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Mopao Mumu: from Kinshasa to Montreal, the voice behind COLLIDE

Published October 20, 2026

Mopao Mumu is a singer songwriter based in Montreal, born in Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and raised in South Africa. Her writer name, Stephanie Tsumbu, signs the lyrics of almost all her records, from “Take Me” in 2020 to the COLLIDE album in 2025. She is not a bouyon artist, and this profile lends her no bouyon title: her place on this site rests on one precise credit. The single “COLLIDE”, released on July 11, 2025 on PS23 and L’ART SUFFIT, is produced by HypnoticBeatz, the producer this site documents as HYPNO for his 160 BPM bouyon, and composed by Yannick Cabald, the composer who also recurs on the Malko records produced by the same producer. Around that bridge, her file is complete: a sourced biography, an EP, an album, Montreal festival stages and a Gala Dynastie nomination.

Who Mopao Mumu is: Kinshasa, South Africa, then Montreal

Mopao Mumu was born in Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where she spent her early childhood, before growing up in South Africa. Her biography published by Music In Africa, echoed by the Festival International Nuits d’Afrique de Montréal and by Traxsource, tells a training in two stages: choirs and poetry from childhood, then a taste for songs, a musical education begun with classical music and widened to the contemporary music of the African continent and the rest of the globe. SOCAN Magazine refines the path: her family left for South Africa just before the turn of the millennium, she stayed there until she was 18, then she came to Montreal for university studies in mathematics and economics.

PHI, which hosted her at its PHI North residency for Quebec musicians, says she has been based in Montreal since 2011. She launched her music career there in 2020 with the single “Take Me”, and she manages her own career, a detail SOCAN Magazine underlines by noting that her mathematics and economics studies serve her in that self managed artist role. The Nuits d’Afrique festival adds a language precision that matters for reading her lyrics: she is at ease in French, in English and in Lingala, her native language according to that page.

Her stage name is explained by her Music In Africa biography, and this profile renders it with that attribution. Mopao is a homage to Koffi Olomidé, the Congolese icon nicknamed Mopao, and Mumu a tender nod to her middle name. The same biography names her founding inspirations: the Congolese pioneers Mbilia Bel, Tshala Muana and Abeti Maskini. In the SOCAN interview, she names on her side Papa Wemba, whom she presents as the king of Congolese rumba, Fally Ipupa, and the afrobeats stars Wizkid and Burna Boy. PHI sums up her project this way: to highlight the great female figures of African music that, in her view, the great history has forgotten.

The sound that results from that path is described the same way by every opened source: soul, R&B and Afrobeat, with a touch of African pop. SOCAN Magazine adds one precise youth influence, South African kwaito, which she describes as an ancestor of amapiano, and notes her ties with the Montreal Moonshine collective, alongside which she sang with Pierre Kwenders. No source classifies her in bouyon, shatta or soca: her link with this site is a production link, documented below, and it is enough to explain this profile in a wave devoted to the names crossed by HYPNO.

Take Me and Woman: the first two singles, 2020 and 2021

The first verified single is “Take Me”, released on October 30, 2020. The Shazam song page, opened for this research, gives the label Mopao Mumu, the English language, a tempo of 103 BPM and a single writer credit: Stephanie Tsumbu, her writer name, which will then sign almost her whole catalog. PHI and the Nuits d’Afrique festival tell the same start: in October 2020, she decided to launch her career with that record, which mixes soul and R&B with an African touch. Qobuz also lists a solo soul version of “Woman” under her name alone, from December 4, 2020 on L’ART SUFFIT, the first sign of the banner that will carry what follows.

The second milestone is a collaboration. “Woman”, by Nico de Andrea and Andrew Pololos with Mopao Mumu as guest voice, was released on September 17, 2021 on Headroom Records according to Qobuz, and the Bandcamp page of the record, opened for this research, confirms the same release date. The lyric, sung in English with a Lingala passage where she sings that she stays herself, that she stays Mopao, builds the manifesto that will run through her work: a woman who holds her crown and keeps her head up high. A “Woman (Fka Mash Afro Glitch)” version followed on October 8, 2021, again on Headroom Records.

That dance and afro house record places her voice in a circuit different from her soul singles: the circuit of electronic music producers, where her name circulates as a guest voice. In those same years, she sings on “Till The Morning” by VONDA7, released on June 9, 2023 on DAYS like NIGHTS, on which she is credited as a writer with Sylwia Kubicka as composer according to Deezer, then in an Audiojack remix in October 2023. PHI and Music In Africa list her other Montreal collaborations of the period: Pierre Kwenders, DJ Karaba and Lou Phelps, three names of the afro electronic scene of her city.

The rest of her guest voices is read on her Deezer artist page, opened for this research. In August 2024, she co writes “You Don’t Care Anymore” by Kaysha, released on Sushiraw, with Edward Mokolo. In December 2024, she co writes the two versions of “Bina”, afrobeat and amapiano, by the Dfresh Banger project on Silverprod, the same Dfresh Banger whom PHI credits as producer of her “Time Machine” performance at the residency. Those credit lines draw a singer songwriter in demand with producers, even before her first album.

Spring to Summer: the 2022 EP on PS23 and L’ART SUFFIT

The first long project was released on September 30, 2022: Spring to Summer, six records on PS23 and L’ART SUFFIT, classified as R&B by Qobuz. The Deezer page of the EP, opened for this research, gives the order and the full credits: “Daily”, composed by Hervé HB KING Bissereth; “Holla”, composed by Kheir Eldine Hori, Axel Prodi Missumbi and Christopher Edmondson; “Slow”, composed by Lasse Qvist; “Rain”, composed by Lasse Qvist, Sanyun Ahn and Sukwhan Han; “Suga Candy”, co written with Louis Philippe Celestin and composed by Sanyun Ahn; and “Lelo”, composed by Jkins Prod. On the six records, the writer is the same: Stephanie Tsumbu.

Two of those records had opened the way as singles the same year: “Holla”, on August 5, 2022, and “Slow”, on September 9, 2022, both on PS23 and L’ART SUFFIT according to Deezer and Qobuz. The EP therefore installs a durable house: almost all her following solo catalog will appear under that double banner, from “Sail” in 2023 to the COLLIDE album in 2025. That is a clean difference with the guest voices, scattered across Headroom Records, DAYS like NIGHTS, Sushiraw or Silverprod according to the producers who invite her.

The EP period is also the period of the first stages named by the sources. PHI lists concerts at Ausgang Plaza, Belmont and Balattou in Montreal. Music In Africa holds above all what follows: a standout performance at the Montreal International Jazz Festival in 2023, then a headline concert at Studio TD in 2024, presented in its highlights as a sold out concert. All About Jazz magazine and the festival site confirm her presence in the Club Montréal TD program of the 2023 edition, alongside the local discoveries of that year.

A review on the nicomusic site, devoted to the 2023 edition of the jazz festival, describes her on an outdoor stage on Sunday July 2, 2023, sharing songs between pop, soul, an electro touch and afropop, and honoured to be in the program after only two years of professional activity. Afropop Worldwide, in its report on the same festival, presents her as an R&B singer born in Kinshasa, raised in South Africa and now a Montrealer. Those outside views converge with her official pages, which makes the stage file stronger than a simple artist biography.

Sail, Mamou, ALWAYS, Time Machine: the climb toward the album

Between the EP and the album, the catalog moves by yearly singles on PS23 and L’ART SUFFIT, all opened on Deezer and Qobuz for this research. “Sail” was released on June 2, 2023, written by Stephanie Tsumbu and composed by Kephy Music. “Mamou” followed on September 15, 2023, composed by Martin Scroggins, a name that will return on the album. “ALWAYS” was released on April 5, 2024, composed by Nicolas Chataing and Yannick Koutana. And “TIME MACHINE” was released on November 22, 2024, composed by Daniel Sande, another recurring name of the album to come.

“ALWAYS” is the record SOCAN Magazine chooses as the illustration video of its April 2024 portrait, and “Time Machine” is the record she performs in the video of her PHI North residency published in October 2024, with Dfresh Banger credited as producer of that performance. Those two records are therefore not simple catalog lines: they are the two songs the Montreal cultural institutions put forward, each in its moment, to present her to the public.

The year 2024 is also the year of awards recognition. SOCAN Magazine meets her among the four musicians nominated in the Discovery of the Year category of the Gala Dynastie, and she sings at Dynastie Unplugged on April 24, 2024 at Place des Arts, alongside Naïma Frank, Dix-Iple Deca and CSHMR, according to the gala report. She says in that interview that the nomination encouraged her, and that, in her view, you need to be appreciated at home before seeking popularity elsewhere. The day after that performance, she gives a free concert at Studio TD, in the Série libre of the Montreal International Jazz Festival, again according to SOCAN.

No source opened for this research gives the final winners list of that Gala Dynastie category, and this profile therefore does not turn the nomination into a win. It holds what is documented: a nomination, a performance in the gala program, a Studio TD concert the next day, a PHI North residency the same year, and a Studio TD headline concert presented as sold out by her biography. That is a bundle of Montreal recognitions, consistent with her stated anchoring since 2011.

COLLIDE: the single produced by HypnoticBeatz and the 2025 album

The record that links Mopao Mumu to this site first appeared as a single, on July 11, 2025 on PS23 and L’ART SUFFIT, classified as R&B by Qobuz: “COLLIDE”, two minutes seventeen. The Deezer single page gives its writers, Yannick Cabald, Stephanie Tsumbu and Shanti Pierce, and its composer, Yannick Cabald. The credits of the Qobuz playlist where the record appears, recorded during this research, add the decisive line: HypnoticBeatz, producer. That is the same production name the HYPNO page of this site documents for bouyon, and the same composer, Yannick Cabald, as the Malko records produced by Hypnotic Beatz on 30°, SAHARA and Émotionnellement indisponible.

On August 29, 2025, a second single followed on the same banner: “LIKKLE”, written by Stephanie Tsumbu and composed by Mopao Mumu and Daniel Sande. Then, on September 12, 2025, COLLIDE became an album of eleven records, which Qobuz classifies this time as soul. The Deezer album page, opened for this research, gives the full list: “COLLIDE”, “OH NO”, “FALL II WINTER”, “SAD GIRL DISCO”, “TIME MACHINE”, “MAMOU II”, with Kar33m as guest according to Shazam, “LIKKLE”, “ALWAYS”, “GOUT NA GOUT”, “SUKALI” and “NDULE”.

The album works as a sum of the path. It takes back three records already released, “Time Machine”, “Always” in its album spelling and “Likkle”, it extends “Mamou” of 2023 with a “Mamou II” composed by Paul Pesse, and it rotates the composers of her circle: Martin Scroggins on “FALL II WINTER” and “SAD GIRL DISCO”, Daniel Sande on “TIME MACHINE”, “LIKKLE” and “NDULE”, Kheir Eldine Hori, already present on “Holla” in 2022, on “SUKALI”. The writer stays Stephanie Tsumbu on the eleven records, sometimes joined by Yannick Cabald, Shanti Pierce, Cetidon Johann Mikoungui Barry or Vanessa Vidot and Edward Mokolo Jr depending on the record.

For the reader of this site, the exact reading of the bridge is the following. Bouyon soca has its own history, started in Dominica in 2003 by Dada according to the first hand testimony of Sean Smokiller Francis and popularized by Triple Kay, and Mopao Mumu plays no documented role in it. Her verified role is elsewhere: a Montreal soul and R&B singer whose 2025 record is produced by the bouyon producer followed by Bouyon Shattaz. The credits make the link, not the genres, and this profile sticks to the credits. Our bouyon playlist itself stays devoted to bouyon.

What the file establishes, and what it does not say

Taken together, the opened documents establish an unusually well traced path for an independent artist. A birth in Kinshasa and a childhood between Congo and South Africa, told by four agreeing sources. An arrival in Montreal in 2011 according to PHI, studies in mathematics and economics according to SOCAN, and a career launched in 2020 at 103 BPM by an English language single, “Take Me”. One house, PS23 and L’ART SUFFIT, for the solo catalog. One single writer name, Stephanie Tsumbu, on almost every record, which makes her catalog a writer catalog as much as a singer catalog.

The file also establishes her supports, with their exact attributions. Music In Africa speaks of co signs from Kaytranada and Nk.F, and of constant support from Radio-Canada and Télé-Québec: those are claims of her biography, published here as such. SOCAN, PHI, the Nuits d’Afrique festival, the Montreal Jazz Festival and the Gala Dynastie are, by contrast, institutions that programmed her, hosted her in residency or nominated her, with verifiable dates: July 2023 for jazz, April 2024 for Dynastie Unplugged and Studio TD, October 2024 for the PHI North video.

The limits are stated just as clearly. No opened source gives her birth date, and this profile deduces no age. The final winners list of her Gala Dynastie category was not confirmed during this research, so no win is claimed. Listening figures are not carried, for want of a stable opened source about them. And her only link with bouyon is the production credit of “COLLIDE”: if that credit did not exist, this profile would have no place in this wave, and it says so.

The listening path this file supports starts with “Take Me” for the departure, “Woman” with Nico de Andrea and Andrew Pololos for the guest voice, Spring to Summer in full for the 2022 EP, “ALWAYS” and “Time Machine” for the two records put forward by SOCAN and PHI, then the COLLIDE album of 2025 in full, beginning with the title record and the HypnoticBeatz credit. The producer context is read on our HYPNO page, and the genre context on our bouyon soca page.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Mopao Mumu?

Mopao Mumu is a singer songwriter based in Montreal, born in Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and raised in South Africa. Her writer name is Stephanie Tsumbu, who signs the lyrics of almost all her records. According to PHI, she has been based in Montreal since 2011 and launched her career in 2020 with the single Take Me. Her music blends soul, R&B and Afrobeat.

Where does the name Mopao Mumu come from?

According to her biography published by Music In Africa, Mopao is a homage to Koffi Olomidé, the Congolese icon nicknamed Mopao, and Mumu a nod to her middle name. The same biography names her inspirations: the Congolese pioneers Mbilia Bel, Tshala Muana and Abeti Maskini. In her SOCAN interview, she also names Papa Wemba, Fally Ipupa, Wizkid and Burna Boy.

What is the link between Mopao Mumu and bouyon?

A producer link, not a genre link. Her single COLLIDE, released on July 11, 2025 on PS23 and L’ART SUFFIT, is credited on production to HypnoticBeatz, the producer documented on this site as HYPNO for his bouyon, and on composition to Yannick Cabald. No source presents Mopao Mumu as a bouyon artist, and this profile does not either.

What are the main Mopao Mumu records?

The single Take Me, on October 30, 2020, then the guest voice on Woman by Nico de Andrea and Andrew Pololos, on September 17, 2021. The EP Spring to Summer, six records on PS23 and L’ART SUFFIT, on September 30, 2022. The singles Sail in 2023, ALWAYS and Time Machine in 2024. Then the album COLLIDE, eleven records, on September 12, 2025, preceded by the singles COLLIDE and LIKKLE.

Did Mopao Mumu win a Gala Dynastie award?

This profile does not claim that. SOCAN Magazine counts her among the four musicians nominated in the Discovery of the Year category of the Gala Dynastie, and the gala report confirms her performance at Dynastie Unplugged on April 24, 2024. No source opened for this research gives the final winners list of that category, so only the nomination is published here.

Where has Mopao Mumu performed in Montreal?

The opened sources name Ausgang Plaza, Belmont and Balattou according to PHI, the Montreal International Jazz Festival in 2023 according to Music In Africa and the festival program, a free Studio TD concert the day after Dynastie Unplugged in April 2024 according to SOCAN, and a Studio TD headline concert in 2024, presented as sold out by her biography. She was also a PHI North residency artist in 2024.

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