Twitter: @FirstNameMballa
About Mballa
Born the daughter of a Cameroonian diplomat in Paris, France, Mballa came into the world destined to love and absorb new cultures -- to be a citizen of the world. She uses her worldly passion and charisma to uniquely approach her blend of R&B tinged with hip-hop, reggae and Haitian zouk.
At three years old, her father was appointed Ambassador of Cameroon to the United States, giving her the opportunity to move to Washington DC, where she discovered the local music culture by way of her three older brothers who were actively living it.
A fight with cancer at the age of 13 put things on hold for years. Cancer during adolescence meant insecurity grew and priorities changed. There were more family problems to come.
Her beloved father became a political prisoner in Cameroon five days before her 18th birthday and passed away in November 2014 before ever being exonerated.
His passing further pushed Mballa to be more like him -- to let go of all and any fear. That meant dedicating herself to her music career with more motivation than ever before. She’s a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.