Joel Ungeli (born 6 October 2008),[1] known professionally asJungeli, is aCongolese-French singer, songwriter and television personality. Raised inSevran, he began his recording career in mid-2023 and later introduced his debut single, "À moi" on 12 July of that year, which went relatively unnoticed.[2][3]
Ungeli received widespread mainstream recognition following the release of his second single, "Petit Génie" (featuringImen Es,Alonzo, Abou Debeing, and Lossa), which debuted on 4 August 2023 and achieved commercial success in France, toppingSNEP's Top Singles chart for 18 non-consecutive weeks.[4][5] It became the fastest song of the year in France to achieve platinum certification[6][7] and earned the Best African or African-inspired Music award at Les Flammes,[8][9] as well as a nomination forBest New International Artist at theBET Awards.[10][11][12] The song later appeared on his 2024 debutstudio album,En attendant pour le peuple.[13][14]
In the early summer of 2023, Jungeli introduced his debut single, "À moi", throughsocial media platforms, though it initially garnered limited attention.[18] The song was officially released on multiple music platforms on 12 July, and its accompanying music video onYouTube accumulated over 620,000 views.[19]
Jungeli commenced work on his second single "Petit Génie" shortly after "À moi" debut. Excerpts of the single were prematurely leaked and extensively shared onTikTok, leading to a surge in popularity even before its official release on 4 August 2023.[20][21][22] In an interview with IvorianLife TV on theWAM show, hosted byWilly Dumbo, he revealed that "Petit Génie" was meant to "make people happy", and did not anticipate its overwhelming success.[23] Produced by Next Génération, 2054 Records, and Fulgu Prod, labels he had just signed with, "Petit Génie" was composed by DJ Wiils, with themusic video directed by Bastos and produced by Mania Film, featuring guest appearances fromImen Es,Alonzo, Abou Debeing, andLossa.[21][24][16] Jungeli's refrain "Mwana natikaka moke sima ekoli oya oye" pays tribute to the famed Congoleseatalaku Brigade Sabarti, who popularized this phrase in their 2009 smash hit "Techno Malewa Automatique" byWerrason andWenge Musica Maison Mère.[25] Alonzo's rap verse makes a nod to the legendaryPépé Kallé.[25] "Petit Génie" quickly attained commercial success in France, dominating theSNEP Top Singles chart for 18 non-consecutive weeks[4][5] and surpassing the previous record set byEd Sheeran's "Shape of You", which held the top spot for 15 non-consecutive weeks.[19] The song broke records as the fastest to reach platinum in France that year.[6][7] It also won the Best African or African-inspired Music award at Les Flammes[8][9] and earned Jungeli a nomination forBest New International Artist at theBET Awards.[10][11][12] He later signed a distribution deal withCapitol Music France, a subsidiary ofUniversal Music France.[16]
On 24 November 2023, Jungeli was featured as a guest artist on Emma'a's single "Katana", from her self-titled album.[26][27] The following month, he made an appearance on Big Ben's track "C'est qui?"[28] and released the single "Rashel" in collaboration with Moroccan-Belgian singerDystinct.[29][30]
2024–present: Collaborations andEn attendant pour le peuple
On 19 January 2024, Jungeli made another appearance on Emma'a's single "Biso Mibale",[31] preceding the release of his singles "Bijou" and "Yebisa Bango" on 23 January 2024. "Yebisa Bango", produced by Gabriel and Zafy, explored the theme of love, a motif that is also central to "Bijou", which was composed by YAM and Unleaded.[32][33]
On 2 February 2024, Jungeli teamed up withVegedream, Alonzo, andZaho for the platinum-certified hit "T'étais où?", which was produced by DJ Wiils, directed by Styck, and co-produced under Daylight Productions and Ma Nia Film.[34][35][36] On 22 March, Jungeli appeared on fellow Congolese-French singerSinguila's song "Tricheur"[10] before featuring onBolémvn's "On y va" from his four-trackExtended Play (EP),Canada Goose.[37] On 7 June, he made a guest appearance on Youka's single "Allo",[12] followed by a showing on the final day of the Somarôho Festival atAmbodivoanio Stadium inAndoany, Nosy-Be, on 11 August.[38][39][40] On 1 November 2024, he made a guest appearance onImagine Dragons' third remix of "Take Me to the Beach" off their albumLoom.[7]
Jungeli released his debut studio albumEn attendant pour le peuple on 8 November under the labels Next Génération, Fulgu Prod, and 2054 Records.[13][14] The project spans three discs, featuring 15 tracks on the first, 11bonus tracks on the second, including previously released hits like "Petit Génie", "Rashel", "Briller", "Bijou", "Yebisa Bango", and "T'étais où?", and an additional five tracks on the third disc.[13][14] He shared withCNews that the album aims to appeal to "both younger and older generations"[13] with the art cover depicting his student life by showing him sitting on a school desk, holding a microphone, and surrounded by scattered classroom supplies.[41] The standout track, "Évidemment", featuringDadju, quickly rose onYouTube trends.[41] Later that month, on 22 November, he opened forFally Ipupa at theZénith de Lille.[42]
On 4 April 2025, he teamed up with French singer Lenie for the single "À tes côtés", which gained over 300,000 views on YouTube within a day, topped the platform's trending list, and quickly entered theSNEP Top Singles chart, peaking at No. 44.[43][44] On 16 August, he appeared onFort Boyard withÉlodie Gossuin's team to supportUNICEF.[45] Then, on 5 October, at just 16 years old, Jungeli became the second youngest artist ever to perform at theOlympia,[46] followingPriscilla Betti, who was 13 in 2003,[47] and ahead ofElsa Lunghini, who was 17 in 1990.[48]
On 14 February 2025, Jungeli joinedDanse avec les stars for its14th season onTF1, hosted byCamille Combal.[49][50] Partnered with professional dancer Inès Vandamme, he competed until the semi-finals, where they were eliminated on 19 April.[51]
^Patricelli, Sonia; Chim, Yong; Chaval, Marion; Faure, Magali; Clausse, Solène (30 September 2025)."De Kinshasa à l'Olympia: Jungeli fête ses 17 ans sur scène" [From Kinshasa to the Olympia: Jungeli celebrates his 17th birthday on stage].France24.com/fr (in French). Paris, France:France 24. Retrieved7 October 2025.
^Lebrun, Sophie (30 September 2008)."D'Elsa à Elsa Lunghini" [From Elsa to Elsa Lunghini].La Libre Belgique (in French). Etterbeek, Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Retrieved7 October 2025.
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