Noël Ngiama Makanda ( 25 December 1965), known professionally as Werrason, is a Congolese singer-songwriter, composer, producer, philanthropist, and the bandleader of Wenge Musica Maison Mère. He was a co-founding member of Wenge Musica, a musical group that played a pivotal role in the development of the ndombolo dance music genre during the 1990s. Ngiama is widely recognized as one of the emblematic figures of Wenge Musica. His compositions, such as "Mulolo", "Kin É Bougé" (featuring JB Mpiana), and notably "Kala-Yi-Boeing", are acclaimed as some of Wenge Musica's most distinguished works. Following Wenge Musica's disbandment in 1997 due to internal disputes between Ngiama and JB Mpiana, the band split into Wenge Musica Maison Mère, led by Ngiama, and Wenge BCBG, headed by JB Mpiana. In December 1999, Wenge Musica Maison Mère released the ndombolo-infused album ''Solola Bien!'', which achieved gold certification and experienced immediate success across Africa and its diaspora in France. In September 2000, Wenge Musica Maison Mère became the second African act to perform and sell out the

Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy Accor Arena (originally known as the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy), also known as Bercy Arena, is an indoor sports arena and List of concert halls, concert hall in the neighbourhood of Bercy, on the Boulevard de Bercy, in the 12th arrondisse ...

following Koffi Olomidé earlier that year. With a career spanning nearly four decades, Werrason has produced numerous successful studio albums, including seven with Wenge Musica, nine with Wenge Musica Maison Mère, and four solo studio albums. Notable solo releases include ''Kibuisa Mpimpa'' (2001), ''Témoignage'' (2005), ''Sans Poteau'' (2015), and ''7 jours de la semaine'' (2017). Aside from music, Ngiama is known for his humanitarian work. He founded the Werrason Foundation in 2000, a non-profit organization that aids orphans in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Recognized as an " Ambassador For Peace" and "people's singer" by the

United Nations Global Compact The United Nations Global Compact is a non-binding United Nations pact to get businesses and firms worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies, and to report on their implementation. The UN Global Compact is the world's ...

, Ngiama is an advocate for

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

's initiatives against

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

and

discrimination Discrimination is the process of making unfair or prejudicial distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong, such as race, gender, age, class, religion, or sex ...

Career

Early years and formation of Wenge Musica Maison Mère (WMMM)

When Werrason's college band Wenge Musica split in December 1997, Werrason, Masela, and Dominguez then created Wenge Musica Maison Mère, a band based at Zamba Playa in

Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ), formerly named Léopoldville from 1881–1966 (), is the Capital city, capital and Cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa is one of the world's fastest-grow ...

. With the help of among others Sankara de Kunta and Zacharie Babaswe, Werrason travelled the country to recruit young musicians. The band's first album, ''Force d'Intervention Rapide'' was released on November 28, 1998. His song "Chantal Switzerland" became a noted song of the year, while his animator Bill Clinton Kalonji was voted best animator. Their second album, ''Solola Bien'' (1999) was successful in the African music scene, and earned the Gold Record in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. In June 2001, Werrason released his first solo album ''Kibuisa Mpimpa'', a double CD with 17 tracks. This recording was the result of five years of preparation, four months of studio work, and over 2,000 hours of writing. This album won him two Kora awards in South Africa, including "Best Artist" in Africa and "Best Album" in Central Africa. Later that year, Werrason performed back-to-back concerts at

Zénith Paris Zénith Paris (originally known as Zénith de Paris, ; and commonly referred to as Le Zénith, ) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Paris, France. It is located in the Parc de la Villette in the 19th arrondissement on the edge of the Canal d ...

, one of the largest concert halls in France. He toured

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

including

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, and

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

. The

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

have awarded him the title of Universal Ambassador of Peace. In 2001, Werrason was received by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

. Since then, he has spoken for

campaigns against

and

, and in campaigns against early marriages and to promote education for girls. During his world tour, performed with other African artists including Manu Dibango at the Paris Olympia, Passi,

Doc Gynéco Bruno Beausir (; born May 10, 1974), known by his stage name Doc Gynéco (), is a French hip hop musician. His music is typically characterized as a ragga/ rap style, that has found its fan base in France. Early life, family and education Bor ...

, Benji and Akil. Werrason also collaborated with Shaggy. In the same year, Werrason performed a concert at Stade des Martyrs, which was attended by over 100,000 people. He also performed for 17,000 at Bercy in 2000.

Controversies

In September 2021, the Parisian prefecture announced the cancellation of a large concert of Werrason which was to be held at the Zénith of Paris, citing "risks of serious disturbances to the public order and of attacking the safety of the spectators", in particular with threats of the demonstrations of radical opponents to the regime in place. Werrason has expressed his anger towards France.

Discography

Albums

*2001: ''Kibuisa Mpimpa'' *2005: ''Temoignage'' *2008: ''Simply The Best Of, Vol. 1'' *2015: ''Sans Poteau'' *2017: ''7 Jours de la Semaine''

Singles

*2013: "I Found a Way" (feat. Mohombi) *2014: "Block Cadenas" *2017: "Diemba (Balançoire Générique)" *2019: "Formidable" *2020: "Yeke Yeke" (feat. Bikorine & But Na Filet) ;Featured in *2021: "RDV" (Picolcrist bil feat. Werrason)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Official Website
{{Authority control 1965 births Living people 21st-century Democratic Republic of the Congo male singers People from Kwilu Province 20th-century Democratic Republic of the Congo male singers French-language singers of the Democratic Republic of the Congo English-language singers of the Democratic Republic of the Congo