The voice behind the Hit Single Bumpy Ride which made waves across every other club in India, will finally be in Bangalore city on his debut tour of the country at Pebble — The Jungle Lounge on September 24.
Mohombi Nzasi Moupondo, known professionally as Mohombi, is a Swedish-Congolese R&B singer-songwriter and dancer.
He grew up in one of Stockholm’s suburbs called Norsborg, Stockholm.
Mohombi is RedOne’s first signing to 2101 Records in joint venture with Universal Music Group.
From 2004 to 2008 Mohombi was a part of the Swedish hip hop group Avalon with his brother Djo Moupondo.
Mohombi released his debut solo single Bumpy Ride in August 2010.
The single became a topten hit in many European countries, and was followed by his debut studio album, MoveMeant in February.
About the artiste
23-year-old singer, writer and producer with half Swedish, half African heritage, Mohombi delivers a fresh, irresistible party sound he calls Afro-Viking.
It’s music that sounds like my story — he believes, and what a story his is: this son of an African King-cumpolitician escaped war torn Congo in his early teens, relocated to Stockholm where he tasted musical success for the first time then, before hanging out with friends in LA, where he was almost instantly talent spotted by fellow semi-Swede and super producer RedOne (Lady Gaga, Usher, Lil Jon).
Mohombi was born to a Swedish mother and a Congolese father.
He has fourteen siblings.
Raised in the Congo, Mohombi and his family escaped the wartorn country for Stockholm, Sweden in 1999 when Mohombi was 14.
His parents regularly exposed him to varied musical influences from early on in his childhood so that Mohombi soon developed his passion for song.
He studied at Rytmus Music High School in Stockholm and made his stage debut at seventeen in the Swedish revival production of the cult show Wild Side Story.
He pursued his studies and obtained his bachelor’s degree in music and song from Stockholm’s Music Conservatory.
He speaks Swedish, French, English and Lingala.
In Stockholm Mohombi and his brother Djo Moupondo, a local club DJ known as DJ Djo formed the group Avalon combining the dancehall and hip hop of the time with the distinctive African beats on which they were raised.
From 2004 to 2008 the group sold over half a million records and won the All African Kora Awards, an African equivalent of the Grammy for the category Best Group — Diaspora Europe/ Caribbean category, while Mohombi became a prolific songwriter in his own right.
At this point music was only a part-time job, and looking for something more Mohombi headed to LA.
Mohombi collaborated with Swedish rapper Lazee on Do It, which was released in Sweden on May 31, 2010.
It debuted at number nine on the Swedish Singles Chart.
In Los Angeles Mohombi was introduced through friends to producer RedOne, whose own background is Swedish-Morrocan.
The singer’s debut single, Mohombi released Miss Me as his debut single in the United Kingdom on October 31, 2010.
It features American rapper Nelly.
His third single called Dirty Situation was released in Europe on November 11 and features R&B singer Akon.
Dirty Situation is played at the beginning and then again later on in the middle of the music video for Miss Me.
Mohombi’s debut album, MoveMeant was released in Europe on February 28 and is scheduled to be released in the US by the end of 2011.
Mohombi features on track Hula Hoop of the 2011 release of Stella Mwangi album Kinanda.
Mohombi’s single, Coconut Tree features Nicole Scherzinger.
On September 2, he released another single called Maraca on iTunes in Sweden.