Abeti Masikini
Elisabeth Finant (9 November 1954 – 28 September 1994), cognomenously known as Abeti Fina-Masikini or simply Abeti Masikini, was a Congolese singer, composer, bandleader, and philanthropist. With a nearly three-decades-long career, she was a significant figure in 20th-century Congolese and African popular music. Often referred to as the "Queen of Soukous", she is noted for advocating gender equality, modernizing Congolese music, and inspiring successive generations of musicians. Her band, Les Redoutables, was a launching pad for numerous female artists.
Born in Kisangani, then part of the Belgian Congo and now the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Abeti Masikini made her public debut in 1971 after being discovered by Togolese producer Gérard Akueson, following her feat in the Découverte des Jeunes Talents music contest organized by singer Gérard Madiata. Her debut album, Pierre Cardin Présente: Abeti, released in 1973, propelled her into the limelight, earning televised prominence and selling out numerous concert venues in Europe and the US, including Olympia Hall and Carnegie Hall. In the ensuing year, she shared the stage with James Brown, Tabu Ley Rochereau, Miriam Makeba, Franco Luambo, among others, during the opening show of the Rumble in the Jungle in October 1974. Her sophomore album La voix du Zaire, l'idole de l'Afrique, released in 1975, earned her numerous European performances.
Throughout her 20-year career, Abeti Masikini has recorded a succession of over twenty studio albums for a variety of record labels including Les Disques Pierre Cardin, Pathé Records, Aziza, RCA Records, Polygram Records, among others. She died of uterine cancer on 28 September 1994, in Villejuif, Paris.
She was the first Congolese female artist to lead her own band as well as the first Central African female artist to perform at major venues in Europe and America, such as Zénith Paris, Carnegie Hall, Olympia Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Wembley Arena, and Appollo Theater.
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