gained significant popularity in Africa with over one million views on YouTube in two weeks and sparked controversy due to the image of a goat wearing a crown. "Yo Pe" challenges moral quandaries such as indolence, dependency, solicitation, effortless gains, and parasitism. The song's music video was blocked on 10 September, due to YouTube copyright constraints, as it used content protected by the

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

n-based company Spice Digital South Africa, which claims rights to its creations. The company later reassured that its teams were doing everything to resolve the issue. "Yo Pe" was named "Song of the Year" by Congolese entertainment website ''Mbote''. On 7 September, Innocent unveiled a

remix A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...

of "Yo Pe", which featured Tanzanian singer

. It was directed by Director Kenny under Zoom Extra. In the video, Innocent repeats the lyrics of the original version while Diamond Platnumz interjects with Swahili refrains. The remix amassed 150 million views within a year, becoming the first song in

East Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...

and

Central Africa Central Africa (French language, French: ''Afrique centrale''; Spanish language, Spanish: ''África central''; Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''África Central'') is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries accordin ...

to achieve this feat so quickly. The song's success catapulted Innocent's visibility, and went on to perform across major European cities, including

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

Essen Essen () is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and Dortmund, as well as ...

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

, Pau,

Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

, and

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. He also performed at several festivals, including the Starboy Fest with the

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

singer

Wizkid Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun (born 16 July 1990), better known as Wizkid, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. Born in the Ojuelegba suburb of Surulere, Lagos, Wizkid is a voice in the emerging Afrobeats movement. His music is a blend of Afrobea ...

, the Kinshasa Showbuzz concert, and the Afro Nation festival in

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

in December of that year. The remix sparked the "Yope dance challenge" on various

social media Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...

platforms and influenced Diamond Platnumz to incorporate dance sequences from it into his subsequent release, "Baba Lao." In June 2020, the song earned Innocent a nomination for Best New International Act at the

BET Awards The BET Awards are an American award show that was established in 2001 by the BET, Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate Black person, Black entertainers and other minorities in music, film, sports and philanthropy. The awards, which ...

. On 28 July 2020, Innocent issued his AfroCongo-infused single "Olandi", which he described as a tribute to those who initially criticize and oppose him but ultimately end up imitating his style and enjoying his music, thus validating the titular epithet "Olandi" (interpreted as "You Copy"). "Olandi" was directed by Ach'B and produced by Maisha Soul, with distribution by the Orchard, a subsidiary of

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...

, on behalf of the Parisian label Privaty Prod. Within six months of its debut, "Olandi" garnered 26 million views on YouTube, making Innocent one of the Congolese artists who have contributed to the development of 21st-century Congolese music with his "AfroCongo" style. "Olandi" peaked at number-one on the Trace Africa weekly television countdown African Hit 30. Reviewing for Music in Africa, Jean de Dieu Boukanga described "Olandi" as "joyful and catchy" and praised its "pleasant choreographies". Innocent published his rap-influenced single "Best", featuring French rapper

Damso William Kalubi Mwamba (born 10 May 1992 in Kinshasa), better known by his stage name Damso (), is a Belgian- Congolese rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is popular in France, where all of his albums have been certified at least platinum. Early ...

, on 15 October 2020. The music video, shot in Kinshasa, was directed by Ach'B, produced by Maisha Soul, and distributed by Privaty Prod. It featured appearances by Congolese musicians Gaz Fabilouss, Rebo Tchulo, and Gracia Lizarbo. "Best" quickly became a hit, amassing two million views on YouTube within a week and receiving over 550,000 streams on

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

. In November 2020, Innocent was invited to perform in

Ouagadougou Ouagadougou or Wagadugu (, , , ) is the capital city of Burkina Faso, and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic centre of the nation. It is also the List of cities in Burkina Faso#Largest cities, country's largest city, wi ...

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...

, as part of the Burkinabè presidential election campaign. On 4 December, he performed at the Espace Bahalis Square in

Lubumbashi Lubumbashi ( , ; former ; former ) is the second-largest Cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, located in the country's southeasternmost part, along the border with Zambia. The capital ...

. His concert scheduled for 25 December in

Niger Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state Geography of Niger#Political geography, bordered by Libya to the Libya–Niger border, north-east, Chad to the Chad–Niger border, east ...

, at the

Stade Général Seyni Kountché Stade Général Seyni Kountché (SGSK)Covid-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, even though it was initially slated as part of the denouement of the Nigerien presidential election campaign, scheduled for 27 December. Innocent continued to release a series of successful singles, including "MEME" on 6 March 2021, which accumulated six million views on YouTube in two months. On 17 July, he released "NO NO," featuring Rebo Tchulo, which amassed one million views on YouTube within three days and ranked second place on

BBC Radio 1Xtra BBC Radio 1Xtra is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It broadcasts Black music and urban music, including hip hop and R&B and is a sister station to Radio 1. Launching at 18:00 on 16 August 2002, it had been ...

, after Diamond Platnumz, marking him as the first Congolese solo artist to achieve this feat.

2021–2023: ''Mortel-06'' and standalone releases

On 9 December 2021, Innocent announced that his forthcoming second studio album, ''Mortel-06'', was almost finished. The record, which includes 15 tracks, was released on 26 December through Maisha Soul Records and is a fusion of Congolese rumba, hip-hop, and Afro-trap. It quickly landed in the top five of Congolese online music platforms. Nearly three weeks after its debut, ''Mortel-06'' reached the top spot on Boomplay's Weekly Top Albums, ahead of

Tayc Julien Franck Bouadjie Monono Kamgang (; born 2 May 1996), better known as Tayc ( , ), is a French singer. Prior to the release of his triple album titled ''Nyxia'' (2019), he released two mixtapes and a number of singles. His second album called ...

's ''Fleur Froide'' and

Ninho William Nzobazola better known by his stage name Ninho (; born 2 April 1996) is a French rapper and singer. Early life William Nzobazola grew up in Nemours, in Seine-et-Marne. His parents are Congolese. His father was Congolese singer Serg ...

's '' Jefe''. The popular single "Sukali" reached one million views in just two months. To promote the album, Innocent toured

Abidjan Abidjan ( , ; N'Ko script, N'ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the largest city and the former capital of Ivory Coast. As of the Demographics of Ivory Coast, 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of the overall population ...

, where he appeared on television to present ''Mortel-06'', and later held a series of concerts in Kinshasa. In July 2022, Innocent made his debut tour to

Togo Togo, officially the Togolese Republic, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to Ghana–Togo border, the west, Benin to Benin–Togo border, the east and Burkina Faso to Burkina Faso–Togo border, the north. It is one of the le ...

with a performance at the Hôtel La Concorde in

Lomé Lomé ( , ) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities in Togo, largest city of Togo. It has an urban population of 837,437

. He later embarked on several concerts in major US cities including

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Washington DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, and

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

as part of his American tour. On 31 December, Innocent unveiled his Afrocongo-style single "Maboko Milayi" featuring Awilo Longomba, which earned two million views on YouTube within 13 days. He then released another single titled "Kiss" featuring Tanzanian singer Zuchu on 18 February 2023. Innocent later premiered a teaser for his "AfroCongo Planet Live" in May 2023 and was later featured in Zuchu's hit single remix of "Nani" on 6 June, which exceeded two million views on YouTube within 10 days. On 7 July, Innocent issued "Flex" featuring French rapper

Kaaris Armand Okou Gnakouri, known by his stage name Kaaris (, ; stylized as KΛΛRIS), is a French rapper, actor and record producer. Early life Kaaris was raised in Sevran in the Seine-Saint-Denis department, northeast of Paris. Career Kaaris started ...

, which earned one million views on YouTube within four days of its debut. On 6 November, Innocent featured in

Yemi Alade Yemi Eberechi Alade (born 13 March 1989), known professionally as Yemi Alade, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, actress and activist from the Akoko part of Ondo State. Her music is a mixture of Afropop, highlife, dancehall, pop music, pop and Rh ...

's sixth studio album, ''Rebel Queen'', on the track "Lipeka", which was a fusion of ndombolo, sung in Lingala and English, and garnered considerable attention on digital streaming platforms. On 21 November, Innocent published another single, "Mpiaka," which blends

Amapiano Amapiano is a genre of music from South Africa that became popular in mid-2012 with an earlier regular occurrence on South African radio stations in the early 2000s. It is a hybrid of kwaito, deep house, gqom, jazz, soul, and lounge music char ...

and AfroCongo style. Within 24 hours of its release, "Mpiaka" gained substantial traction on

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

, amassing over 10,000 videos featuring the hashtag #Mpiaka, making the song one of the viral contents of the day on the app.

2024–present: ''Calcul''

On 29 March 2024, Innocent released his five-track EP ''Calcul'' with singles such as "Number One", "Sete", "Bango Kaka Te", "Bilan Zéro", and "Chantier". Published by Maisha Soul Records, the EP features a predominant blend of Congolese rumba, AfroCongo, and Afrobeat and includes a guest appearance by Nigerian singer Reekado Banks. The song "Sete" gained massive popularity, with over a million views in just 13 days. The hashtag #Sete became popular across various social media platforms and was even embraced by celebrities such as Herman Amisi and Migue Niema. On 27 July, he performed at Belgium's Esperanzah! festival, held from 26–28 July at L'Abbaye de Floreffe. His

amapiano Amapiano is a genre of music from South Africa that became popular in mid-2012 with an earlier regular occurrence on South African radio stations in the early 2000s. It is a hybrid of kwaito, deep house, gqom, jazz, soul, and lounge music char ...

-inspired single "Amapiupiu" was released on 19 September. Two days later, he joined Yemi Alade onstage at

Zénith de Paris The zenith is the point in the sky that appears directly above the observer. Zenith or Zénith may also refer to: *Summit, a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it Automotive * Zenith Carburett ...

and later performed at the 7th Rencontres Musicales Africaines (REMA) in

, Burkina Faso, held from 17–18 October. He also collaborated on Ivorian singer Apoutchou National's "Envoyez Nouveau", which premiered on 18 October, and Awilo Longomba's "Mbongo Na Ngai Moko" on 15 November. On 21 January 2025, he was featured on "Biloko", a ndombolo-infused track by fellow Congolese singer Cappuccino LBG. Following the viral success of a TikTok trend featuring its catchy rhythm and signature phrase "''quand on voit on sait''" ("when we see, we know"), Innocent released the single "Chilling" on 28 March.

Philanthropy

Innocent Foundation

On 3 July 2021, Innocent established the non-profit organization Innocent Foundation (IF) to support vulnerable populations, particularly orphans and people with disabilities. According to its official mission statement, the organization prioritizes "the social well-being of the population in general and vulnerable people in particular", with a focus on providing emergency assistance, promoting education, improving basic health, and facilitating social integration for disadvantaged youth.

2021 Mount Nyiragongo eruption

In response to the Mount Nyiragongo volcanic eruption in May 2021, which affected the northern areas of

, Innocent launched the humanitarian initiative #SOSpourGoma, in partnership with Innocent Foundation director Bibiche Ndakala. The campaign raised $100,000 to assist displaced residents. In July 2021, the foundation acquired a 20/44 plot on Kalesha Street in Goma's Lac Vert neighborhood, where it constructed ten housing units for the homeless. The development, named ''Umoja'' (Swahili for "Unity") and colloquially referred to as ''Cité Umoja'', was created to provide long-term shelter for victims of the eruption.

WFP

Innocent has also collaborated with the

World Food Programme The World Food Programme (WFP) is an international organization within the United Nations that provides food assistance worldwide. It is the world's largest humanitarian organization and the leading provider of school meals. Founded in 1961 ...

(WFP). He developed a personal relationship with

Cindy McCain Cindy Lou McCain (; born May 20, 1954) is an American diplomat, businesswoman, and humanitarian who is the executive director of the World Food Programme. McCain previously served as List of ambassadors of the United States to the United Nation ...

, the WFP Executive Director, whom he first met as a teenager during her humanitarian visits to Goma in 2011 and 2012. Their partnership has extended to joint charitable and fundraising efforts in the United States aimed at addressing the humanitarian crisis in eastern DRC. In March 2024, the WFP appointed Innocent as a High-Level Supporter, a role in which he advocates for healthy meals and improved nutrition across the country.

Discography

Albums

* ''Innocent'' ''Vol.1'' (2013) * ''Mortel-06'' (2021)

Live albums

* ''Afrocongo planet'' (2023)

Maxi-single

* ''Plus'' (2017)

Extended plays

* ''Calcul'' (2024)

Mixtapes

* ''Keep Smiling'' (2013)

Collaborations

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Innoss, B Living people 21st-century Democratic Republic of the Congo male singers Democratic Republic of the Congo songwriters 1997 births Democratic Republic of the Congo musicians Democratic Republic of the Congo musicians by genre French-language singers of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Swahili-language singers of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Democratic Republic of the Congo rappers