Jey Brownie: The Pioneer of G-POP

Born in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Jey Brownie grew up in an environment where music was omnipresent. His father, Fofo Le Collegien, was the guitarist for Koffi Olomide, a Congolese rumba legend. “At home, everyone played an instrument. Music was our language,” he says. At the age of 10, Jey became a choir singer in a Catholic church, where he perfected his voice for three and a half years. “That’s when I realized I had a gift,” he adds.

Growing up, Jey Brownie was inspired by the melodies of Michael Jackson and the performances of Chris Brown. “I remember going to school singing *Don't Stop 'Till You Get Enough*. That's when I knew I had a beautiful voice,” he says. These pop influences, combined with his Congolese heritage, would shape his unique style.

At 13, Jey arrived in France, where he first lived with his uncle and cousins. The culture shock was brutal, but he found refuge in music. "I remember, I sang on the way to school. It was my way of clinging to my roots," he explains. Influenced by Young Thug and The Weeknd, he began to explore a unique style, mixing pop melodies and rap flows.

In 2015, encouraged by a friend, Jey Brownie spent 30 euros for a studio session and recorded his first Afro track. “It was rudimentary, but I had this conviction that I had to continue,” he recalls. Spotted by his big cousin thanks to a video on Facebook, he signed with the label AllPoints in 2021. His first EP, *Exorde*, was released in March 2022 and marked the beginning of his recognition. “This project was my way of saying: I'm here, and I intend to stay,” he explains.

The turning point, *GTB* and the consecration**

In 2023, Jey Brownie reached a new peak with *GTB*, a track from his collaborative album *Faits Divers* with producer Flem. Their meeting was the result of chance. “Flem contacted me via Instagram. He told me he liked what I was doing and that he wanted to make a song with me,” says Jey. Their collaboration gave birth to a daring project, mixing Flem’s dark worlds and Jey’s captivating melodies.

*GTB* became a viral phenomenon, accumulating more than 100,000 videos on TikTok and entering the top 15 most listened to tracks in France. "*GTB* changed my career. It's my first hit, and it opened doors for me that I didn't even imagine," he admits. The song was nominated for the 2024 Flammes in the "Song of the Year" category, confirming Jey Brownie's status as one of the revelations of the year.

With *NOCIF 2.0* and his EP series *G-POP CLASSIKS*, Jey Brownie is creating a movement. G-POP, a contraction of "Ghetto Pop" or "Gangsta Pop", is a hybrid genre that fuses trap, pop and African influences.

In a French music market dominated by rap and traditional pop, G-POP represents a break. According to Spotify figures, Jey Brownie’s streams increased by 67% in 2023, reaching 1.67 million streams in one week for *GTB*.

Beyond the numbers, Jey Brownie embodies a new generation of multicultural artists, comfortable between several worlds.