Valérie Ekoumè
Stepping into Valérie Ekoumè’s world will be one of the most interesting and fulfilling experience you may have.
In her colorful world, Love is King and Afropop is the music she chooses to express it. After Djaalé in 2015, her second opus “KWIN NA KINGUE” has been released in November 2017. In this new album, and with the help of Guy Nwogang, Valérie EKOUME digged deeper into her cameroonians roots, the result is Bikutsi or even Essèwè which are popular rhythms from Cameroun. So get ready to dance on original and meaningful songs mixed with Mangambeu or even Essèwè and welcome into her colorful world, where traditional music is a real base and love is the answer.
From a musician family, Valérie EKOUME is a French Cameroonian singer based in Paris. She grew up listening to various musical styles from congolese rumba, pop music artists (as Michael Jackson), to cameroonian Music. Singers like Miriam Makeba (Mama Africa) and Whitney Houston were, as she called them her virtual vocal coaches, as she learnt to sing with them. Her life took a different turn when in 2004, she started to actively worke with Manu DIBANGO in the Soul Makossa Gang. Touring with this great musician for 8 year, was for Valerie one most incredible experience of her life. In 2005, she joint the American School Of Modern Music, in Paris specialized in musician training where she stayed for 5 years. With many partnerships such as, ALAIN BARRIERE, MACEO PARKER, Courtney PINE, Papa WEMBA, MEIWAY, the singer belongs to this new multicultural generation and is influenced by it.
Learn more about Valérie at her website: www.valerieekoume.fr/en/
Guy Nwogang
“Dipita Na Wélisanè” it means faith and perseverance in duala, those are words that perfectly describe Guy NWOGANG ‘s philosophy.
He was born in Cameroon, where music is more than an institution. As a young boy, he often skip school and went to the famous club “Le Madison” to listen and watch the drum guy play. Growing up, he developed more skills to the point of being noticed by local great musicians who will give him the opportunity to travel and perform on many great stages in Africa and abroad.
Wishing to improve himself even more, he decided at age of 22 to fly to France and integrate Christian Bourdon’s Akanga Music School, this was best decision ever since he started to work with internationally known artists as Manu DIBANGO, Stevie WONDER, Salif KEÏTA, Maceo PARKER, Pee Wee ELLIS, Papa WEMBA, Tony ALLEN, ASHA, Anne-Maris NZIE, Pierre AKENDENGUE, Magic System, Mc Solar, Djamel Laroussi, Les Nubians, Etienne Mbappè, Jean-Jacques Elanguè, Bens Bélinga, Claudine François, Philipoe Combelle, Mario Canonge, Buren Cirque, Brice Wassy, Moriba Koïta, Keiziah Jones, Charlotte Dipanda, Pablo Master, Les Berthes, Otoulbaka, Douleur, Nkodo Sitony, Ottou Marcelin Eboa Lotin, Kika, Meiway, only to name few.
Guy as several strings to his bow, not only he is a drummer but he is also known as a very gifted percussionist, able to speak the universal languages of percussions. This musician is in fact the author of two methods that teach the Cameroonians rhythms, “12/8 Accents” and “Cam Rhythms Air Lines”.
After touring all around the world, he is now willing to open a new chapter in his life as a composer and producer. The 18 may 2015, the album of the singer Valérie EKOUME, followed by the second one Kwin Na Kinguè on the 24 of November 2017 produced by him, came out, not to mention that all the percussions and drums were recorded in his studio.
