Mbandi was born on May 11, 1979 in a town called Limbe (formerly Victoria), which is on the West Coast of Cameroon in West Africa. He was first introduced to the piano in his early teens when his father purchased a keyboard for his older brothers. "I still didn't fall in love with the piano then because I thought it was for girls. It wasn't until my dad forced me to take piano lessons at the age of 14 that I discovered the wonders of the piano". Piano lessons might have increased his interest in the piano but the lessons lasted for two weeks only. "I was more interested in popular music but my piano teacher insisted on teaching only classical music". As a result, Mbandi decided to teach himself how to play and compose music. He composed his first song at the age of fifteen and has produced and recorded 5 albums since then.

Mbandi left his native country of Cameroon in August of 1994 at the age 15 to attend University in Pennsylvania. While in college, he formed a band and played for campus and local events. After graduating in 1998, he decided to concentrate on career in music, his first love. Mbandi now 26yrs old, lives in the Washington DC metro area.