Innoss'B

Innocent Didace Balume was born on May 5, 1997, in Goma, North Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo.[4][22][23] His father was a dancer and his mother was a cantor at church. He is the youngest of six children and had three brothers as musicians.[24][21] Innocent was raised in the Birere District of Goma, and spent much time at his paternal grandmother's home.[23] Throughout his childhood, he grew up listening to Michael Jackson.[3][4]

In 2002, the Nyiragongo volcanic eruption displaced approximately 300,000 people,[25] including Innocent and his brothers, who formed a music band in a refugee camp as a powerful medium for raising awareness.[22] The family ensemble comprised Prince Agakhan Balume, Eric Fonkodji Balume, Achille Djibril Balume, and Innocent Didace Balume.[26][27] They received training at Yolé!Africa, a youth cultural center founded by internationally acclaimed filmmaker and activist Petna Ndaliko Katondolo.[28] They collaborated with several artists including Pascal Lokua Kanza. Their single "Another Way," released in 2005, won the Revelation 2007 Award at the Goma Tourism Fair.[29][22][10][26] In 2009, Innocent took part in a provincial singing competition organized by the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) and secured third place among over 20 selected groups.[30]

Innoss'B performing in Goma, September 2015

In 2010, at just 13 years old, he clinched the Vodacom Superstar contest, co-hosted by Vodacom in partnership with Akon, Akonic Entertainment, and Nickie Davis.[10] He achieved the feat with a performance of Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel."[4] His victory earned him $25,000 and copiously donated a portion of his prize money to his former school in Goma.[4][6] The win provided a platform to launch his music career and collaborated with Akon on the song "Anyway,"[31] which was later released as "Up and Away" on his album Innocent Vol.1.[11][32] While still in Maisha Soul, he released his debut single, "I Can Be Your Blue-Eyed Boy," in March 2012, which expeditiously became an instant hit and peaked at number one on the Africa Hit chart on Trace TV.[33] He later participated in Lexxus Legal's Lexxus album on the track "Dors Pas Tard."[34] In December 2012, he relocated to Washington, accompanied by Maisha Soul and his manager Lady Nadia, where they appeared on various TV shows and radio stations, including Bakolo States owned by Gary Iwele and Voice of America.[35]

In January 2013, they journeyed to Los Angeles, where Innocent and Maisha Soul attended the Cinema for Peace Humanitarian Awards, honoring Ben Affleck and his foundation, Eastern Congo Initiatives, at the Beverly Hills Hotel during the 70th Golden Globe Awards.[20][3][10] The band conveyed the plight of the Kivu conflict in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo through their performances while showcasing their talents and representing their country.[35][10][36][3] On January 28, he and Maisha Soul returned to the DRC and officially announced their "Keep Smiling" mixtape from the US. The mixtape was sung in Swahili and was later released on January 29.[30][37] On February 10, 2013, he released his single "Neti na uh"[38] and subsequently toured the US along with Maisha Soul and performed in Atlanta in front of Martin Luther King III On February 16,[39] and met Ludacris on February 15.[3] On July 10, 2013, he officially announced to Radio Okapi his countrywide tour of major cities, culminating in performances at the Amani Festival concerts in Goma, promoting the culture of peace as part of the countrywide tour.[40] He later represented his country at the Global Philanthropy Forum in San Francisco and was honored with the Special Jury Trophy at the prestigious Ndule Pan-African Awards in Kinshasa.[10][3]

During an interview on Radio Kivu1, Innocent announced his debut solo album, Innocent Vol.1, released on July 17, 2013, featuring eight video titles, including his previous hit 'Up and Away'.[41] Despite his talent, he faced the challenge of establishing himself in Kinshasa, a city already under the sway of musical giants like Fally Ipupa and Ferré Gola. In a strategic shift, he ingeniously charmed the hearts of Kinshasa's populace by delivering his songs in Lingala, a departure from his previous Swahili repertoire.[42]

Early in 2014, he extended an invitation to Werrason to collaborate on his hit "Eloko." The music video was filmed in Kinshasa alongside accomplished comedian Fiston Sai Sai and was later released on October 9, 2015.[43] On May 5, 2014, Innocent was invited by Master Peace Foundation to Holland's Liberation Day for several concerts, where he shared the stage with Dutch singer Roel Van Velzen at Park de Wezenlanden in Zwolle.[43][44]

In October 2014, he parted ways with Lady Nadia's management, accusing her of being inept and unprofessional. He claimed that during her three-year tenure as his manager, they only produced one video clip, "Blue-eyed boy," which was only possible with the help of his friends and their support, not Lady Nadia's involvement.[45] Parenthetically, on September 21, 2014, he participated in the celebration of Peace Day at Ziggo Dome, one of Europe's largest arenas, located in North Holland.[43][44] In November 2014, while performing in Equatorial Guinea as a guest of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, a road accident occurred in Mongomo. Miraculously, neither Innocent nor his entourage suffered life-threatening injuries. He reassured fans on Facebook, expressing gratitude for their safety.[41][46]

In 2016, he was featured in the track "First Lady" alongside X-Maleya, the Cameroonian makossa group.[43] He also performed in Kigali in 2017, as part of Peace One Day, an initiative led by British actor Jeremy Gilley. Incidentally, in 2016, he took the stage at the Amani Festival in front of an audience of approximately thirty thousand people in Goma.[43]

His breakthrough came in 2018 with the release of his hit single 'Ozo Beta Mabe,' a great mix of Afro-pop and Congolese rumba, in February 2018 and 'Yo Pe Remix' in September 2019, which features renowned Tanzanian artist Diamond Platnumz. The song's catchy beats and danceable rhythm made it an instant hit in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and across Africa and Europe, particularly in France and Belgium. The music video amassed millions of views on YouTube, propelling the album to international stardom. He was nominated for Best New International Artist at the BET Awards in 2020.[10][4][42]

Balume continued to release a series of successful singles, including 'Olandi' in July 2020, 'Best' in October 2020 and 'Meme' in March 2021.[10][47]

On December 9, 2021, Innocent announced the forthcoming release of his second album, Mortel-06. Comprising 15 tracks, the album was officially released on December 26, 2021, and swiftly secured a prominent position within the top 5 of online music stores, remarkably devoid of any collaborative features.[48][49] Conspicuously, the album stood out for its distinct diversity of musical styles. Innocent boldly diversified his repertoire, embracing Congolese rumba in "A dieu," rap in "Naomi Campbell," and Afro-trap in "Boutchou," among other compelling selections.[48]