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THE ZOUK CRAZE RUNS OUT OF STEAM
04/03/1998 -
In embarking on their recent tour of Africa, it appears that the group Kassav not only wished to wipe out all memory of their last (disastrous) tour, but also desired to relive their past glory. After all, it was Kassav's triumph in Africa in 1985 that first set the group on the road to international stardom. These days Kassav's international record sales have plummeted, however, and it seems that no amount of touring can put this right. "In 1987 sales topped the 500,000 mark, but today Kassav's record sales have dropped to 150,000, " laments Jacob Desvarieux, one of the group's original co-founders, "We've still got a lot of fans in Africa though."
This is true, but there's no denying the fact that Kassav have lost their international fanbase. In the 1980's Kassav spread the zouk craze all the way from Moscow to New York, packing concert venues with capacity audiences. Those days are well and truly over now. Following the departure of Kassav's charismatic singers Jean-Philippe Marthely and Patrick St Eloi, who both left to pursue solo careers, the group has started working with the likes of Stevie Wonder and Ray Baretto. But it remains to be seen whether these two legendary stars will be able to inject the Kassav sound with new vitality.
Other major casualties of the zouk backlash are Zouk Machine, the famous trio of female singers who shot to international fame in the 80's with their catchy 'American-style' zouk. Zouk Machine have not only suffered from falling record sales and diminishing popularity, they have also been torn apart by internal conflicts. Jane Fostin fuelled these inner conflicts by falling out with fellow singers Christine Obydol and Dominique Zobabel as well as squabbling with the group's main songwriters. Two years ago the 'dissident' walked out on the group to launch her own career, signing a solo recording deal with Zouk Machine's label BMG.
Zouk Machine chose to carry on without Fostin and promptly broke their contract with BMG, but the group's career has lost its sparkle. "Today we're basically just playing small private concerts," explains Christine Obydol, "But recently we decided to get a new agent and we're now busy in the studio again, getting a new demo tape together." Meanwhile Joelle Ursull, another former Zouk Machine star, who rocketed to fame after recording the duet White and Black Blues with Serge Gainsbourg, has also had a rough time of it in the 90's. After overcoming a serious drug addiction, Ursull fought her way back from obscurity, recording a new soul-jazz album Comme dans un film in 1993. The album proved to be a commercial flop, however, and today Ursull is considering re-making herself as a French variété singer.
Those Who Played Their Cards Right
The 1990's have proved none too favourable for other types of music from the French Antilles, either. A new generation of music fans have deserted the sounds of zouk and biguine, switching their allegiance to new raggamuffin groups and Haitian compas. Faced with stiff competition from these quarters, the Antilles stars Malavoi, who rocketed to fame in the 80's with their innovative fusion of jazz and biguine, have also suffered a drop in sales. In fact, Malavoi never really recovered from the death of their principal songwriter Paul Rozine and the departure of their lead singer Ralph Tamar. Tamar played his cards right, however, leaving the group to launch a solo career. The popular crooner's new album Embarquement créole - a rich mix of zouk, biguine and salsa put together by the famous Antilles jazzman Mario Canonge - looks set to revive Tamar's fortunes at least.
But the two real survivors of the zouk backlash are undoubtedly Edith Lefel and Tanya St Val, two famous singers from the Antilles who happen to be close friends. Lefel, former backing singer with the group Malavoi, recently triumphed at the Kora awards (held in South Africa in October 1997), scooping the award for "Best Artist of the Diaspora". Aided by her husband and producer Ronald Rubinel, Lefel is another Antilles singer who has definitely played her cards right. Lefel's glamorous image combined with her perfectly crafted tunes and nostalgic/romantic lyrics have earnt the singer a loyal following of fans.
Edith Lefel has also worked with a variety of artists from non-zouk backgrounds (Dédé St Prix and Daddy Screw, for example) and this experimentation, coupled with Lefel's impressive performance at the Olympia in Paris in 96, has put the seal on her success story. "I don't try to be make my music fashionable," explains Lefel, "I'm into creating authentic sounds. I always remember what Aznavour said : those who try to be fashionable inevitably end up falling out of fashion!"
Tanya St Val, a former singer with Zouk Machine, is not opposed to moving with the times, however. "I fought long and hard to get zouk off the ground," she says, "but today I'm redirecting my attention to world music. After all, I'd like to get the chance of performing on television like everyone else. But I guess I'll get back to zouk again later in my career." For now St Val is happy experimenting with new genres - indeed, the singer is currently working on a brand new album with overtly hip hop influences. St Val has also taken advantage of her solo career to work with a host of French stars. After performing with Michel Sardou at the Olympia in 1995, she went on to accompany Johnny Hallyday on his European tour and later that same year recorded a duet with the legendary French rock star.
But the greatest success story of them all is undoubtedly Francky Vincent, the popular Martiniquan star who is currently the French Antilles' best-selling musical export abroad. While other Antilles stars languish on their laurels, Vincent has suddenly exploded onto the international music scene, his Best of album selling a staggering 300,000 copies. Stéphane Etienne, a spokesperson from Vincent's record company, puts the singer's success down to his inimitable style. "Francky's invented a new kind of sexy zouk which makes him stand out from the crowd," explains Etienne, "He's also invested a lot of time performing on the club circuit. As you know, club DJs tend to work in tandem with radio stations, so Francky's success has been slowly and steadily building up from grass roots level." So it looks like it's over to you now, Francky!
