Coco Mbassi was born in Paris and originates from Cameroon. Her music is a blend of African roots, classical music, jazz and gospel, with the feel of acoustic soul. A winner of several music awards including the Radio France Internationale Découvertes Contest in 1996, the German World Music CD Critics Award in 2001, she was one of the two finalists for the BBC World Music Awards in 2002. She toured internationally with her band for over two decades. Highlights include Live 8 at the Eden Project (invited by Peter Gabriel), Louisiana International Festival, Jazz Sous Les Pommiers, Festival d’Été in Montréal, Nuits d’Afrique in Québec, Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin, Afroprojekt in Würzburg, and Womad festivals across Europe, Asia and Australia.

Her discography includes Sepia (2001), Sisea (2003), Coco Mbassi Tour (live DVD, 2005), Jóa (2014), Ashuka Series Vol. 1 (2020, African polyphony), a single, Palaba (2021), and her EP ELA in 2023.