Lefel's mother was from French Guiana and her father from the island of Martinique. She moved with her parents to Martinique when she was three. It was there that she was exposed to the rich musical traditions of the Caribbean. During the 1970s, when Lefel was growing up, creative young artists with Haitian bands were just beginning to create the zouk sound. Groups such as Les Frères Déjean, Le Ska Shah Number One and Tabou Combo drew on a combination of traditional African, Caribbean and European rhythms, including belair, biguine and mazurka, to produce their unique music which became another global phenomenon in the decades following the death of Bob Marley.
In her 14th year, Lefel and her mother left for France, settling in the Saint-Denis suburb of Paris. There she continued her studies in law, occasionally singing with her brother's folk rock group, and, in 1984, launched her career as a professional singer. The turning point in her career came when she met the Maffia band leader Jean-Michel Cambrimol. He invited her to accompany the band on a tour of the French Antilles, and recorded the hit single "My doudou" with her. Lefel's success on that tour led to more offers, including one from Jean-Luc Lazair of Lazair, with whom she recorded the single "Ich Maman". In 1987, she accepted an offer from the famous Martinican group Malavoi, appearing as a chorus singer on their album La case à Lucie. She earned her nickname "la sirène" by singing a song of that title on Malavoi's 1993 album Matebis. During the same period she met the arranger and producer Ronald Rubinel, whom she later married and with whom she had twin sons.
The year after Lefel first appeared with Malavoi she recorded her first solo album, La klé (The Key), which won the Prix de la SACEM for its producer, Georges Debs, in 1988. The album included a duet between Lefel and "Latin Crooner" Ralph Thamar - one of many collaborations Lefel recorded during her career with famous musicians, including Gilles Voyer, Dominique Zorobabel, Jean-Philippe Marthély, Sylviane Cédia and Mario Canonge. She explained to an interviewer for the RFI Musique website that when she hosted a house party she invited the people she loved the most, and she felt there was no reason why a recording session should be any different.
By 1992, Lefel had become well-known throughout the Caribbean and her reputation had spread to Mozambique. In that year she released her second album,Mèci (Thanks), which was honored with the Sacem trophy for the best female singer of the year. Mèci broke records for Afro-Caribbean independent artists, selling in excess of 40,000 units. Her third album Rendez-vous, released in 1996, continued to build her reputation as one of the leading female interpreters of Afro-Caribbean genres.
But that same year Lefel took her career in quite a different direction, with a live recording made at the famed Olympia theater in Paris. In Edith Lefel a l'Olympia, the artist expanded her repertoire to include French and English language material, including some of the Parisian street songs that had been popularized by Edith Piaf. She explained that her parents had listened to Piaf when she was young (along with other classic French-language chanteurs like Jacques Brel and Charles Aznavour), and that she had often imitated Piaf at home for their entertainment. On the evening of the Olympia concert, May 11, 1996, Lefel impressed the audience with her immense talent, supported by her friends Ralph Thamar and Jean-Luc Alger, and her husband and children.
A very attractive woman whose likeness graced the covers of many prominent French magazines, Lefel died at the height of her powers and popularity[1] in January 2003, at only age 39. She died in her sleep. Autopsy results revealed a combination of smoking and birth control pills as the cause of her death. Edith Lefel is buried at Père Lachaise Cemetery.
Contents
[hide] 1 Discography 1.1 Albums
2 References
3 External links
Apartheid
Edith Lefel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pouki rézon ou ka soufè kon sa, kanmarad?
Pouki ou tou ou pa ni dwa chanté kon tout moun?
Ki malédisyon ou ka sipòté asou latè manman'w-la, kanmarad?
Maléré, ou lévé
é kon tout jénérasyon'w
Yo trayi'w, méprizé'w
Yo sé lé ou rété gadé san'w palé
Ich ou grandi adan lapenn
Pouki sa kanmarad?
Pouki rézon ou ka soufè kon sa, kanmarad?
Pouki ou tou ou pa ni dwa chanté kon tout moun?
Ki malédisyon ou ka sipòté asou latè manman'w-la, kanmarad?
Maléré, ou lévé
é kon tout jénérasyon'w
Yo trayi'w, méprizé'w
Yo sé lé'w rété gadé san'w palé
San'w boujé
Ich ou grandi adan lapenn
Rilévé kò'w
Pou'w pé wè soley-la
souflan-
Maléré, ou lévé
é kon tout jénérasyon'w
Yo trayi'w, méprizé'w
Yo sé lé ou rété gadé san'w palé
San'w boujé
Ich ou grandi adan lapenn
kè-
Libèté pou kanmarad
Goumen pou tjwé l'Apartheid
kè-
Libèté pou kanmarad
Goumen pou tjwé l'Apartheid
souflan-
kè-
Libèté pou kanmarad
Goumen pou tjwé l'Apartheid
kè-
Libèté pou kanmarad
Goumen pou tjwé l'Apartheid
kè-
Libèté pou kanmarad
Goumen pou tjwé l'Apartheid
kè-
Libèté pou kanmarad
Goumen pou tjwé l'Apartheid
The lyrics to Edith Lefel's song Apartheid express a frustration at the oppression and marginalization experienced by the singer and her community. The song opens with a series of questions asking why the singer's friend is suffering in this way, why they can't express themselves like everyone else, and what kind of curse they are supporting by allowing this system to continue. The chorus repeats the phrase "maléré, ou lévé," which translates to "unfortunate, you rise," underscoring the resilience of the oppressed.
The second verse continues with the same questions, asking why the singer's friend is not allowed to sing like anyone else, and why they are allowing themselves to be looked down upon and disrespected. The pre-chorus emphasizes the need for the singer to rise up, both individually and as a generation that has been betrayed and marginalized. The chorus repeats the same phrase as before, with the addition of "libèté pou kanmarad," meaning "freedom for our friends," and "goumen pou tjwé l'apartheid," or "fight to kill apartheid."
The final section of the song speaks directly to the singer's heart, urging her to raise herself up to see the sun and to fight for freedom and the end of apartheid. The repeated chant of "libèté pou kanmarad" and "goumen pou tjwé l'apartheid" serves as a call to action and a reminder of the ongoing struggle against oppression.
Line by Line Meaning
Pouki sa kanmarad?
Why is that, my friend?
Pouki rézon ou ka soufè kon sa, kanmarad?
What reason do you have to suffer like this, my friend?
Pouki ou tou ou pa ni dwa chanté kon tout moun?
Why aren't you allowed to sing like everyone else?
Ki malédisyon ou ka sipòté asou latè manman'w-la, kanmarad?
What curse are you supporting on your mother's earth, my friend?
Maléré, ou lévé
Unlucky, you rise
é kon tout jénérasyon'w
And like all your generations
Yo trayi'w, méprizé'w
They betray you, they scorn you
Yo sé lé ou rété gadé san'w palé
They want you to watch without speaking
San'w boujé
Without moving
Ich ou grandi adan lapenn
And you grew up in tears
Rilévé kò'w
Lift yourself up
Pou'w pé wè soley-la
So you can see the sun
Libèté pou kanmarad
Freedom for my friend
Goumen pou tjwé l'Apartheid
Fight to kill Apartheid
Contributed by Jordyn D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.