Contact details: unboundedarts@yahoo.com
Coco Mbassi is a singer originating from Cameroon.
Her music is a subtle blend of African roots, classical music, jazz and gospel, along with the modern feeling of acoustic soul music.
Winner of the Radio France International Découvertes Contest in 1996, winner of the German World Music CD Critics Award in 2001 and nominated for the BBC World Music Awards 2002 for her first album « SEPIA », the singer has toured worldwide with her band, in the most prestigious venues and festivals some of the highlights of which was the Eden Project Live 8 Concert 2005, organised by Peter Gabriel, and many more : Louisiana International Festival, Jazz Sous Les Pommiers, Normandy, France, Festival d’Eté in Montréal and Nuits d’Afrique in Québec, Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin, Afroprojekt in Würzburg…), Pollen radio show with Jean-Louis Foulquier, Festival des REMY in Yaoundé (Cameroon), Womad festivals in Reading, UK; Caceres, Spain; Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Singapore, and Womadelaide…, adding this experience as a lead singer to her previous backing vocalist career.
Coco started singing as a child, even before she could speak; in her family, back home in Cameroon, which was very open to music from all over the world, she used to wake up to the Handel’s Messiah on Sunday mornings, or dance to the Jackson Five’s hits, and during school holidays, she would go to her father’s village and sing and dance the traditional Ambass Bey rhythms and songs.
As a young child, she regularly participated very young in singing contests and always won them.
Once in Paris, after high school and a couple of university years, she started singing as a backing vocalist live and in recording sessions.
She also collaborated in various contemporary classical, pop and gospel projects and was the main lead singer for Cirque du Soleil's show Totem for a short period of time.
She then gradually moved on to a solo career, and recorded her two albums, SEPIA (2001) and SISEA (2003), and her first live DVD, Coco Mbassi Tour in 2005. She is now presenting her new album Jóa (release date: 28/09/14).
She describes her music as a « tree with deep African roots and branches that extend some towards classical music, some towards soul, gospel and jazz, and others towards Latin music and even pop music ». Her faith and her love for the human soul exude from every note of her soulful voice.
