Florence Chitacumbi

Florence Chitacumbi is a Swiss-Angolan musician based in Neuchatel.

Between a musician father playing soul at home and a mother listening to French music, immersed in two rich cultures, Chitacumbi grew up cherishing her Swiss-Angolan heritage.

This inheritance will increasingly inspire her artistic approach and influence her music journey towards jazz music, Creole beats and Congolese rhythms. In the '90s, those various collaborations will naturally bring the young artist to London, European capital of a new emerging vibe, bringing together African influences, soul and jazz under one word: 'Métissage'.

After a period in London where she will compose her first album, Uniq (1995), and a residence in Brussels, it is in Paris that Florence Chitacumbi finds her inspiration. In the French capital, she joins a new community of eclectic artists building bridges between Africa and Europe and starts progressively working with artists such as Teri Moise and Julien Clerc.

Her eclectic Parisian encounters will inspire the recording of her second album, '6ème Sens' (2000), acclaimed in multiple French-speaking countries and beyond. In those years, the singer becomes increasingly inspired by avant-gardist electronic approaches and pushed by the success of her previous album, she initiates a new hybrid collaboration with Christophe Calpini (Alain Bashung), Vulzor and Pierre Drevet (Charles Aznavour). This will give birth to a cycle of performances called 6ème Sens Revisité (2005).

In 2006, inspired by years of touring and recordings around the world, she comes back to Europe to record her third Album: 'Regards Croisés'. For the occasion, Florence brings to her studio iconic worldwide celebrated musicians such as Yves Ndock (Touré Kunda, Papa Wemba) on the guitar, N’doumbe Djengue (Salif Keita, Rachid Taha, Angélique Kidjo) and Valery Lobe (Manu Dibango).

It is through this occasion that she meets Mino Cinelu (Miles Davis, Weather Report, Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder and many others), who will bring Florence’s compositions to new lands. This world-acclaimed album will bring the two friends ever closer and make them tour the world, from Siberia to Cameroon.

After various new projects, illustrious performances at the Montreux Jazz Festival, and a collaboration with Gil Scott-Heron’s music architect, Brian Jackson, Florence publishes her fourth Album, 'Rebelles', produced by Noel Assolo (Rita Mitsouko), followed by a tour in China and various other performances.

After sharing the stage with sonic artist Pascal Auberson, she calls her old friend, Mino Cinelu, to initiate a new project: 'Reunion'. With Cinelu coming back from New York for the occasion, the project will bring the duo to perform in incredible venues across Africa and Europe.