Barbara Kanam facts for kids

Barbara Kanam Mutund, known as Barbara Kanam, is a famous singer, songwriter, and producer from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She was born on September 27, 1973. She is also a television personality, helps others through charity, and is involved in politics.

Currently, Barbara Kanam is the Director General of the Cultural Promotion Fund in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She is known for her amazing singing voice, which has a wide range. Many people see her as one of the most important artists in Congolese and African music of the 21st century. She sings in French, Swahili, Lingala, and English. Her songs often talk about important topics like peace, love, happiness, and women's rights.

Barbara Kanam was born in Bukavu. She became famous after being noticed by the Ivorian reggae singer Alpha Blondy and producer Dodo Koné. They helped her create her first album, Mokili, in 1999. The main song from this album, "Mokili Ekoleka," was inspired by gospel music and led to her first TV appearance at the Kora Awards.

Her second album, Téti, came out in 2003. This album helped her win the "Most Promising African Female Artist" award at the 2003 Kora Awards. Téti also brought her many other awards, including "Best Female of Central Africa" at Kunde d'Or and "Best Female Hope" at Tamani d'Or in 2004. In 2005, she won two Black Music Awards for "Revelation of the Year" and "Best Video" for her song "Bibi Madeleine: L'argent appelle l'argent."

In 2008, Barbara Kanam started her own music company called Kanam Music. She released her third album, Karibu, in January 2010. The next year, she won the Okapi Award for "Best Female Artist." Her fourth album, Zawadi, was released in July 2015. This album earned her the Ndule Award for "Best Female Voice" and the Afroca Music Award for "Best Female Artist." Her most recent album, Transfiguration, was released on December 23, 2023.

Besides music, Barbara Kanam also owns Kanam Luxury. This is a shop in Kinshasa that sells her own branded products, including a special champagne line called Barbara Luxury.

Barbara Kanam's Early Life and Music Journey

Growing Up and Starting Music (1973–1998)

Barbara Kanam Mutund was born on September 27, 1973, in Bukavu, which was then called Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). She grew up in a well-off family and was one of twelve children. Her father was a manager at the Sheraton Hotel in Lubumbashi, and her mother was from the Bemba ethnic group.

After finishing high school at a Belgian private school in Kolwezi, she went to study international business at the University of Pretoria in South Africa in 1991. While in Pretoria, she joined an evangelical church. This was her first real experience with music. She sang solos in the church choir and quickly caught the attention of the church members and pastor. Barbara Kanam later said that it was through this choir that she realized she had a talent for music.

Her growing love for music led her to change her studies. Instead of international business, she decided to study theology and music at Rhema Bible School and the Psalmody Academy in Johannesburg. However, her family faced financial difficulties because her father lost his job. This made it hard for Barbara to pay for school. She found work to help her family and still managed to finish her university year. As a reward for her hard work, she bought herself a guitar. She taught herself to play it and began writing her own songs.

When she returned to Lubumbashi for a break from school, she told her father about her dream of a music career. He strongly disagreed and did not want her to go back to Pretoria. Barbara decided to take a year off from school. During this time in Lubumbashi, she worked in import-export to help her family. In the early 1990s, Barbara Kanam started performing in Central Africa. In 1993, she created an acoustic show called "One Woman Acoustic Show." She traveled and performed in big cities like Kinshasa and Lubumbashi.

In 1995, her family moved to Abidjan, Ivory Coast. There, she became a solo singer in her church choir. In 1997, while performing at the Hôtel Ivoire, she was discovered by Alpha Blondy and his manager, Koné Dodo. Koné Dodo encouraged her to pursue music. Although they wanted to sign her, Barbara's parents insisted she finish her studies first. Later that year, she earned her degree in International Commerce from a university in Abidjan.

First Albums: Mokili and Téti (1999–2008)

In 1999, Barbara Kanam released her first album, Mokili, which was produced by Koné Dodo. The album included the gospel-inspired song "Mokili Ekoleka." This song led to her first nomination for a Kora Award, where she also made her television debut.

In 2000, Barbara Kanam took a break from music and moved to Paris because she was expecting a baby. After two years, she returned to music with her second album, Téti, released on January 1, 2003. This album had 12 songs and was produced by Kiki Productions and Koné Dodo's company, Nouvelle JAT Music. Téti became very popular in Burkina Faso, especially in Ouagadougou, where its songs were played on the radio for five months.

The hit song from the album was "Bibi Madeleine: L'argent appelle l'argent." This song honored her grandmother and used parts of an older song by Pamelo Mounk'a. It was released in two versions, one with Edgar Yonkeu and another with Awilo Longomba. In April 2003, Barbara Kanam was nominated for an award at the Kundé d'Or and performed to promote Téti. She also performed at the Culture Palace of Abidjan with other famous singers.

Barbara Kanam's success with Téti led her to win the Kora Award for "Most Promising African Female Artist" on December 6, 2003. On April 30, 2004, she received the "Best Female of Central Africa" award at Kunde d'Or in Burkina Faso. She continued to perform, joining other artists at the Culture Palace in Abidjan. A new version of "Bibi Madeleine: L'argent appelle l'argent," co-written with Awilo Longomba and Edgar Yonkeu, was released in 2005. It became very popular across Africa, the Caribbean, and among Africans living in Europe, especially in France. This song earned Barbara Kanam two Black Music Awards for "Best Video" and "Revelation of the Year." The next year, she worked with Fally Ipupa on the song "100% Love" from his album Droit Chemin.

New Beginnings: Karibu and "Africa Stop Ebola" (2009–2014)

In 2008, Barbara Kanam ended her contract with Koné Dodo and started her own music label, Kanam Music. She began working on her third album, Karibu (which means "welcome" in Swahili), in Paris that same year. In July 2009, she moved to Ivory Coast to focus on Karibu. An event was held in Abidjan with many journalists to announce the album's upcoming release. She then went back to Lubumbashi in November to film music videos for Karibu and perform several concerts.

The album was officially released in January 2010 by Kanam Music. It mixes Congolese rumba music and features Fally Ipupa on the song "Noir & Blanc." Karibu was very successful, with many journalists and radio hosts calling it one of the best albums of the year. Barbara Kanam became a leading female African musician. She later performed at the Venus Hotel in Kinshasa and was nominated for "Best Female Artist" at the 2010 MTV Africa Music Awards. She also performed at the Obelisk Square in Dakar as part of a big festival celebrating Black Arts.

In October 2014, Barbara Kanam was part of "Africa Stop Ebola," a song created to spread awareness about the Ebola virus in Africa. The song featured many famous singers and rappers, including Tiken Jah Fakoly, Amadou & Mariam, Salif Keita, and Mokobé. It also included important health and hygiene advice from experts.

Recent Albums: Zawadi and Transfiguration (2015–Present)

Barbara Kanam started recording her fourth album, Zawadi, in 2014. She explained that "Zawadi" means "gift" in Swahili and represents a special gift from God. The album included a special dance called the "danse du président." While working on Zawadi, Barbara Kanam also served as a judge in a music competition called Jeunes Talents. She then traveled to Paris to arrange for the album's release.

The album was first released digitally on July 1, 2015, and then on compact disc on July 12. Zawadi combined Congolese rumba with collaborations from other artists. Barbara Kanam described Zawadi as her "most accomplished" album, meaning it was her best work artistically and vocally. She promoted the album with a concert in Kinshasa on November 28. In August 2016, Barbara Kanam won the "Best African Female Artist" award at the Afroca Music Awards in Brazzaville. She expressed her thanks to everyone who had supported her music career for 15 years. Zawadi also earned her a special award at the Canal d'Or.

In June 2017, Barbara Kanam announced her new song "Mela Mayi." A preview of the music video was shared online that June, and the full video was released on August 19, 2017. To support "Mela Mayi," Barbara Kanam held a special concert in Kinshasa on December 15, 2017. She was also nominated for "Best Female Artist of Central Africa" at the African Music Industry Awards.

In March 2018, Barbara Kanam released "Lisanga Ya Ba Mbanda." This song was a cover of a popular Congolese rumba hit from the 1980s by M'bilia Bel. Barbara Kanam said it was her way of honoring M'bilia Bel. On December 23, 2019, she released the dance song "Bouger," followed by "Flèche" on March 14, 2020. Her love song "Atcha," which blended Congolese rumba and was sung in Swahili, Lingala, and French, came out on October 9, 2020. It was very popular in Kinshasa. To celebrate, she hosted a special event that evening. She also participated in the 10th World Festival of Women's Music in Montreal, Canada, in September. In December 2020, she received the CANA 2020 prize, an award she had won many times before.

She continued to release new music, including "Amour Invincible" on December 9, 2021, and "Oxygène" on December 31, 2022. On February 21, 2023, she released the Congolese rumba song "Consommation." The music video for this song quickly gained over a million views on YouTube in just two weeks. On April 5, 2023, she released "Uzima" (Swahili for "life"), a spiritual song thanking God. In May, she worked with Félix Wazekwa on his song "Jalousie XL." In June 2023, Barbara Kanam released "Isolée," featuring Fabregas Le Métis Noir.

On December 23, 2023, Barbara Kanam released her fifth album, Transfiguration. This album combines Congolese rumba and ndombolo music. It has 14 songs, including "Isolée," and features collaborations with other artists like Ferré Gola, Koffi Olomide, and Héritier Watanabe.

Television and Public Service

In 2013, Barbara Kanam was a coach on the TV show Best of Best in Kinshasa. The next year, she took part in the first season of Island Africa Talent in Ivory Coast.

On July 8, 2023, the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Félix Tshisekedi, appointed Barbara Kanam as the Director General of the Cultural Promotion Fund (FPC). In this important role, she is responsible for helping to promote and develop the country's cultural sector.

Helping Others and Special Recognitions

Barbara Kanam started the Kanam Foundation, where she works to help women and children. She is also a patron for the Association for the Fight against Childhood Cancer (GFAOP).

In October 2012, she joined many other artists, including Fally Ipupa and Papa Wemba, on a music project called "Stop à la Guerre à l'Est!" This project promoted peace and spoke out against conflict in North Kivu. In 2013, Barbara Kanam worked with Asalfo on a project to help underprivileged children get an education. The next year, she was part of the "Africa Stop Ebola" project, working with other famous musicians to raise awareness and fight the Ebola epidemic.

In 2019, Barbara Kanam received an honorary doctorate degree from the University of Florida for her contributions to society. She was the only Congolese musician to receive this honor. She also received another honorary doctorate and the title of "Woman of Value" from the African Observatory for Positive Sanction and Peace Values. That same year, she was named a "Champion for the Promotion of Women's Rights" by the Minister of Gender, Family, and Children. In 2022, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) made her a Goodwill Ambassador. In this role, she helps promote climate action in the DRC.

Discography

Albums

• Mokili (1999)
• Téti (2003)
• Karibu (2010)
• Zawadi (2015)
• Transfiguration (2023)

Awards and Nominations