Paris-based French-Beninese artist Joe Kingston has put one of the things he has witnessed in romantic relationships into song. His latest single, “Ça Ne Marche Pas,” released today, September 25, is about a love that comes with a price. The song title, which translates in English to “It doesn’t work,” is Joe Kingston’s way of responding to the partner who keeps asking for material things in a relationship.
“In the song, we have a girl who loves me, but she wants the money. She wants big things, big cars, and has other high expectations. I’m telling her in the song that I also love and want to be with her, but every big thing that she is looking for, I’m saying that Ça Ne Marche Pas, it doesn’t work,” Joe Kingston said in an interview with Rolling Stone Africa.
Sharing the inspiration behind the song, he shared that it is from relationships he has observed around him, as well as experiences from his own life. “I’ve met some people and some girls, and they’re like, ‘If you don’t have a car, a house, or your own apartment, I cannot be with you.’ So I decided to put that in a song saying that I’m down for love, but the high expectation that you are looking for doesn’t work with me,” the singer revealed.
In “Ça Ne Marche Pas,” Joe Kingston featured Nigerian Afrobeats star Skales. The collaboration brings together two artists from different linguistic backgrounds, with Joe Kingston delivering his perspective through French, while Skales responds in English and Pidgin, creating a bilingual exchange.
The collaboration came together through Joe Kingston’s friend Edwin, a music executive who met Skales at Afro Nation. The French-Beninese artist and Skales eventually got on a call and discussed the possibility of working together. “Skales was down to make a song with me. He came to Paris, and we went straight to the studio to record the song,” Joe Kingston said.
Joe Kingston was discovered after opening for Omah Lay at Paris’ Olympia. It was his first major performance at that level, and his 30-minute set introduced his music to a lot of people. Sharing the experience, the singer said, “It’s the biggest moment of my career because it shifted everything. It was like a validation to my music. It’s my first biggest show, and Olympia is one of the famous venues in France. The show changed everything because I performed in front of 2000 people.”
The exposure helped bring more attention from the public and members of the music industry to him. Artists began taking notice of his work, while more listeners became interested in his music. The experience also gave Joe Kingston a renewed belief in the direction he was taking. “I was like, ‘If Omah Lay let me open for him, it means that I’m on the right way and I’m doing the good thing,’” he said.
Since that performance, Joe Kingston has continued to establish himself within the French Afro-urban scene. Now, the release of “Ça Ne Marche Pas” with Skales adds another significant collaboration to that journey.
“I feel like I’m getting really big,” Joe Kingston said. “People are starting to recognize me more right now.” He described himself as being “on a rocket,” but he is also aware that growing visibility brings greater responsibility. “A lot of opportunities are starting to get in. So I need to be really focused on everything that I’m doing,” he stated.
That momentum continues tomorrow, September 26, when Kingston is scheduled to perform at FNAC Paris Saint-Lazare for a showcase following the release of “Ça Ne Marche Pas.”
Listen to “Ça Ne Marche Pas” HERE
