Born in France and raised in Cameroon, Vieux Thiers grew up in the Nkomkana neighborhood of Yaoundé, the West African country's largest city. He has been enchanted with music since he was very young, joining his first musical groups when he was just 10 years old. They constructed handmade instruments with whatever they could find and strolled door to door performing for their community. His musical inspirations include local styles such as bikutsi and makossa, as well as Brazilian bossa nova, Afro-Cuban son and American blues and jazz.

It wasn't until 2021, with his grey beard reflecting his advancing age, that Vieux Thiers was able to step into a recording studio and produce his first single. The classic African rumba sound of "Caroline" mixes flavors of Cuban and West African music in the style of the legendary band Africando and was produced in collaboration with veteran musicians and producers that specialize in this infectious style.