Ya Levis Biography: Age, Parents, Net Worth, Height, Wife, Songs, Albums, Nationality

Biography

Ya Levis Dalwear, born Prince Nemiala on September 9, 1994, in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, is a Congolese-French singer-songwriter and dancer widely dubbed the “Ambassador of Love.”

He is celebrated for his mellow, melodic, and melancholic voice, with lyrics that often explore themes of love, hatred, and hedonism.

Born into a musical family, his father, Nico Nemiala, was a Congolese rumba musician who worked alongside the legendary Papa Wemba, while his mother performed in a Catholic church choir. The family relocated to France in 1999, and from an early age, Ya Levis was immersed in music through his father’s studio sessions and rehearsals.

He began his musical journey in 2009, joining a dance troupe called D Stars of Africa alongside his brother, Olivier Dalwear, and it was during this period that he adopted the stage name Ya Levis Dalwear. He departed the group in 2012 to pursue a solo career, and after being discovered at a concert in 2013, he signed with MCP Group.

He rose to wider prominence with his 2015 breakout single Mokolo ya l’amour, and gained international recognition with the 2018 Congolese rumba-infused single Katchua, which earned a gold record from SNEP.

Levis has already earned prestigious recognition, including Best African Act in Diaspora and Best Artiste in African R&B/Soul at the 2022 AFRIMA Awards. His most recent project, Love Machine, released in full in November 2024, further cements his standing as one of the most compelling voices bridging Congolese rumba and contemporary R&B.

Congolese-French singer-songwriter and dancer
Ya Levis
Wiki Facts & About Data
Real Name:	Prince Nemiala
Stage Name:	Ya Levis
Born:	9 September 1994 (age 31 years old)
Place of Birth:	Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Nationality:	Congolese, French
Education:	N/A
Height:	N/A
Parents:	Mrs. Nemiala, Nico Nemiala
Siblings:	Olivier Dalwear
Spouse:	Not Married
Girlfriend • Partner:	Not Dating
Children:	N/A
Occupation:	Singer • Dancer • Songwriter
Net Worth:	$3 million (USD)

Early Life

Prince Nemiala, known to the world as Ya Levis Dalwear, was born on September 9, 1994, in Kinshasa, the sprawling, music-soaked capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

That birth date places him under the sign of Virgo, a zodiac known for its quiet intensity, analytical depth, and an almost perfectionist relationship with craft, qualities that would later define his meticulous, emotionally layered approach to music.

By ethnicity, Ya Levis is Congolese, rooted in the rich cultural heritage of one of Central Africa’s most vibrant nations. He was raised in the Christian faith, an influence drawn largely from his mother’s side, as Mrs. Nemiala was an active member of a Catholic church choir, her voice a constant presence in the household.

The household itself was never short of music. His father, Nico Nemiala, was a respected Congolese rumba musician who had worked closely with the iconic Papa Wemba, one of the most celebrated figures in African music history.

Growing up around rehearsals, studio sessions, and the rhythmic pulse of Congolese rumba, Ya Levis absorbed the genre the way other children absorbed nursery rhymes. It was less a choice than an inheritance. When he was just five years old, in 1999, the family uprooted from Kinshasa and relocated to France, carrying that musical identity into a new continent.

He has a brother, Olivier Dalwear, with whom he shared his earliest steps into performance. The two would later join the dance troupe Les Étoiles d’Afrique in 2009, a formative experience that gave Ya Levis his stage name and sharpened his instinct for showmanship. Despite his mother’s reservations about a career in music, the pull was stronger than any classroom.

Following the death of his father, Ya Levis made the definitive choice to prioritize music over formal education, a decision that shaped everything that came after. Detailed records of his schooling have never been made public, and the artist himself has been largely tight-lipped on the subject, letting his catalogue speak louder than any certificate ever could.

Career

Ya Levis Dalwear made his first move into the world of performance not as a singer, but as a dancer. In 2009, at the age of fifteen, he joined the dance troupe Les Étoiles d’Afrique alongside his brother, Olivier Dalwear, and it was within that collective that he first adopted the stage name Ya Levis Dalwear.

The troupe gave him his footing, but the stage, once tasted, had a way of demanding more. By 2012, he had stepped away from the group entirely to pursue a solo career, releasing early cuts Love-Olivia and Shabanni, neither of which made significant noise. The audience was not ready, or perhaps the moment was not yet right.

That moment arrived in 2013, when he was spotted at a concert by representatives of MCP Group, who signed him and set the machinery of a proper career in motion. Under the MCP Group label, he released Mokolo ya l’amour in 2015, a breakout single that resonated widely across Africa, particularly among women drawn to its portrait of an ideal Valentine’s Day told through the warmth of Lingala and French.

The song established him as a name worth watching. Collaborations followed, including a 2016 link-up with Mathieu Canaby on a cover of Carlos Santana’s Maria Maria, and a feature on DJ Moh Green’s Money.

In April 2017, Ya Levis made his first live television appearance with the song On Récolte Ce Que L’on Sème on the program Touche Pas à Mon Poste, hosted by Cyril Hanouna. That same year, he signed a record deal with Capitol Records, a significant step that signalled the broadening of his ambitions beyond the Francophone African circuit. On December 29, he joined forces with the Ivorian group Kiff No Beat on the single Farotema.

2018 proved to be the most consequential year of his career to that point. In May, he released Libala, a tribute to his late parents that carried the weight of personal loss into a public space. Then in October came Katchua, a Congolese rumba-infused single co-produced by Mike Dallas and Chris Hamiwest. Sung in French and Lingala, the song’s music video portrays Ya Levis’ profound emotional bond with a partner through all adversities, and it quickly accumulated over 14 million YouTube views within eight months, earning a gold record from SNEP and pushing his visibility into major African and European cities.

On June 28, 2019, Ya Levis unveiled his debut studio album, El Mayalove, released through MCP Group. The 14-track project blended Congolese rumba, pop, and kizomba, and featured guest appearances by SAYS’Z on Poizon, Diamond Platnumz on Penzi, and Chris Hamiwest on the bonus track Alyah.

He promoted the album with a performance at the Red One Festival at the Institut Français in Kinshasa, followed by a show at the Intare Conference Arena in Kigali. He also performed as the opening act for Flavour’s concert in Paris and embarked on a wider African tour that year.

Work on his next project began in mid-2020.LCLM: Prélude, an eight-track EP, was published on June 25, 2021, built around the gold-certified single Chocolat as well as Lokesha and Nakati, with guest appearances by Franglish, Ronisia, S.Pri Noir, and Leto. The EP blended Congolese rumba and R&B and was supported by sold-out live dates across Europe, including a concert at the Machine du Moulin Rouge in Paris.

In November 2021, Ya Levis signed a record deal with Sony Music Entertainment France for the release of his second studio album. L’amour change le monde, released on March 18, 2022, was co-distributed by Sony Music Entertainment France and Because Editions.

The 18-track album included collaborations with Yxng Bane, Jok’Air, Zaho, Alonzo, and Koffi Olomidé, with the breakout single Pardonne-moi earning him two consecutive nominations at the All Africa Music Awards for Best Artist in African R&B/Soul and Best African Male Act in Diaspora.

At the 2022 AFRIMA awards, he claimed Best African Act in Diaspora and Best Artiste in African R&B/Soul, cementing his standing as one of the most decorated Congolese artists of his generation.

His third studio album, Love Machine, was initially conceived as an EP and released on September 20, 2024, with a six-song tracklist featuring singles such as Lifobo, Nigani, Ne doute pas, Sugar Daddy, Come with Me, and Magie, with guest appearances by Teni and Sidiki Diabaté.

On November 1, the project was expanded into a full-length album with six additional tracks, including a feature by Ghanaian singer King Promise, bringing the total to 12. Co-produced by Back 2 Bellum and Dalwear Music and distributed by Play Two, a subsidiary of the TF1 Group, the album drew praise from Djolo magazine for its tender blend of contemporary R&B and Congolese rumba. He took Love Machine on the road, performing at La Madeleine in Brussels in November and closing the year at Raha Rave in Nairobi in December.

From a dancer in a troupe to a gold-certified artist with Sony and Capitol Records deals, arena concerts across three continents, and a discography that has consistently refused to stand still, Ya Levis Dalwear’s career is the story of a man who bet everything on his voice and has yet to be proven wrong.

Social Media

• Wikipedia: Ya Levis Dalwear
• Instagram: YA LEVIS (@yalevisdalwear)
• Facebook: Ya Levis (@YaLevisOfficiel)
• YouTube: YA LEVIS MUSIC

Personal Life

Ya Levis Dalwear was born on September 9, 1994, which makes him 31 years old. For a man who has built an entire catalogue around the architecture of love, desire, and emotional vulnerability, he has been remarkably disciplined about keeping his own romantic life out of the public eye.

The contrast is almost deliberate, as if he decided early on that his feelings belong in his music and nowhere else.

There is no record of Ya Levis ever having been married, and no wife has been publicly identified or acknowledged. He has never been engaged, and any details surrounding his marital status remain entirely undisclosed. It is one of the few areas of his life where the “Ambassador of Love” has chosen silence over candour.

His dating history is similarly sparse on verifiable detail. Sources confirm that he has had at least one relationship in the past, but the identity of the person involved has never been made public.

Levis has not commented on former partners in interviews, and no name has surfaced in credible reporting regarding his romantic past. For an artist whose songs are soaked in the language of love and longing, that discretion is striking, and perhaps intentional. The music does the confessing. The man stays quiet.

In 2023, Ya Levis welcomed his first son, a development he acknowledged publicly, though the identity of the child’s mother was not revealed. He has not offered further comment on the matter, and the mother’s name remains unknown. The birth of his son stands as the most significant personal disclosure he has made, and even that came with the bare minimum of detail.

Regarding height, Ya Levis has never officially confirmed his measurements, and no verified figure appears in any credible source. His exact height remains unknown.

What is clear is the kind of man his public persona projects: private by design, emotionally expressive only through song, and careful about the boundary between the art and the life behind it. For fans accustomed to artists who live their relationships in public, Ya Levis offers a different kind of intimacy, one that exists entirely within the music he makes.

Net Worth

Ya Levis Dalwear has built a considerable fortune on the strength of a career that has grown steadily from the small stages of France’s Francophone African circuit to sold-out arenas across Europe and the continent.

His estimated net worth stands at $3 million, a figure accumulated through multiple revenue streams that reflect the full breadth of his professional reach.

The bulk of his earnings flows from music, specifically from streaming royalties across platforms such as Spotify, Boomplay, and Apple Music, where his catalogue draws consistent numbers.

His albums, from El Mayalove through to Love Machine, have maintained strong commercial performance, and gold-certified singles like Katchua and Chocolat have continued to generate income long after their release dates. Record deals with MCP Group, Capitol Records, and Sony Music Entertainment France have further structured and secured his earning capacity over the years.

Live performance is another significant pillar of his wealth. Ya Levis is a proven draw on the concert circuit, having sold out venues including La Cigale and the Machine du Moulin Rouge in Paris, performed at the Intare Conference Arena in Kigali, played to full houses in Oslo, Brussels, and Nairobi, and headlined festival stages across Central and East Africa. Ticket sales, appearance fees, and event partnerships from these engagements contribute meaningfully to his bottom line.

Discography

Albums

• El Mayalove (2019)
• L’amour change le monde (2022)
• Love Machine (2024)

EPs

• Mokolo ya l’amour (2015)
• LCLM: Prélude (2021)
• Love Machine, pt. 1 (2024)

Singles

• Love-Olivia (2012)
• Shabanni (2012)
• Canœ kayak (2015)
• Mokolo ya l’amour (2015)
• Come On (2016)
• Je t’emmènerais (2016)
• Tourbillon (Ndombolo Freestyle) (2017)
• Mama (2017)
• Farotema (with Kiff No Beat) (2017)
• Libala (2018)
• Katchua (2018)
• Lokesha (2020)
• Nakati (2020)
• Chocolat (2021)
• Love (2021)
• Pardonne-moi (2021)
• Es-tu prête (2022)
• Un bout de nous (with Zaho) (2022)
• Candy shop (2022)
• Takala (2023)
• Ne doute pas (2024)
• Katalay (2025)
• One For Me (2025)
• Ta femme t’a pas dit (2025)
• Maweja (2026)

As Featured Artist

• Money (feat. JR O Chrome & Ya Levis Dalwear) by DJ Moh Green
• Bien plus fort (feat. Ya Levis) by Joe Dwèt Filé (2021)
• K.O by Gaz Mawete (2024)
• Maya Maya (feat. Ya Levis) by Young Jonn (2024)

What People Ask