Edith Lefel (November 1963, in Cayenne, French Guiana - 20 January 2003, in… Read Full Bio ↴Edith Lefel (November 1963, in Cayenne, French Guiana - 20 January 2003, in Dreux, France) was a French-based singer

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

Piensa en mi
Edith Lefel Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Si tienes un alto penal
Piensa en mi
Si tienes ganas de llorar
Piensa en mi
Ya ves ke venero
Tu imagen divina
Tu parbo la bka ke siendo tan nina
Te enseno a pekar

Piensa en mi
Kuando sufras
Kuando llores tambien piensa en mi
Kuando kieras kitarme la vida
No la kiero para nada para nada me sirve sin ti

Piensa en mi kuando sufras
Kuando llores tambien
Piensa en mi

Kuando kieras kitarme la vida
Pra nada pra nada me sirve sin ti i i i i

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Edith Lefel's song "Piensa En Mi" convey a message of undying love and devotion. It is a plea from the singer to their beloved to think of them during times of pain, tears, and even thoughts of taking their own life. The opening lines, "If you have a high penalty, think of me / If you feel like crying, think of me," emphasize that the singer wants to be there for their loved one during their darkest moments. The singer then goes on to express their adoration for the person, painting them as a divine image, and referencing their innocent past. They make it clear that they want to be a constant presence in their beloved's life and that they are willing to bear the weight of their struggles with them.

Throughout the song, the repetition of "Piensa en mi" ("Think of me" in English) creates a sense of urgency and emphasizes the deep love and need that the singer has for their beloved. The lyrics show that even in the face of pain and hardships, the singer chooses to focus on their love and devotion to the other person. It is a powerful portrayal of love's ability to overcome obstacles and provide strength in difficult times.

Line by Line Meaning

Si tienes un alto penal
If you find yourself in a difficult situation,

Piensa en mi
Think of me,

Si tienes ganas de llorar
If you feel like crying,

Ya ves ke venero
You see that I worship,

Tu imagen divina
Your divine image,

Tu parbo la bka ke siendo tan nina
The spell you cast when you were just a child,

Te enseno a pekar
That taught you to sin.

Piensa en mi
Think of me,

Kuando sufras
When you suffer,

Kuando llores tambien piensa en mi
When you cry, also think of me,

Kuando kieras kitarme la vida
When you want to take my life,