King Kester Emeneya

Who was King Kester Emeneya?

Jean Baptiste Emeneya Mubiala Kwamambu was a Congolese singer best known as King Kester Emeneya.

He was born in Kikwit within the Democratic Republic of the Congo. While a student of political science at the University of Lubumbashi in 1977, King Kester joined the band Viva La Musica. After achieving success with several popular songs, he became the most popular African singer in the 1980s and created his own band, called "Victoria Eleison", on December 24, 1982.

Emeneya Djo Kester was innovative with his music. He was the first central African musician to incorporate electronic instruments in his album entitled Nzinzi which sold millions of copies in 1987. After years of success with populars songs, in 1993 he released his album Every Body distributed by Sonodisc. Every body was a big success internationally. In 1997, after a seven-year absence, King Kester returned to Congo. Nearly 80,000 people attended the first concert after his return, which was a record-setting feat according to the Congolese media. He has more than 1000 songs to his credit and has performed on five continents.