AFP via Getty ImagesOne of Africa’s biggest music stars says he feels “immense pride and deep emotion” after being given one of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s most prestigious awards.
Fally Ipupa kick-started his career working with fellow Congolese heavyweight Koffi Olomidé three decades ago and today boasts millions of fans across the globe.
Known for his versatility, his output spans group hits as part of Talent Latent and Quartier Latin International, as well eight solo albums.
His highest honour yet came on Tuesday, when the 48-year-old became a knight of the National Order of the Leopard. This title is only awarded by the Congolese president to the most esteemed public figures.
While there was no televised ceremony, Fally Ipupa’s new status was announced the following day on state TV by a government spokeswoman who called him a “worthy son of the nation”.
The singer’s unique style and artistry has “contributed to the promotion of Congolese rumba and the dissemination of Congolese culture to an international audience,” she added.
“This path has never been mine alone. It belongs to an entire people,” Fally Ipupa told fans afterwards on social media. “To the Congolese youth: Your starting point does not define your destiny. Work, believe, persevere. The world is ready to hear your voice.”
His latest distinction comes amid a busy year for the star abroad.
He recently became the first African artist to go straight to number one in the French album charts with his latest record called XX, and reports last month lauded him as the first francophone African artist to sell out Paris’s 80,000-capacity Stade de France two days in a row.
Later this year, the singer is set to give one of his biggest UK performances yet at London’s O2 arena.
So gruelling is this promotional schedule across Europe and the US that Fally Ipupa recently told Le Monde newspaper that he had lost his voice.
“I sang a lot on TV and radio shows… So the doctor ordered me a week of silence.”
An anxious wait for him no doubt, and his fans too.
In a career full of highs, Fally Ipupa has also known tragedy.
Four years ago, at least 11 people died in a crush at one of his concerts in the Congolese capital of Kinshasa, where the stadium was over capacity by a third.
His career has not been without political controversy either.
In an industry where music piracy and touring complications can see musicians miss out financially, many admit accepting money to praise politicians, corporations and influential figures in their songs – a practice known locally as libanga.
In Fally Ipupa’s case, he told Kenya’s Trace FM he can earn around €10,000 (£8,600; £11,000) per mention.
Such arrangements have long angered Congolese fans living abroad, who until recent years blocked concerts by Fally Ipupa and other homegrown musicians in outrage at a perceived closeness to the much-criticised government.
But Fally Ipupa, who has also worked as Unicef ambassador and philanthropist, maintains that his number-one mission is to unite rather than divide.
On receiving his award, he said: “This distinction is more than personal.”
“Above all, it celebrates Congolese music, our culture, our identity, this force that unites us and elevates us beyond borders.”
Additional reporting by Emery Makumeno in Kinshasa
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