Up until now, we thouht that the “Queen of Zouk” was Jocelyne Béroard, but obviously the singer of the famous band – Kassav’ – which invented Zouk in Guadeloupe in the 1970s and is made up of Guadeloupeans and Martinicans, is clearly in trouble. All the other female Zouk singers from Guadeloupe, Martinique and French Guiana who coveted this prestigious title are now in a very bad way.
Indeed, in a very short time, a French singer from Mali has become the new “Queen of Zouk”. Her name: Aya Nakamura. After all, why not? Music has no borders… Most of our female Zouk singers have left the Caribbean to settle in France, but now that the “World Music” craze of the 80s and 90s is over, it’s hard to break through in Europe…
In any case, Aya Nakamura has found the secret to “breaking through”. All she had to do was write simple lyrics in slang from the Parisian suburbs, put on colorful wigs (like Spice, the famous Jamaican dancehall singer), wear sexy outfits and sway to Zouk music.
The problem is that the artist has never presented herself as a Zouk singer. She defines herself as an urban singer who sings R&B, and it’s precisely this attitude that infuriates many Zouk artists and Zouk fans. They feel dispossessed and unrecognized. Musicians will talk about “rhythmic” among other things to prove that Aya Nakamura sings Zouk, while others with no musical knowledge will say that you only have to listen to her tracks to realize that it’s our music.
What local artist will have the nerve to look multimillionaire Aya Nakamura in the eye and tell her she sings Zouk? No one, because up until now, the malcontents who struggle to have their meagre fees are talking in table drawers or trembling with anger in their corners. Jacob Desvarieux and Patrick Saint-Éloi would certainly have done so…
Aya Nakamura’s title of “Most listened-to Francophone artist in the world” probably impress, but what countries are these listeners from ? If the millions of “brothers” and “sisters” from France’s former African colonies are connected to digital platforms, this title can’t escape the artist… It’s well known that Africans love Zouk, especially that of Kassav’…
In any case, at a time when everyone in Guadeloupe and Martinique is talking about the high cost of living compared to France, and galloping inflation, many of our compatriots have found the money needed to attend the Aya Nakamura concert on Saturday November 11 (Martinique) and Sunday November 12 (Guadeloupe).
Tickets cost 60 euros and more, and some fans can even book a seat in the VIP area for 250 euros. What Zouk singer today would have managed to draw crowds (around 15,000 per concert) at this price? None.
In fact, those who criticize Zouk – preferring the more chic Jazz (with little finger up) – will be attending with their children Aya Nakamura’s Zouk concert.
Here we see the Guadeloupean and the Martinican in all their contradictions and complexities…
