One of the Democratic Republic of Congo's prominent stars, Fally Ipupa, has achieved remarkable success.

His song "Un Coup," featuring Congolese-French singer Dadju, has amassed over 80 million YouTube views, drawing throngs of fans to his electrifying live performances.

In a notable incident, the demand to witness him perform in Kinshasa's Stadium of Martyrs resulted in an overcrowded venue, leading to a tragic incident where initial government reports cited 11 casualties. However, this figure remains unconfirmed, according to both Ipupa and the BBC's Kinshasa reporter.

Ipupa's concerts have often made headlines, such as his 2020 performance in France, which saw riots outside the venue in Paris, including the burning of bins and motorbikes.

These tumultuous events were fueled by political tensions, as members of the diaspora, for the past decade, have attempted to prevent Congolese musicians from performing in Europe to voice their opposition to political figures in their home country.

They have accused prominent artists of maintaining close ties to the political establishment and failing to denounce the abuses occurring in DR Congo.

So it is a big moment for Fally Ipupa that for the first time in his career he is finally due to perform in London. His concert will be in December, when elections are scheduled to be held back home.

The 45-year-old singer and his management tell me that an agreement has now been reached with sceptical Congolese communities and he is set to perform again in Paris and Brussels.

“Most of the people know now that I don’t do political things, I am just a musician and they have realised that you cannot punish your child all his life,” he said.

Ipupa does have some sympathy for those who boycotted his concerts but he feels it is time to move past politics and support DR Congo's music industry.

“I agree that things were happening politically which were not correct in DR Congo, and I’ve always told them that I agree with certain of the protesters who wanted to get the message across and raise awareness in people.

"But now the time has come to say look guys, we have punished the artists, we have slowed down Congolese culture, it’s time to show the world that we have very, very strong music.”

He feels that Congolese music has really suffered, losing its place in Europe to music from Nigeria, Ghana and Jamaica. Nigerian Afrobeats artists are now filling the major venues that Congolese artists used to fill 10 years ago. But he is confident that this can change.

“Congolese music is one of the most beautiful and rich, we have many talented artists, so if our brothers and sisters in Europe say no more blocking of Congolese music in Europe trust me we’re going to take our place in the world,” he said.