The Vortex is delighted to host 5 nights of the 12th London African Music Festival
Coco Mbassi is a singer originating from Cameroon. Her music is a subtle blend of African roots, classical music, jazz and gospel, along with the modern feeling of acoustic soul music, which she mostly composes herself and co-produces with her husband Serge Ngando Mpondo. Coco Mbassi made her name as a backing vocalist with the likes of Salif Keita, Oumou Sangare, Touré Kunda, Manu Dibango and Ray Lema.
Winner of the Radio France International Decouvertes Contest in 1996, winner of the German World Music CD Critics Award in 2001 and nominated for the BBC World Music Awards 2002 for her first album « SEPIA », the singer has toured worldwide with her band, in the most prestigious venues and festivals some of the highlights of which was the Eden Project Live 8 Concert 2005, organised by Peter Gabriel, and many more; Louisiana International Festival, Jazz Sous Les Pommiers, Normandy, France, Festival d’Eté in Montréal and Nuits d’Afrique in Québec, Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin, Afroprojekt in Würzburg; Pollen radio show with Jean-Louis Foulquier, Festival des REMY in Yaoundé (Cameroon), Womad festivals in Reading, UK; Caceres, Spain; Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Singapore, and Womadelaide.
She has also been involved in leading singing and African dance workshops for cultural centres, schools (Black history month programs) and festivals such as the Womad.