Guinean R&B and soul maestro Souleymane Bangoura (stage name Soul Bangs) mesmerised revellers at One Love in Kimihurura during his Kigali performance last weekend.

Despite the low turn up, Soul Bangs showed enthusiasm and experience at the concert backed up by his band and local artiste Mani Martin.

The talented singer started his gig with several hits such as Faré Bombo, M’bai, Temai kha fera, Lonkassia, N’kanou, Itomou serieux, Mikhi, Evolution, Kameremba, Celelan, Give me your love, among others, sending the patrons agog.

Meanwhile, the concert that was supposed to start at 7.pm, began at 10.pm, to the disappointment of some of the revellers who had arrived at the venue as early as 6:30pm.

Peter Byiringiro, one of the revellers, said the performance was great, except that the show delayed to start.

"Soul Bangs is a talented musician and I really enjoyed his performance,” said Byiringiro, "However, we were disappointed that it literally took three hours for the artiste to start performing. We have been at the venue since 7 p.m and we were surprised to see Bangs get on the stage at 10 p.m. This is a terrible attitude among artistes.”

Speaking to the media before the show, Bangs said that he intended to perform in all Francophone African countries.

"In a bid to expand my music, I am planning to visit over eleven African countries. This is my third time to come to Rwanda and I will immediately head to Benin from Kigali,” said Bangs.

He noted that his tour is aimed at showcasing the African culture through music. Last year, Bangs was awarded the 2016 RFI’s special award for traditional African singer by Radio France International.

Bangs started singing at the age of 11 under a rap group named Micro-mega. After this collective experience, he carved his own style. He learned to play several instruments, including the piano and guitar.

In 2011, Bangs released his first album titled Dimeni. Even though he sings in Susu, Mandingo and Fulani, Soul Bangs is mostly known as an R&B singer.

He participated in the project of American song Break the Silence (Bring Our Girls back) requesting for the return of young girls kidnapped by Boko Haram in Nigeria.

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