Hailing from the Congo, JESSY MATADOR started out in 2001 as a dancer and in 2005 formed a group he named “La Selesao”, originally for a show consisting mainly of strutting one’s stuff and wiggling pelvises. The group has participated in many events: Nuit du Zouké Décalé at the Bataclan, support band for Magic System at the Elysée Montmartre then the Bataclan, the Palais des Congrès etc.

Their first single, Décalé Gwada, was an instant hit in the African, Jamaican and French Caribbean communities. A first videoclip was quickly shot, then YouTube and Dailymotion muscled in, giving it unheard-of outreach: it has to date been viewed by 20 million people (counting all platforms and versions) and has spawned many home-made videos in which enthusiastic amateurs imitate the choreographer and the African New Style.

The phenomenon was soon extended from the ethnic communities to a broader audience - the single Décalé Gwada produced by Passi reached the Top 10 for radio airplay – as well as beyond the French borders. After Mayotte, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Madagascar and Senegal, he went to the USA to introduce the African New Style with shows in Miami, Chicago and Boston, concurrently recording his first album Afrikan New Style.

With Madizm & Sec.Undo as producers, JESSY MATADOR aimed to stand out from other groups and come up with a new formula. He developed a hybrid style, blending African, Caribbean and dancehall influences with more urban, electro sounds: ultimately dubbed African New Style. It features coupé décalé, zouk and n’dombolo, not forgetting kuduru, dance-hall and hip hop.

Currently working on his second album set for release on 14 June, JESSY MATADOR represented France in the Eurovision Song Contest, coming 12th with his track ''Allez Ola Olé''. It has proved to have popular appeal throughout Europe, clocking up nearly 3 million views for the videoclip and 1.5 million for the live Eurovision performance on YouTube and MSN. The number is up in the Top 5 iTunes sales in Germany, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Greece, Belgium and Luxembourg, in the Top 20 in France and the Top 50 in Great Britain.