Abeti Masikini
Elisabeth Finant (9 November 1954 – 28 September 1994), known professionally as 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, 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 venues such as Paris's Olympia Hall and New York's Carnegie Hall. Over her three-decade career, Masikini recorded over twenty studio albums for a variety of record labels including Les Disques Pierre Cardin, Pathé Records, Aziza, RCA Records, Polygram Records, among others.
A trailblazer for African women in music, Masikini was the first Congolese female artist to lead her own band and perform in major international venues such as Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Wembley Arena, and the Apollo Theater. She died of uterine cancer on 28 September 1994, in Villejuif, Paris.
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