The average person probably can’t even imagine what it must feel like to step onto a stage in front of tens of thousands of people. It must conjure up a mixed range of emotions, including nerves, excitement and anticipation.
Felix Ngindu, however, doesn’t have to imagine. He knows full well just how it feels.
After all, this was his reality when, early in his career, he had the opportunity to perform at the world-renowned MASA Festival. He estimates that up to 60,000 roaring people were in attendance for the event.
This would surely be a big deal for any artist. But for Felix – who was only 17 at the time – it was nothing short of a life-defining experience.
“I think I felt like my dream was coming true at that age,” he tells Kreol Magazine.
Felix could have called it quits on that day, and he’d have arguably still had a successful music career. You only have to consider how few musicians get opportunities to play at such a major event like this – never mind at such a young age!
Of course, Felix didn’t call it a day. He continued to perform, continued to learn and continued to find new ways to hone his talent. Felix is still that same person who stepped onto the stage on that momentous day, but in many ways, he’s someone very different too.
He’s now someone even more enlightened, someone even more experienced and someone even more grateful for being able to explore his passion for music.
A Man in The Capital of Culture
Liverpool, England officially became the European Capital of Culture in 2008. It marked a fantastic time to be an artist in the city – and no one knows this better than Felix. While born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Felix found himself a resident of the small town of Ellesmere Port in 2003. This put him right on the doorstep of Liverpool, a city with such vibrant musical roots that it was named a UNESCO City of Music in 2015.
Newly married to a British piano player at the time, Felix was able to dive right into the action and further explore the different ways that he could celebrate his long-held passion for music. He became a sought-after music teacher, formed a touring band and later began releasing music. This all happened in his new home in Liverpool.
Yes, it was the perfect place to be for this skilled drummer and percussionist. It gave him the platform to perform a wide variety of styles, including rock, jazz and African.
“I am succeeding in music. I choose my way,” he says while reflecting on the life and career that he’s formed in the northwest of England.
Felix adds: “I choose the way I do things and I am able to show my talent.”
It’s been 20 years since Felix moved to the region, and in that time, he’s earned a stellar reputation. What do people say about him? Well, that all depends on who you ask.
There will be those who know him as a charismatic performer with a considerably colourful style. These people might have seen him take to the stage at this year’s Mandela Freedom Festival, which was held in July.
Meanwhile, others will know him as an ardent teacher. Felix has been far from shy about sharing his gift and has spent years tutoring both adults and children in Liverpool.
“I help develop people’s talent and make them learn something,” he explains about his objectives whenever in the classroom.
Finally, there will be those who know Felix as a devoted student – a man with such an enthusiasm for education and its ability to spark both personal and professional growth.
It’s for all these reasons that Felix is no stranger to the people of Liverpool. Indeed, he’s also becoming more and more well-known across the UK! His story, however, started almost 6,000 miles away and on an entirely different continent.
The Congo Born and Bred
Felix was born in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Congo was a Belgian territory until 1960, which Felix points out when explaining the French origins of his name.
Felix’s father was a doctor and his mother made a living by selling items in the local market. It’s hard for him to pinpoint the exact moment when he felt the lure of music, but Felix can recall hearing bands playing in local pubs and the way their energetic sounds would travel far across the area and into his young ears.
Then, around the age of four or five, music really began to take hold. This was certainly the case when he would go to church with his parents. The church choir and the instruments they played really ignited his imagination and led him to fantasise about performing alongside them.
Felix remembers: “There was a choir singing at the church and there a guy who plays tomba, which is a kind of African drum that’s got cow skin.”
One day, the choir wasn’t full. Felix noticed this immediately, which was no surprise given that certain members had become people whom he ‘admired’ from his seat in the church. It was at this point that he could no longer bear just being a spectator and decided it was time to join the group on stage. It’s fair to say that this wasn’t just about making up the numbers.
Whatever Felix’s rationale was for joining the group, it would have been impossible to know at the time just how much this decision would change his life.
“It was so good being on stage, it was just natural for me,” he reflects.
Felix adds: “It’s the way I was feeling when performing. And then I just understood that I had a rhythm, a natural rhythm which people appreciated.”
You could say that the rest was history. Shortly after this, Felix joined a local band and began to get a real taste for playing live. He soon became a legitimate drummer, and a very good one too!
In fact, Felix was so good that he even turned the head of famed Congolese soukous singer Koffi Olomide. Felix wasn’t even a teenager yet but was invited to join this national megastar on stage.
Unfortunately, Felix’s fast-accelerating career would soon start to cause a rift between him and his parents. He wanted to focus on music and they wanted him to focus on school. The end result caused his relationship with his mother and father to become strained.
“My parents found it quite difficult at that time because they wanted me to focus on my education,” explains Felix.
He adds: “I was trying to cope with my school and playing music was quite difficult. So, I did rebel a bit.”
It’s a situation that still leaves Felix with feelings of regret. But the thought of putting his passion on the backburner must have been unbearable, especially with an exciting opportunity just right around the corner…
Cameroon Calling
Music is about what you know. However, making it in the music industry can sometimes be more about who you know. This is something that Felix learned first-hand during a chance meeting in his teenage years.
While making a name for himself as a drummer in local bands in the Congo, Felix met a jazz singer, Stephanie. Stephanie wanted to learn Lingala; the tonal Bantu language spoken in the northwest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Felix – who, in the years since this, would become a reputable tutor, took it upon himself to teach her.
Felix then introduced Stephanie to his band, which sparked an enticing proposal. She had the idea that they should all form a larger group and start to travel together. This became the basis for the band Africa Music International (AMI).
“That was the first band that I left Congo with,” remembers Felix about the almost immediate plan to tour in Cameroon.
He adds: “That was my first travel experience outside the Congo – my first international experience!”
This ultimately led to the show at MASA, which is a cultural festival for promoting African performing arts, creativity, and sound production in Africa. It’s attended by tens of thousands of people each year, with hundreds of artists on the bill representing a whole host of different countries and cultures.
“It’s a stunning event for African performances,” says Felix.
Felix estimates that around 60,000 people were in attendance when he performed with his trusted djembe drum. It must have felt like he was on top of the world.
The band would go their separate ways shortly afterwards. Felix would quickly put together another group in which he was at the helm. The MASA Festival meant that he could tick Africa off his list and focus on the next destination.
Where was next for Felix? That would be Europe.
A New Frontier
Felix experienced a tragedy at this point in his life. At a time when his ‘dreams were coming true’, his mother sadly passed away.
“That had a big impact on me,” he recalls about the heartache of losing a parent at such a young age.
This ‘trauma’ was still with him as he put together a new group, one with eight members. It’s great evidence of his dedication to his craft and the way it can give him strength in times of suffering.
The large group – which was made up of men and women, as well as musicians and dancers – was a hit. It also allowed Felix to capture the attention of the Cameroonian singer Donny Ellwood, who asked Felix to join him on a tour of Europe.
Obviously, this was too good an opportunity to turn down!
Before he knew it, Felix was in France. In no time whatsoever he began to make his mark across the country, performing in places such as Paris and Limoges. In addition to what he was doing on stage, he was also having a big impact off-stage. This is because he began working with children around this time in his life.
“I continued my music and then I taught kids,” he explains. Felix continues: “I’d been helping people with problems, like kids who had been abandoned.” It’s now clear that during this formative period, the seeds were being planted for a life of performing and teaching.
The question is: how did this end up happening in Liverpool, England? Well, that materialised one night when Felix met a piano player. The pair hit it off not just professionally, but romantically too. Felix reveals: “I didn’t know she was going to be my wife then. Then, later on, I came here to England with her.”
The Liverpool Way
There’s an endless list of artists who found success in Liverpool. The likes of John Lennon and Paul McCartney are generally the first that spring to mind.
Felix had so many exciting opportunities to pursue when he arrived in the northwest of England. The most significant of which is arguably when he formed a band called Muzika. This led to him recording music and travelling worldwide, most notably to Australia.
“That was huge,” remembers Felix about his time Down Under. “It was another big experience in my life and a chance to discover different kinds of sounds. I was experiencing touring around the world and seeing things.”
Australia isn’t the only place where Felix’s talents have taken him. He’s also toured the United States, where he took to the stage in 15 different states. It’s fantastic proof of the almost universal appeal of his drumming skills.
Performing, however, is just one aspect of his remarkable career. The other is teaching. In between taking the spotlight, Felix is also a reputable tutor and, for many years, worked at Sudley Junior School in Liverpool. There’s no telling just how many young people he must have inspired while in this post.
Felix will be the first to tell you that education is such a powerful tool. This isn’t just from his time as a teacher but also from his time as a student.
Lifelong Learning
Felix isn’t a man whom anyone could accuse of complacency. Despite decades of performing and an undeniable talent for drumming, he’s always striving towards growth and refinement. It’s such an admirable quality to have.
It’s this quality that’s taken him back into education. One of the big factors that first drove him to take this path came upon the release of his first album in 2008. Felix recognises that ‘it did not really work’ due to his skillset at the time. “I did release my first album, and to be honest, it did not really work,” he bravely admits. He elaborates: “I didn’t really know how to speak English. It wasn’t my first language and you know how the music industry works.”
For Felix, it was all about getting better. He was determined to build on the gift he had – ultimately putting himself in a position to make better music, reach more people and have a larger impact. “I felt like I needed to take it to the next level,” he explains. Felix adds: “I needed a degree.” Felix first enrolled to study for a bachelor’s degree at the City of Liverpool College, where he studied music. Later he would register for a master’s degree at Liverpool Hope University.
The dad-of-two is now a more skilled, more educated and more polished musician than he’s ever been before. He’s also learned important industry knowledge, such as how to apply for funding from the Arts Council.
In many ways, Felix has removed any obstacles to success and is more poised than ever before to smash through the glass ceiling.
Looking Ahead
Felix has a lot to be content about. He’s found his calling, found his new home and found success in both teaching and as a musician. Indeed, he’s come a long way from that eager child watching the choir at his local church in Kinshasa.
It’s fair to say that he’s far from finished with what he wants to achieve. His first aim – somewhat expectedly – is to continue growing.
“I want to enhance my knowledge by learning something new.”
Meanwhile, the second goal is to share his gift with even more people. He highlights a desire to work more with children who have disabilities, particularly those who are blind.
Arguably though, he has much more to teach than just music. We can all learn something from Felix.
“When you fall down in life, you start again from zero,” says Felix about his life mantra. “But when you fall down, there are a lot of things you learn.”
If there’s one thing we can learn from Felix’s story, then it’s perhaps this: even when you’ve achieved your dreams, you can always be a better version of yourself.
Felix is undeniably the best version of himself so far. And you know what? He’ll likely never stop striving towards further self-improvement.