Deko Barbara-Jessica Wedi, better known as Rouge, was born on September 13, 1992. she comes from Congo and South Africa.
Her debut album, ‘The New Era Sessions,’ released with a short film, earned her a prestigious South African Film and Television Award for Best Micro Budget Film.
FACTS ABOUT ROUGE
- FULL NAME: Deko Barbara-Jessica Wedi
- DATE OF BIRTH: September 13, 1992
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Pretoria , Gauteng, South Africa
- NATIONALITY: Congolese-South African
- OCCUPATIONS : Rapper, Singer, Songwriter, Author, TV Presenter
- LABELS: Sony Music
EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION
Born to Congolese parents, she discovered her love for songwriting at 12, leading her into acting, public speaking, and poetry.
Pretoria, Gauteng celebrated the birth of Deko Barbara-Jessica Wedi on September 13, 1992.
At 19, encouraged by a friend, she started rapping to her own R&B compositions. She later graduated from the University of Pretoria with a degree in Drama & Film.
Following her first single “Party,” Rouge released her second single “Mi Corazon” featuring BigStar Johnson in December 2014.
Collaborating with AKA in 2015 for the “Baddest” remix with other female rap artists was a career highlight.
The release of “Mbongo Zaka” featuring Moozlie in 2016 marked her breakthrough, dominating charts on major South African radio stations.
Recognized as one of the top female rappers in Africa, Rouge appeared on Creative-hiphop’s list in 2017 alongside artists like Nadia Nakai and Eno Barony.
She mentored on the reality show “The Coalition” in 2016 and participated in MTV Base Cyphers the next year.
Her album “The New Era Sessions” was released on September 8, 2017, reaching number 2 on the local iTunes charts.
The accompanying short film, featuring talents like Atandwa Kani and Denise Zimba, received critical acclaim and awards like the South African Film and Television Award for Best Micro Budget Film.
Continuing her success, the album yielded multiple hit singles and accolades, including a South African Music Award for Best Music Video.
Rouge expanded her roles by hosting the music show Remix SA on SABC 1 and joining Halls SA’s competition HallsOMFCC as a decision-maker.
In a significant move, she signed with Sony Music South Africa in March 2019.
PERSONAL LIFE
In 2023, Rouge, tied the knot with her partner and manager, MacMillian “Ginger Mac” Mabaleka, after a nine-year relationship, sealing their union in marriage.