Jolie Detta

Jolie Detta Kamenga Kayobote (born c. 1968), professionally known as Jolie Detta or Evangeliste Myriam, is a Congolese singer-songwriter, dancer, and evangelist. She made her music debut with Choc Stars between 1983 and 1984.

In 1985, Detta joined Tabu Ley's Orchestre Afrisa International and then Franco Luambo's Ok Jazz in 1986, where she gained national recognition as the lead vocalist in the band's Extended Play (EP) Le Grand Maitre Franco et son Tout Puissant O.K. Jazz et Jolie Detta, in collaboration with Franco and Simaro Lutumba. The EP included breakout singles "Massu," "Cherie Okamuisi Ngai," "Layile," and "Likambo Ya Somo Lumbe," which brought her into the spotlight with a debut tour to Kenya with OK Jazz the same year. She later rejoined Choc Stars and recorded successful releases before joining Bozi Boziana's newly established ensemble Orchestre Anti-Choc in 1988 after Choc Stars disbanded. Anti-Choc's album La Reine de Sabah, released at the end of 1988, and its eponymous lead single, composed by Boziana, was named the Best Song of the Year and earned her the Best Voice of the Year for her performance.

From the 1990s to the 2000s, Detta devoted herself to Christian music, switching to gospel, and relocated to Luanda, Angola.

Early life and work

While the exact date of Detta's birth is uncertain. The Daily Nation reports that she was born to a Greek father and a Congolese mother. In 1983, Detta joined the soukous band Choc Stars in Kinshasa and contributed to the band's tracks as a chanter and leading vocalist. She caught the attention of Tabu Ley Rochereau and Franco Luambo during her performances when the duo were recording their two albums under Choc Stars label (Choco Choc Choc). She joined Tabu Ley's Afrisa International in 1985 and took the sobriquet "Samantha Ley."

Following her successful stint with Afrisa, she went on to join Franco's OK Jazz. In mid-1986, she was featured in Franco's EP Le Grand Maitre Franco et son Tout Puissant O.K. Jazz et Jolie Detta, which is a blend of Congolese rumba and soukous and includes collaboration with Simaro Lutumba. The EP features four tracks: "Massu," "Cherie Okamuisi Ngai," "Layile," and "Likambo Ya Somo Lumbe," and was produced by Franco's Edipop Production and Disques Espérance, a subsidiary of SonoDisc. "Massu" lyrics prominently features Detta's mellow voice with Franco's backing her up in the line "Matongi elekaki biso mbeka eh," followed by a more rhythmic sebéne segment characterized by swirling guitars and substantial brass percussion sections. "Layile," also composed by Franco, incorporated Franco's and Malage de Lugende's vocal input. Malage married into Detta's indispensable vocals. The two songs are considered amongst "the most memorable" within OK Jazz's discography.

Detta's association with the band concluded following the release of the two songs with some attributing her "premature" departure to a disagreement over remuneration issues with Franco.