B. Benoit Yuven
Before the world went into ghost mode because of COVID-19, there had been exciting anticipations of a possible collaboration between Cameroon’s female sensation Daphne and Congolese legend Koffi Olomide.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the vibe died a little, but the track would still be released last month though with speculation. Since this track was released, many media outlets and fans have bashed and criticized Daphné about this collabo with the Congolese and made the whole situation confusing as to whether the collabo was necessary or not. Well, I differ to say the collabo was very, very necessary and I’ll gladly explain to you why it was…
Firstly, Koffi featuring in Daphne’s song is everything in Daphne’s career at the moment. This is the biggest project Daphné has had in her career so far. There was a time when Daphne’s biggest accomplishment was featuring with Cameroonian veteran – Ben Decca. However, she’s been working tirelessly, when her work rate saw her expand her coast, collaborating with international acts likes Hero (Congo/France) and Fanicko (Benin). These were as good as they appeared but none of those could compare with Koffi’s feature in Daphne’s song.
His featuring with Daphne is a monumental one and second to none in her discoraphy. Getting Koffi Olomide on a song appears easy but it is one of the most difficult things anyone could think of, but no one is giving Daphné and her team credit for this because everyone thinks every song is supposed to be a hit and since it isn’t, no applause should be dished.
Doing a song with such an artist like Koffi who has been consistently delivering for over 30 years doesn’t necessarily have to be a hit. It’s just a dream come true for any ambitious young musician who grew up listening to Koffi.
Soccer fans will tell you that, for a player like Clinton Njie to play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, it is not just because he wants to win trophies, but because he grew up hoping to one day play alongside him and to just have it in the record books that he played with Ronaldo, if the end up winning togethr, then It is a plus. That’s the similar situation we have here, the song doesn’t have to be a hit.
Very few people will have such an opportunity to even reach out to Koffi? Let alone collabo with him.
Daphne might have conquered French Africa as many of you would say, but I won’t be surprised if before now, some Congolese said they didn’t know Daphne (no disrespect) but Hiro might not even be among the first 50 Congolese musicians as we speak. Daphne could be one of #Cameroon’s must decorated and celebrated artists musically, but she’s way behind the likes of Fally Ipupa and Ferré Gola just to name a few, who are artists mentored by Koffi. It could even be a big achievement, just like another dream come true for Daphné to feature with Fally, and he’s just one of Koffi’s product.
