Kaïssa

The new voice of Africa, Kaïssa’s high voltage performances combine sultry vocals and pulsating rhythms that captivate the imagination and thrill the senses. Kaïssa was born in Cameroon, where she spent her early years before relocating to Paris with her family. While pursuing a law degree Kaïssa was introduced to vocal studio work by her brothers. In 1991, she joined French multimedia artist Charlélie Couture’s European tour. Since that time, Kaïssa has toured the world and lent her talents to luminary artists such as Manu Dibango, Papa Wemba, Salif Keita, Jean-Michel Jarre, Césaria Évora, Sekouba Bambino, Martha Wash and Diana Ross to name a few. In 1996, Kaïssa left Paris for New York in pursuit of a solo career, backed by a group of world-class musicians from around the globe. In March 2004, Kaïssa’s debut album, 'Looking There' was released by Sony Music South Africa. As a result she has been featured on three Putumayo compilations including: 'Global Soul', 'World Reggae' and 'Women Of Africa'. Her riveting performance at the XVI Africa Festival in Würzburg Germany (May 2004) led critics to dub her "…one of the future great voices of Africa." Currently based in New York, where she performs regularly, Kaïssa sings in both French and her native Cameroonian language, Duala. Her music is a combination of rhythm and blues and jazz, always founded on or coming through African melodies and sonorities. www.kaïssa.com Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.