Henri Dikongué

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Henri Dikongué is a Cameroonian singer and guitarist.

[edit] Biography

Born on December 6, 1967 in Douala to a family of musicians, he learned music at a young age, especially from his grandmother, who sang in a chorus, and his uncle, who played guitar. His parents, however, did not think he could make a profitable career in music, so they sent him to study law at the Université de Besançon at the age of 23.

But he later attended a school music in Paris, where he attempted unsuccessfully to release a first album. He started a music/acting troup and worked with actor Martin Yog and musicians Alfred M'Bongo and Manuel Wandji, as well as Maranatha, a South African chorus.

After finally choosing to settle in Paris in 1989, he perfected his skills with classical guitar and collaborated with great African musicians such as Manu Dibango and Papa Wemba. In 1995 he released his first album, Wa. In his music he mixes his melodious voice, some makossa, bikutsi, even a bit of reggae and rumba. He sings in his native tongue, Duala. The album will meet praise from the critics. The same year he could also be seen in concerts featuring Cesaria Evora.

His second album, C'est la vie, released in 1997, encounters international success, and will allow him to travel abroad, first in Germany, and later in 1998 in a successful tour of the United States. There, his album, released under the Tinder Records label, would sell 10,000 copies after a year, a notable feat for a francophone artist.

In Cameroon he is a superstar and his concerts are always a big event. His third album, N'oublie jamais, was released in 2000. Dikongué incorporates more musical styles such as reggae and flamenco, but the album wasn't as successful as his previous works. Dikongué nevertheless is still touring the world and working on some new material.