François Lougah, whose real name was Dago Lougah, was born on June 22, 1942 in Lakota, Côte d'Ivoire. After dropping out of secondary school at the end of the fourth year, he obtained a CAP in building in Paris, but fell seriously ill, forcing a year's convalescence. During this period, he began to learn the piano, and had serious ambitions to become a singer. However, it was through theater and cinema, under the guidance of Philippe Brunet, that he took his first steps into the world of show business. The same Philippe Brunet introduced him to Bruno Coquatrix, who had him take advanced piano and music theory lessons with Alain Raizaimbla, winner of the Premier Prix de Rome. With this new knowledge in hand, he formed the "Trio Midiloms" with compatriots Joseph Miézan-Bognini and Michel Parayso, then the "Cocoblicos" with Yves Beugré and Viera Koré. He went on to win second prize in Roger Lanzac's radio show Le jeu de la chance and the Grand Prix du Music-Hall. His musical career was thus launched, and his dense discography was enriched over the years by classics such as "Pécoussa", "Nayowi", "Yoco You Mon", "Contratse", and the 1982 album Bénédiction , which included the titles "Kankan", "Kouglizia" and "Doubehi". Until the 1990s, his success, like that of Amédée Pierre or Allah Thérèse, remained undisputed. It was put into perspective by the arrival of a new generation of zouglou singers. The man affectionately nicknamed "Papa National" by Ivorians finally died at the end of 1997, aged just 55.
