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
Piti innocent
Edith Lefel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ou pati tro vit' piti
Yo touvéy, an zeb' la épi doucè la rosée
Tro piti san defens' douvan lan mo
Pati tro vit' piti innocent
Ou pati tro vit' piti
Yo bat' li, yo sali pou an crim' ki pa ni nom
Pou an ti moun' ki pa konnèt la vi
Y kriè tell'men fo juska pèdi souff' li
Mè misérab' la pa té ka ten'
Et tet' li pa mim fen' douvan ti innocent
Malgré dé lan main-y
Té ja plein épi sang
Pati tro vit' piti innocent
Ou pati tro vit' piti
Yo bat'li, yo sali-y pou an crim' ki pa ni nom
Pou an ti moun ki pa konnèt la vi
Ki nom ou pé ba sa ki pé osé blessé
Kon sa san pitié an innocent
Violé et mim' twé lach' men san-y rigretté
Pou an mové vice, man ka mandé jistis
Di mwen koumen pou fè
Kontinié viv' apré tou sa doulè di mwen
Papa manman troublé, pédi zentrail' ou sa ka boulvèséw
Ou sa fè mal
Pa minyin yo
Pa minyin iche nou
Man ka mandé bondié véyé iche nou
Protégé ti manmaill' di misérab'
Pass' ki tan mwen ki ta lé zot' sé mim' doulè-a
Pèdi zentraill' ka fè tro mal
Piti innocent
Piti innocent
The lyrics to Edith Lefel's song "Piti Innocent" tell a story of a young innocent child who has been brutally attacked and violated by unknown assailants. The singer cries out against the injustice, questioning how anyone could harm such a pure and defenseless soul. The child's cries for help are ignored, and the singer urges for justice to be served. The pain of the child's experience is evident as the singer talks about the child's body being full of wounds and blood, with the innocence of their youth now taken away. The singer calls out to God for help, pleading for protection and care for all the innocent children in the world.
The song is a powerful commentary on the vulnerability of children and the need to protect them from harm, particularly sexual violence. The lyrics touch on themes of justice, innocence, and the pain and trauma of abuse. The powerful plea for protection and justice for all innocent children is a universal message that speaks to the need for action to address this pressing issue.
Line by Line Meaning
Pati tro vit' piti innocent
Leaving too soon a naive and innocent little one.
Ou pati tro vit' piti
You left too soon, little one.
Yo touvéy, an zeb' la épi doucè la rosée
They found him in the grass with sweet dew.
Tro piti san defens' douvan lan mo
Too little and defenseless in front of death.
Yo bat' li, yo sali pou an crim' ki pa ni nom
They beat him, they soiled him for a crime without a name.
Pou an ti moun' ki pa konnèt la vi
For a little child who didn't know life.
Y kriè tell'men fo juska pèdi souff' li
They cried out so loud until he lost his breath.
Mè misérab' la pa té ka ten'
But misery couldn't hold on.
Et tet' li pa mim fen' douvan ti innocent
And his head didn't give up in front of the little innocent one.
Malgré dé lan main-y
Despite the two hands they had.
Té ja plein épi sang
They were already full of blood.
Yo bat'li, yo sali-y pou an crim' ki pa ni nom
They beat him, they soiled him for a crime without a name.
Pou an ti moun ki pa konnèt la vi
For a little child who didn't know life.
Ki nom ou pé ba sa ki pé osé blessé
What name can you give to someone who dare to harm?
Kon sa san pitié an innocent
Like this without mercy an innocent.
Violé et mim' twé lach' men san-y rigretté
Raped, killed and left like a coward without regret.
Pou an mové vice, man ka mandé jistis
For a bad deed, I ask for justice.
Di mwen koumen pou fè
Tell me, what to do?
Kontinié viv' apré tou sa doulè di mwen
To continue living after all that pain, tell me.
Papa manman troublé, pédi zentrail' ou sa ka boulvèséw
Mom and dad are troubled, losing you is what is upsetting you.
Ou sa fè mal
It hurts.
Pa minyin yo
Don't cry for them.
Pa minyin iche nou
Don't cry for us either.
Man ka mandé bondié véyé iche nou
I ask God to watch over us.
Protégé ti manmaill' di misérab'
Protect the little children of misery.
Pass' ki tan mwen ki ta lé zot' sé mim' doulè-a
How much time do I have to make them feel my pain?
Pèdi zentraill' ka fè tro mal
Losing your guts hurts too much.
Piti innocent
Little innocent.
Contributed by Nora L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@sabrinabrosius6634
Petit innocent bel pawol merci edith
@geminjean-marc7379
Le bassiste et la chanteuse TOP...le haut niveau😘
@sandrine97gwada
Ils seront heureux car on les aimes de leurs vivants et nous le rendent bien !
@sandrine97gwada
Pour que nos enfants familles amis que lors ames restent à jamais en Paix !
@stephanebelizaire3627
BRAVO !
@user-yn1uw5wi5j
très belle chanson, très belle voix et surtout très très belle femme, Edith <3
@MonPereEternel75
Elle fait parti des "Grands du Zouk"..
@marinonochewi7957
Tres belle chanson c'est la réalité
@marinefarouil4768
2017 . Toujours aussi bon .
@cesaireregis5749
Ah ce gilles voyer clavieriste et programateur auteur compositeur de taxîkreol qui composé la musique pour edith lefel.