Innocent Didace Balume (born 5 May 1997), known professionally as Innoss'B, is a Congolese singer-songwriter, rapper, percussionist, dancer, and philanthropist. Often referred to as the "Jeune Leader", he is known for pioneering the AfroCongo music genre, an eclectic fusion of Congolese rumba, indigenous folklore, and ndombolo.
Innoss'B was born into a musical family in war-ravaged Goma, North Kivu, and grew up in the Birere area near Gisenyi, Rwanda. At the age of six, he began his music career as a member of the family group Maisha Soul. The group gained recognition after winning the 2007 Revelation Award at the Goma Tourism Fair. He later ventured out as a solo artist after winning the Akon-sponsored 2010 Vodacom Superstar contest, which led to his collaboration with Akon on the international song "Up and Away". On 17 July 2013, he released his debut studio album, Innocent Vol.1. In October 2015, Innoss'B made a name for himself in Kinshasa with his collaborations with Werrason on a hit single "Eloko" and later with Koffi Olomidé on "Elengi" in October 2016. On 29 June 2017, he released his five-track maxi-single, Plus. The lead track, "Ozo Beta Mabe", became an instant hit in Africa with over one million views on YouTube in just five months, making Innoss'B one of the most successful young Congolese and African artists.
The BBC tipped him as one of the African stars with the potential for global success in 2020, praising his unique style that has him "dancing to the beat of his drum" and bringing a "modern and youthful sound" to Congolese music. That year, Innoss'B became the first Congolese musician to reach more than 100 million views on YouTube for his "Yo Pe" remix, featuring Tanzanian singer Diamond Platnumz. On 26 December 2021, Innoss'B released his second studio album, Mortal 06. On 29 March 2024, Innoss'B released his five-track Extended Play (EP) Calcul. In July 2025, Billboard France ranked him tenth among the most-streamed Congolese artists in France whose careers began in the DRC or the Republic of the Congo. His third studio album, Arena Way, was released on 28 August 2026.
Early life and career
1997–2013: Early life and Maisha Soul Innocent Didace Balume was born on 5 May 1997 in Goma, North Kivu, Zaire. His father was a dancer and his mother a church cantor. The youngest of six children, he grew up in Goma's Mikeno quarter, commonly known as Birere. He spent much of his childhood at his paternal grandmother's home, where he developed an interest in Michael Jackson's music.
In 2002, Innocent and his brothers were displaced by the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo. While living in a refugee camp, they formed the band Maisha Soul. They received training at Yolé!Africa, a youth cultural center founded by filmmaker and activist Petna Ndaliko Katondolo. Maisha Soul collaborated with several artists, including Lokua Kanza. Their song "Another Way", which debuted in 2005, won the Revelation 2007 Award at the Goma Tourism Fair.
In 2009, Innocent placed third among over 20 selected groups in a provincial singing competition organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross. The next year, aged 13, he won the Vodacom Superstar contest, organized by Vodacom in partnership with Akon, Akonic Entertainment, and Nickie Davis, after performing Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel". He received $25,000 in prize money and donated a portion to his former school in Goma. The win also provided a platform to launch his music career, and he later collaborated with Akon on the song "Up and Away".
While still a member of Maisha Soul, Innocent released the solo single "I Can Be Your Blue Eyed Boy" through Maisha Soul Records in March 2012. The song reached No. 1 on Trace TV's Africa Hit chart. He later featured on "Dors Pas Tard" from Lexxus Legal's self-titled album Lexxus. In December 2012, he traveled to Washington, D.C., with Maisha Soul, where the group made several television and radio appearances, including on Bakolo States, owned by Gary Iwele, and Voice of America. In January 2013, Maisha Soul began a U.S. tour in Los Angeles, where the group performed at the Cinema for Peace Humanitarian Awards, hosted by Congolese-Cypriot philanthropist and model Noëlla Coursaris Musunka and organized by the Cinema for Peace Foundation at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Their performances drew attention to the humanitarian consequences of the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. After returning to Goma, the group released the Swahili-language mixtape Keep Smiling on 29 January, which they had recorded during their U.S. tour. On 10 February, Innocent released the solo track "Neti Na Uh" before embarking on another U.S. tour with Maisha Soul. In a July interview with Radio Okapi, he discussed the group's national tour of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He also participated in the Global Philanthropy Forum in San Francisco and later received the Special Jury Trophy at the Ndule Pan-African Awards in Kinshasa.
Solo career
2013–2016: Innocent Vol.1, management woes, and standalone releases
In an early 2013 interview with Radio Kivu1, Innocent announced his debut solo studio album, Innocent Vol. 1. The eight-track album was released by Interglobe Music on 17 July and included the previously released single "Neti Na Uh". Most of the album was performed in Lingala, marking a shift from the predominantly Swahili-language material associated with his earlier career in eastern DRC.
On 5 May 2014, he was invited by the Master Peace Foundation to perform at Holland's Liberation Day celebrations. He performed with Dutch singer Roel Van Velzen at Park de Wezenlanden in Zwolle. In October, Innocent ended his management contract with Lady Nadia, citing what he described as incompetence and unprofessionalism. He said that during her three-year tenure, Maisha Soul produced only one music video, "I Can Be Your Blue Eyed Boy", which he attributed to external support rather than her management.
In February 2015, he released the Djizzo-produced and Ach'B-directed "Pola", and later collaborated with Werrason on "Eloko", which premiered in October 2015. The song's Kinshasa-recorded video featured comedian Fiston Sai Sai. In February 2016, he performed at the Amani Festival in Goma before an audience of 30,000, and in May was featured alongside Cameroonian group X-Maleya on "First Lady". In October, he released "Elengi", featuring Koffi Olomide; sung in French, Lingala, and English, the song blended AfroCongo and Afropop influences and addressed themes of love and prosperity.
2017–2018: Plus In March 2017, Innocent told Télé50 that his five-track maxi-single Plus was nearing completion and scheduled for release on 29 June. Released through Maisha Soul Records, the maxi-single blended Congolese rumba, ndombolo, and AfroCongo, and was supported by "Top Model", "Ozo Beta Mabe", "Lelo Lelo", "Mur", and "Mon Boulot". During its production, he also appeared as a guest on Anita Mwarabu's "Bolingo Mabe". The "Top Model" video, which premiered on 2 November, featured his former partner Rebo Tchulo, while "Ozo Beta Mabe", released on 1 February 2018, featured Innocent dancing with classmates in school uniforms in Kinshasa. The song's title, a colloquial expression loosely meaning "you do harm", comments on negative behavior. It surpassed one million views on YouTube and gained popularity in the DRC and elsewhere in Africa. "Lelo Lelo", which blended Congolese rumba and AfroCongo with elements of ndombolo, was named among Music In Africa's "Top 5 best rumba songs in 2018".
2019–2020: "Yo Pe", "Yo Pe Remix", "Olandi", "Best", and other ventures
On 11 August, Innocent released "Yo Pe" through Maisha Soul Records, with distribution by Believe Music. The song surpassed one million YouTube views within two weeks and addressed themes of indolence, dependency, solicitation, effortless gains, and parasitism. Its video was blocked on 10 September over copyright claims involving content owned by India-based Spice Digital South Africa, which later said its teams were working to resolve the issue. "Yo Pe" was subsequently named "Song of the Year" by Congolese entertainment website Mbote.cd.
On 7 September, Innocent released a remix of "Yo Pe" featuring Tanzanian singer Diamond Platnumz, with the accompanying video directed by Director Kenny under Zoom Extra. The video retained Innocent's original verses while Diamond contributed Swahili refrains, and the remix surpassed 150 million views within a year, becoming the first song in East Africa and Central Africa to achieve this feat so quickly. Its accompanying "Yope dance challenge" spread across social media, with Diamond later incorporating elements of the choreography into his release "Baba Lao". The success of "Yo Pe" was followed by performances across Europe, including in Luxembourg, Lyon, Essen, Brussels, Pau, Lille, Madrid, Gothenburg, London, Strasbourg, and Berlin, as well as appearances at Starboy Fest with Wizkid, the Kinshasa Showbuzz concert, and Afro Nation in Ghana in December. In June 2020, the song earned Innocent a nomination for Best New International Act at the BET Awards.
On 28 July 2020, Innocent released the AfroCongo-infused single "Olandi", which was recorded during the COVID-19 lockdowns in Kinshasa and described by him as a response to critics who later imitated his style and listened to his music, thus validating the title "Olandi" (interpreted as "you copy" or "you follow"). Produced by Maisha Soul and distributed by The Orchard on behalf of Paris-based label Privaty Prod, the song's video was directed by Ach'B and featured Innocent performing with his dancers, including choreography inspired by Michael Jackson. Mbote.cd noted that some of the video's lyrics and imagery were perceived as references to Fally Ipupa. "Olandi" reached 26 million YouTube views within six months and topped Trace Africa's weekly African Hit 30 chart. Reviewing the song for Music In Africa, Jean de Dieu Boukanga described it as "joyful and catchy" and praised its "pleasant choreographies".
Innocent released his rap-influenced single "Best", featuring French rapper Damso, on 15 October 2020. It was produced by Djizzo and Ach'B through Maisha Soul and distributed by Privaty Prod. The Kinshasa-shot video, directed by Djizzo and Ach'B, featured appearances by Congolese musicians Gaz Fabilouss, Rebo Tchulo, and Gracia Lizarbo, while Innocent recounts his determination to succeed and make his family proud. Switching between French and English, the song was described by Radio France as an anthem of hope blending Congolese music and French rap. "Best" surpassed two million YouTube views within a week.
In November 2020, Innocent was invited to perform in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, as part of the Burkinabè presidential election campaign. On 4 December, he performed at the Espace Bahalis Square in Lubumbashi. His concert scheduled for 25 December in Niger, at the Stade Général Seyni Kountché, was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, even though it was initially slated as part of the denouement of the Nigerien presidential election campaign, scheduled for 27 December. On 6 March 2021, he released "Meme", which surpassed six million YouTube views within two months, followed by "No No" featuring Rebo Tchulo on 17 July. The latter reached one million YouTube views within three days and peaked at number two on BBC Radio 1Xtra's chart behind Diamond, making Innocent the first Congolese solo artist to achieve the feat.
2021–2023: Mortel-06 and standalone releases