Born in Côte d'Ivoire to Beninese parents, Cella Stella set her sights on music from an early age, joining the group Black Santiago in 1973 after being noticed by its bandleader. As part of this group, she was introduced to the highlife, soukouss and R&B influences that would later shape her solo career. Her solo career began the following year, when Cella Stella opened her recording account with the album Jale, mainly composed by the Cameroonian poet Eboa Lotin, before heading off to Liberia and Togo, where she toured with the singer Myriam Makeba, with whom she had become close friends. She returned in 1979 and met Cameroonian artist Ekambi Brillant, who went on to write most of her songs in Douala. Her best-known albums include Mumi We Njo (Les Hommes Sont Fous) in 1986 and Tradi Émotion in 2000, which saw her surround herself with artists such as Guy Nsangué, Étienne Mbappé, Noël Assolo, Willy N'for, Charles Ewandje and Barbara Akabla to affirm her return to the roots of Beninese music. Cella Stella's popularity has been built on tracks such as "Latane oa na mba", "Mambo na mambo", "Ndolo nyo", "Sokem", "Nyoue", "Moussawedi", "Gbe o gbele", "Ebola ndutu", "Mari officiel", "Ndol a diye", "Na mea longue" and "Wellissane", some of which are featured on compilations such as Cella Stella's Le Grand Parcours.