This is the second version of the song. The original “Maya” was released by Simaro in 1986 and was voted as the Zaire song of the year. It caused plenty of tension between the legendary Franco and his trusted lieutenant Simaro because the song had been released outside the TP OK Jazz system.
The original Maya was primarily sung by Lassa Carlito. In this version, Carlito is joined by Pepe Kalle. The song typifies why Simaro is known as “Le Poete”. It is a song about a lost love. Amid wailing saxophones, Pepe Kalle and Carlito describe sleepless nights and heartache. Pepe Kalle describes how the person tried to convince his love to come back but she insisted on divorce. Carlito then describes how the fate of loosing the love of his life is a fate worse than death. He goes on to say that God made this thing called love but love is a bad thing because the person you love often does not love you back.
