Mr Leo
Bio
Mr Leo hailing from Cameroon is an award winning afropop and afrofusion singer-songwriter. Hailing from the city of Buea, Fonyuy Nsobunrika through his musical journey brings together a groovy melange of Cameroonian rhythms, with influences from makossa, afropop, pop, blues, and hip hop, sung in English, French & Lamnso.
His father, a prison officer, indulged in DJing at local clubs and parties, exposing Mr Leo to music early. However, Leo only began to dive into music in a quest to woo a lady he admired in school who was part of the school choir. This led to him joining the choir “Breakthrough Voices” of Molyko in school, where he met Salatiel under whose mentorship his professional career evolved.
Mr Leo’s first release “E Go Better” (Apha Better Records, 2014) tells the story of a young man who hopes for a better tomorrow for him and his girlfriend. He successfully touched the hearts of the Cameroonian youth who recognized themselves in him. This song found prominence on radio and TV airplay and clubs making Mr. Leo the new nugget to watch out for.
Growing up in the English speaking regions of Cameroon as a minority in a majority french speaking country, Mr Leo found a problem to solve - engaging both English and French audiences in a multicultural country. He then began creating music that went beyond language, genre, cultures and several such barriers in a globalising multilingual world
Mr Leo is a feminist, appreciating the support of strong women influences in his life - such as his mother. Leo dedicates most of his career celebrating and empowering women, love and family values.
Today Mr Leo is a household name across French Speaking Africa and its diaspora with two albums, several awards and recognitions, including Knight of the National Order of Merit and Afrima Nomination. He has over 2.5 million accumulated followers across social media platforms, and over 70 Million accumulated views across streaming platforms. He has featured artists such as Hiro, Kerozen, Daphne, & Revolution, and headlined/performed at events such as Visa for Music (Morocco) & Rema (Burkina Faso) alongside artists like P Square, Dj Arafat, etc. and has featured in top global media like CNN African Voices & Music in Africa.
In 2018, he created Lionn Productions an independent record label that has brought out talents such as Kameni, Gomez and Mr Sympa, as well as championing the Lionn Initiative, an NGO with aim to help communities in need especially young people in the creative sector.