Victoria Kimani: Congolese star Ferre Gola transformed my music career – EXCLUSIVE
Celebrated Kenyan artist Victoria Kimani made a memorable appearance at Ferre Gola’s historic concert held at the Stade des Martyrs in Kinshasa on June 24, 2023.
This performance marked a significant milestone in Kimani’s career, as she says she performed in front of the largest audience she has ever encountered.
In an interview with Nairobi News, Victoria shared how this remarkable opportunity came about.
Her first connection with the Lingala musician dates back to 2015 when he visited Kenya.
“About eight years ago, I did a song with Ferre Gola titled ‘Tucheze’ after he visited Kenya. We recorded ‘Tucheze’ and shot the video the next day. The song was a hit, and I never anticipated its impact,” she explained.
The connection with the Congolese audience proved to be extraordinary for Victoria Kimani.
“Seven years later, in June 2023, Ferre had a concert at one of the biggest stadiums (Stade des Martyrs), and he insisted I perform. He said the song ‘Tucheze’ helped revive his music career after a hiatus. This was my first time performing in Kinshasa, and I was blown away by their love for music. It was the biggest crowd I’ve ever performed for, and the support was overwhelming. It was a life-changing experience,” Kimani shared.
Despite initial concerns about the language barrier, Victoria says the audience connected deeply with her music.
“I knew the crowd would be big, but not that big. Because of the language barrier, I thought they wouldn’t connect with me as much,” she said.
Looking ahead, she revealed that the concert has opened doors for future collaborations.
“I managed to connect with more artists for my forthcoming album. I even made a song in French and Lingala. It’s great to have a song they can understand.”
Reflecting on other memorable collaborations, Kimani mentioned Ferre Gola as a standout.
“Ferre Gola is definitely one of the most memorable. I wouldn’t have broken into the market without that collaboration. It opened up such a great audience for me. Tekno produced one of my great songs and that also opened doors for me in Nigeria, and Diamond Platnumz and Ommy Dimpoz opened up the Tanzanian market for me,” she said.