PRIVATE LIFE AND PERSONALITY

Noel Ngiama makanda was born on 25th of December in 1965 in the village of Moliambo in his native region of Bandundu,son of Papa Musoko(RIP) who was a pastor and Mama Albertine Mukala.
He is father of three official kids,the much famous Exaucée,Gladie(a name inspired from the transcription of glory be to God in french) aswell as Patrio but of course like many fellow musicians he has other children.

Music is a family talent,as his dad,elder brother Patrice,his two grandmothers are/were singers.
He was given the first name Ngiama by one of his aunts and it then became a last name to his wife and kids and the meaning of Ngiama can be seen as a prophecy to his current career
in his childhood,Noel suffered from serious stammering and dyslexism and later overcame both problems(even though it reappears when he is angry or under some deep stress) and was also very shy. He is still shy as an adult but in private,and apart his shyness Noel has a great sense of humour and ability to imitate some accents.

He is obviously a great football fan, one Congolese team he supports is Vita club and also appreciates several foreign teams without being a die hard fan. Apart from football,Noel also likes martial arts and swimming.

Werrason has a reputation of being very ''tight'' with money and has a strong eye for talent(which is often interpreted as being vital for his career as some people consider him a poor singer)


ROLE MODELS AND DEBUT AS SINGER

Noel's idols are first and foremost King Kester Emeneya,then Tabu Ley and also Papa Wemba he calls "coach"
apart from them three,Noel also had a lot of admiration and respect for Franco,Madilu and Pepe Kalle. Another strong idol stands out and it is Michael Jackson who he considered like the absolute showman and aims to get anywhere near his level and even had the dream of recording a song with him.

Werrason started showing his dancing skills at a very  young age at family parties or when he went back to his village and around 7-8 years old he started trying to sing with childhood friends like Aimé Buanga in the quarter of Bandal in Kinshasa. This is also the period in which he lost his father and went on to live with his uncle Papa Kifaya(RIP). At the age of 12 he started singing at church in a protestant choir called CBZO and at the same time started flirting a little bit with street life(not that he became a gangster) and not fearing to play with friends in dangerous quarters like the quarter of Pakadjuma.He also learnt boxing with his friend Aimé Buanga and impressed a lot by winning some competitions at youth level which earned him the nickname of "Tarzan,le roi de la foret."

Two years later, he continued singing with friends during holidays,and on idea of Aimé Buanga they formed the group Celio Stars,
the members then,among others Noel Ngiama,Didier Masela,Aime Buanga,sometimes Alain Makaba,Papy Sandji,Dédé Masolo, Papy Mavuzi(older brother of Blanchard Mosaka)
but at that time as amateurs,they would sit on a long bench belonging to a washerman called Vieux Carré and from then almost appears the nickname he will build career on
in fact,since two of the young men were named Noel,Vieux Carré makes a difference by naming one Nowerri and the other one Nowerra,
Noel Ngiama is then Nowerra and whenever they have time they go there and try to rehears before classes.

In 1981 after a "rehearsal session",the owner of the football club of their area(FC Wenge),Domi Wenge suggests them to take the name of Wenge,
this is how Wenge Musica was born around Noel Ngiama,Didier Masela and Aimé Buanga. Later,the band sees the arrival of the likes of Alain Makaba,JB Mpiana,Alain Mwanga Zing Zong,and so on...under responsability of President Mavo Voka and Mbuta Kiss Kisolokele(both not musicians) but still not(yet) a professional group,but rather a group of friends with school as priority and music as common passion.

Meanwhile, each of them also sing in their respective school groups and in the case of Noel,he sometimes even participates in other schools' groups like the group Flash Musica of Yanclo Bonzeyi,Sam Tshintu,Modogo and company.

Towards the end of high school, his family was strongly against him becoming a professional musician,they wanted him to have a more "respectable" job.
When Wenge Musica started having concerts and singing one or two songs at concerts of professional group, Noel "Wowerra' becomes Werrason Le grand Tarzan

THE BIRTH OF A BIG STAR
In 1987 after the group records its first album,they decide to really establish some hierarchy in the group in order to make it look professional therefore
Didier Masela gets the status of founder,JB Mpiana replaces Mavo Voka as President and is in charge of helping new musicians settle in the group, Alain Makaba becomes Artistic Director,Werrason becomes Financial Director and responsible for discipline in the group,testing of musicians applying to join the group and talent search to boost the group's quality.
The 4 main men then trust each other perfectly to  do their respective roles well and record 6 songs for first album, Werrason having one song Nicky D dedicated to one of his girlfriend of then Nicole Douga.

Three years after release of first album,Werrason has one song on second group album kin e Bouger and one year later two songs Jugement par Defaut and Djino Kota
all his three first songs are very popular but what will arguably be the most popular song of his whole career is,Kalayi Boeing in 1993.
This album helps Wenge Musica establish itself even more as one of the big Congolese groups and Werrason as one of the most popular members of Wenge Musica.

One year later, Wenge Musica releases Les Anges Adorables Vol 1 and 2 and Werra has two songs,Surprise Kapangala and Sourires des Vendeurs and
two years after Les Anges Adorables and succesful tours in several countries,Wenge Musica record the album Pentagone on which Werrason has two songs Heritier Itele and Coco Madimba.
In this period,three main men of Wenge Musica start having strong personal ambitions,Alain Makaba the Artistic Director records his first solo album Pile ou Face in Europe, JB Mpiana who wanted  to record his solo album too and Werrason wanted to create a mini-band within the group for some personal tours with singer Ferre,guitarists Ficarré,Zamuangana and Christian Mabanga,drummer Seguin and atalaku Ekokota.

Werrason and JB Mpiana were influenced by people outside the group about their personal projects,this fueled a lot of misunderstanding between them, Werrason barely participated in JB Mpiana's solo album Feux de L'amour. The situation got so tense and conflict between both big friends and they even avoided being on stage together and slowly but surely two camps appear
one of JB,Makaba,Bula and the other of Werrason,Masela and later Adolphe and the point of no return is reached when during reunions to avoid split Werrason hears that Alain Makaba paid the musicians directly without consulting him the Financial Director, Werrason felt betrayed and even threatened physically his best friend JB.

After the split happens, Werra is distraught and still angry and first plans moving abroad and abandon music but quickly recovers from the huge blow as he is well surrounded and he even has a couple of playbacks in Europe while preparing the new group.

Werrason,Didier Masela and Adolphe Dominguez create a new group and they call it Wenge Musica Maison Mere and shortly after record their album Force Intervention Rapide in 1998 on which  Werra has three songs,remix of his hit Kalayi Boeing,Freddy Movadi and the hit Chantal Switzerland which wins song of the year.

1999 marks the rise of Werra as a leader as he slowly prepares his first solo album and the group is touring well
but before the much awaited solo album, Wenge Musica Maison Mere record the second group album Solola Bien in Europe. Werrason is credited with three songs Rendez vous Mangué, Augustine, Koffi Ayina and the generique(intro song).
This album confirms Wenge Maison Mere as of one of the biggest groups in Africa, their album is successful and the group has successful concerts in DRC and throughout Africa but shortly after, Werrason has some differences with the founding father Didier Masela who decides to leave the group.

The group continues with Adolphe Dominguez and Werrason but like in the rival group Wenge BCBG,it has to be one and only one leader
Werrason's supremacy as THE leader is then clearly confirmed when him,Adolphe and Wenge maison mere are on the verge of becoming the second African artist/group to perform in the then only "7 years old" hall of Bercy ,in fact,the concert which happened in September of 2000 is presented as a concert of Werrason with his group and in December Werrason wins a Kora award.
Earlier in the year, Werrason was also the only Congolese artist by then to perform at Palais des Sports. It is also in the same year that he created his foundation.

One year later, Werrason records first solo album Kibuisa Mpimpa with guests like Congolese gospel singer Nathalie Makoma,drummer Djudjuchet,legendary saxophonist Manu Dibango from Cameroon as well as rapper Pitt Baccardi and several Cameroonian bassists.
The album is a major big hit and Werrason performs at Stade des Martyrs and promotes album in African and European countries and is once again awarded at Kora awards.
He plans a big event to get a big edge on his rival JB Mpiana.  He came up with an idea to perform two days in a row at Zenith where his rival left a strong impact but just in one day.

After some negotiations,Werrason then becomes the first and only Congolese artist to perform twice in a row at zenith in April 2002 and like at Bercy it is a massive success which will even influence music in some other African countries.
The group continues to have successful tours and prepare their new album A la Queue Leu Leu which is released in December of 2002.
During that year, Werrason is  also under custody for one day with some group members as several Congolese musicians are suspected being involved in human trafficking as they tour with their band.

One year later, Werra and the group still have success everywhere and record the first ever beer promotional generique " Tindika Lokito for their sponsor Skol. It gets a good reception and the generique is released with the song Tous à l'école on which Werrason urges parents to let their daughters go to school.

At the end of the year,the group performs once again at Stade des Martyrs in front of a huge crowd.
The following year it was the same story,success everywhere,and afro-european toursand project of a second solo album Miracles for Werrason but this project will suffer a big blow
in fact,after a tour in the United Kingdom, several musicians decide to remain in Europe while the group goes back to Kinshasa. Most of them were  key members
even worse,those musicians who left form their band and call it ''Les marquis de Maison Mère and 'steal' the album name ''Miracles'' forcing Werrason to change his plans
but before that,he recruits some new musicians to replace them,and introduces them to people on a maxi single 'Alerte Generale' and boom,instant impact when many thought it was over for Werrason, he proved he was still strong.

One year later in 2005, Werra finally releases his second solo album and renames it ''Temoignage'' with guests like legendary member of group Kassav Jacob Desvarieux,
this album gets a fairly good reception and the same year he performs at his hometown of Kikwit in front of a gigantic crowd and soon after bags yet again more kora awards.

Another year later, a shock switch of sponsors happens as Werra joins rival of Skol, Primus beer company and they release a generique ''Changement de Fréquence'' to confirm the switch and a few months later Werra and Maison Mere release a maxi single ''Sous Sol'' on which Werra has two songs Enfant Mystere and Siméon as well as the generique also a primus lager promotion.

In 2007 Werrason records a remix album called ''Simply the best of'' and still successfully tours while planning another group album.
A  year gone by, another group album '' Temp Présent'' is released and Werrason has songs like Chantal Switzerland Bis, Siya Ndongala etc and performs for the third time performs at Zenith despite difficult conditions as he ''wanted dead or alive" by a group of Congolese protesters calling themselves combattants. The concert started much much later but was still a good show.

Werrason starts talking about a third solo album Arche de Noé, but in 2009 its another group album which is a recorded and it entitled ''Techno Malewa Sans Cesse vol 1'' is released in summer of 2009. On that album , Werra tries to compete directly with west african dance music coupe decale by adapting sebene through computer programming and a slower tempo than usual sebene.
Seven out of the 8 songs are credited to Werra and this album like others is successful and the following year Werrason performs again at Zenith to announce vol 2 of Malewa, this concert is even better than the previous one.

Two years after Malewa vol 1, Werrason represents the DRC alongside Fally Ipupa and Jessy Matador at a music festival held at Stade de France in Paris and shortly after releases Malewa vol 2 on which he has seven songs and this album gets good reception but not quite up to standard of previous ones.
 
In 2012,the group continues promoting its album and Werrason reveals there is a last part of Malewa,he calls it Dessert Ingeta to be released but at the end of the year,   a few days before elections while going to his native region to perform for a friend who is candidate to be a member of parliament,  Werra is victim of a car accident.
He goes to India to get his treatment after suffering fractures. It is during this trip to India that he changes title of the part 3 of Malewa, he renames it ''Fleche Ingeta'' inspired by  Indian arrows but in the meantime,he decides to give more songs to group members and adds more songs for himself so Fleche Ingeta becomes a completely different album to malewa , he first releases a maxi single called '' Satellite +1 and another  album '' Education'' which promotes education as the title says while he takes his time to prepare fleche ingeta.

After several delays, the album Fleche Ingeta is finally released on 20th of December 2O14 and for the first time, it is a 3 CD album which receives a huge reception,especially in Paris where music had supposedly become totally unpopular.

Archos as Musa Juma would put it, Erokamano...Ahsante sana...Thank you for the Bio

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i answered you prince,try take your time and read the bio well,unfortunately its too late to do like older biographies

So when did the actual combattant issue start to come up if the Zenith of 08 was played in difficult conditions and because there was a lot of tours and concerts since then. And what do you mean by music is unpopular in Paris??

it started in early 200's at the last bcbg concert before the group's ban, then at zenith 08 werra was forced to remain in hotel until very late because they wanted him to protest in streets with them or to be more exact they tried to fool him that if he comes to protest he would be safe whereas it was a plan to have him with them and kidnap him beat the hell out of him
and they destroyed many cars in front of zenith as they knew it were cars of close guys to werra like his cousin rodjani for example
music is not unpopular in paris, but due to violence many people were not expressing their love for music as in the past so it surprised people,including diego music who was one of the distributors,to see that much people rushing to buy album
it had become a bit like a taboo to say openly you like music because they'd go about how you are not congolese,you dont care about congo and so on

Those animals are destroying our music they need to be dealt with.

Thanx Archos for the bio.

...I remember the movement splitting Fally's 2006 NYC Manhattan show with some tri-state Congolese opting to go to Baby Black's play back in Brooklyn hence the low turn out. BCBG members with the exception of JB and the dancers wore pro peace shirts for their NYCshow the same 2008 when Werra was in Zenith, but the turnout once again was low. Not to say that low turnout had any effect on our enjoyment of both shows.

guys feel free to ask any question especially in the early times,i will try to answer as much as i can

Those animals are destroying our music they need to be dealt with.

don't be ignorant and have some respect for other people's beliefs

Big brother....You just did not write a biography..this has been a good write up....Asande sana owana weru unjimiri umwoyo kwanje  kabisa - Thanks alot Archos, you have touched my heart to bits. So Werra  After all is a Super Star......a talent he was born with . Wow ! Archos I have plenty of chicken here and Id slaughter One Rooster for you.....as soon as you happen by  chance to step to the Kenyan soil... I will take you to a bull fighting contest in Ikolomani Malinya then later take you to  A village called Munduku for a tot of Changaa....Amazing work brother.....I now understand why Werrason Analeta  Mambo !  He takes Risks...." Ndi ndi ndi ndi"

Archos All this Biographys's are  well done...can you put them in a book ? pdf or word file...?

Good job masta na ngai archos, so detailed!! Thanx a lot.

Kaisari, Werra's 2008 Zenith was full.