There is a major end-of-year treat lined up for Kenyan rhumba fans during the Lokole Festival that will feature top Congolese crooner Ferre Gola. The concert will be held on December 2 at the Nairobi Polo Club.
Ferre Gola made a brief private visit to Nairobi in early October seemingly to to lay the groundwork for the forthcoming concert
Ferre will be entertaining Kenyans just a few months after his big rival in Congo DR, singer Fally Ipupa, performed in Nairobi on September 30.
The two also held separate shows at the Stade de Martyrs in Kinshasa (Fally last year and Ferre this year) in what was billed as a “contest” to see who could pull a bigger crowd at the gigantic stadium.
During the Stade de Martyrs show, Ferre featured Victoria Kimani, the US-born singer of Kenyan origin, with whom he released the duet titled “Tucheze”.
According to the organisers of the Lokole Festival, the intention was to have an exclusive rhumba VIP show. This they hope to realise this by setting premium pricing and giving the revellers the best of everything.
The charges will range from Sh4,000 (general entry) to Sh8,000 (VIP), Sh45,000 (VVIP) and Sh80,000 (corporate tables of 10 people each). The deadline for the advance online ticket sales through tikiti.co.ke will be October 31.
Arguably one of the most popular ballad singers of the neo-generation Congolese rhumba style, Ferre has in the recent past placed himself in the class of the most sought-after vocalists on the Lingala music scene.
He is currently doing well with his latest release, Ouragan, featuring his Belgium-based compatriot, singer Malage de Lugendo.
His earlier hit songs include 100 Kilos, Carte Rose, Rhumba Trap, Liberte, Kiti ya Libaya and Bizorbi.
He is among the Congolese musicians at the heart of the resurgence of the poplar rhumba beat that has seen a great fusion and modernisation, but with great emphasis still on vocals and the solo guitar. He has also recorded several songs backed by the acoustic guitar.
Ferre is following in the rhumba footsteps of music titans Franco Luambo Luanzo Makiadi, Tabu Ley, Ndombe Opetum, Madilu System, and others who came before.
Also in Ferre's league, besides Fally Ipupa, are two astounding young women, Barbara Kanam and Meje30.
The soft-spoken Ferre, who made his debut with Werrason’s Orchestre Wenge Musica Maison Mere in Kinshasa, has a string of hits to his name. However, he was first recognised through his composition, Vita Imana, off the blockbuster album Solola Bien.
Earlier, he was part of the original Wenge Musica group that last visited Kenya in 1997, only to split that same year. The last two featured rivals JB Mpiana and Werrason.
According to promoter Jules Nsana, Ferre is expected to travel with a full band as he has done on prevIous tours. He has occasionally performed in the USA.
