Despite receiving a lukewarm reception in France, they have become one of the most successful French-language musical groups in the U.S. Apart from their two albums, they have also made appearances on songs by the Black Eyed Peas, Talib Kweli, and Yerba Buena.
Website: http://www.lesnubians.org/
September: Third Album "Nü Revolution" is released!
An unconventional female duo that came out of Bordeaux, France, in the 1990s, Les Nubians offered a jazzy, sophisticated style of R&B that combined French lyrics with the influence of Sade, Soul II Soul, hip-hop, and African pop. The duo consists of sisters Helene and Celia Faussart, who were born in France to a French father and a Cameroonian mother. After living in France as children, the siblings moved with their parents to the African country of Chad in 1985, when Helene (born 1975) was ten and Celia (born 1979) was six. The sisters lived in Chad for seven years before returning to France as teenagers. Helene and Celia had been singing most of their lives, and when they first formed Les Nubians, they were an a cappella group that specialized in covers of R&B, reggae, and African songs. Eventually, they started working with bands and performing original material. Helene and Celia absorbed a variety of music along the way, and they have expressed admiration for artists ranging from Ella Fitzgerald and Abbey Lincoln to the Fugees and African icons Miriam Makeba and Fela Kuti. Their promising debut album, Princesses Nubiennes, was released by Virgin worldwide in France, Switzerland, and Belgium in June 1998 before coming out on Omtown/Higher Octave in the U.S. in September of that year. It became America's most successful French-language album in more than a decade, and Les Nubians also graced recordings by Talib Kweli and Black Eyed Peas, as well as a Red Hot tribute to Fela Kuti, Red, Hot & Riot. Sessions for their second album brought the pair to Jamaica, Cameroon, London, and Paris, including a host of intriguing collaborators: top underground rapper Talib Kweli, fellow Cameroonian Manu Dibango, pianist Ray Lema, and broken-beat maestro IG Culture. The results appeared as One Step Forward, released in March 2003 by Higher Octave. In 2004, they recorded the track "Going All the Way" featuring reggae star Beres Hammond for UNITY: The Official Athens 2004 Olympic Games album. In 2005, Les Nubians issued Nubians Present Echoes, Chapter One, a collection of spoken word pieces by poets and hip-hop artists from the U.S., France, and Africa. The duo also covered "With or Without You," for inclusion on the compilation In the Name of Love: Africa Celebrates U2, in 2008. Les Nubians finally re-entered the recording studio in 2010, emerging with the EP Nü Revolution Nubiatic in the latter part of the year and the full-length, Nü Revolution in the spring of 2011. ~ Alex Henderson and Thom Jurek, Rovi
Bebela
Les Nubians Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ici tout va commencer
Bebela, bebela
Ici tout va commencer
100 choses à faire
10 000 à entreprendre
Le choix doit se faire
Assez de cette ville, la terre est si grande
Et celle de mes ancêtres qui ne cesse de m'attendre
Je cherche le sérum du bonheur
Ma main ne peut le saisir
Pourtant je sens venir l'heure
Attention
Un jour tout peut basculer
Bebela, bebela
J'implore Son Nom.
Bebela, bebela
Ici tout va commencer
Bebela, bebela
Ici tout va commencer
Sans argent, ni billet
L'horizon semble bouché
Au détour d'un tunnel m'est venu l'Idée
Celle de m'accrocher
De faire de mon rêve la plus belle réalité
Oui je me battrai pour une nouvelle destinée
Je cherche le sérum du bonheur
Ma main ne peut le saisir
Et je vois tourner les heures
Attention
Un jour tout peut basculer
Bebela, bebela
J'implore Son Nom.
Bebela, bebela
Ici tout va commencer
Bebela, bebela
Ici tout va commence
The lyrics to Les Nubians' "Bebela" speak of seizing opportunities and chasing dreams. The word "Bebela" itself means "beginning" or "starting point" in the Ewondo language of Cameroon. The song begins with the repeated refrain "Ici tout va commencer" ("Here everything begins"), emphasizing the importance of beginnings and new beginnings in life. The singer speaks of being faced with countless options and opportunities - "100 choses à faire / 10 000 à entreprendre" ("100 things to do / 10,000 to undertake"), but struggling to know which direction to take. She feels restless and longs to escape the limitations of her current surroundings, describing them as a "ville" ("city") that feels small and suffocating compared to the vastness of her ancestral land.
The singer's quest for happiness is a central theme of the song. She seeks a "sérum du bonheur" ("serum of happiness"), but acknowledges that it's not something she can simply grasp with her hand. Despite the difficulties she faces, including the lack of money and resources, she refuses to give up on her dreams. She vows to fight for a "nouvelle destinée" ("new destiny") and to turn her dreams into a beautiful reality, even if it means taking risks and stepping into the unknown.
The repeated refrain of "Bebela, bebela / J'implore Son Nom" ("Bebela, Bebela / I implore His Name") references a spiritual dimension to the singer's search for meaning and purpose. It suggests a continual acknowledgement of a higher power and a trust in the process of life's unfolding.
Line by Line Meaning
Bebela, bebela
Repeating the same word multiple times to emphasize the beginning of a new journey in life.
Ici tout va commencer
A statement that everything will start here, indicating that the next phase in life will take place now.
100 choses à faire
There are so many things that need to be done, and there is a sense of urgency to start doing them now.
10 000 à entreprendre
The desire to take on many challenges and new projects, indicating a sense of adventure and ambition.
Le choix doit se faire
There is a decision that needs to be made, indicating an important crossroads in life that needs to be addressed.
Mais quelle direction prendre
There is hesitation and uncertainty about which path to take in life, indicating a feeling of confusion and doubt.
Assez de cette ville, la terre est si grande
There is a desire to leave the current location and explore the world, indicating a sense of wanderlust and adventure.
Et celle de mes ancêtres qui ne cesse de m'attendre
There is a sense of nostalgia and longing for the land of one's ancestors, indicating a desire to connect with one's roots and heritage.
Je cherche le sérum du bonheur
There is a search for happiness, indicating a deep desire for fulfillment and contentment in life.
Ma main ne peut le saisir
Despite the search, happiness seems to be out of reach, indicating a sense of frustration and disappointment.
Pourtant je sens venir l'heure
There is a glimmer of hope that happiness is within reach, indicating optimism and faith in the future.
Attention
A warning to be careful and mindful of the risks involved in pursuing happiness and change in life.
Un jour tout peut basculer
A reminder that life can change in a moment, indicating the need to be prepared and adaptable to unexpected circumstances.
Sans argent, ni billet
A statement of financial instability, indicating the challenges and obstacles that come with pursuing a new life path.
L'horizon semble bouché
There is a feeling of being stuck and limited, indicating a sense of hopelessness and despair.
Au détour d'un tunnel m'est venu l'Idée
An idea came unexpectedly, indicating a sudden shift in perspective and a renewed sense of hope and possibility.
Celle de m'accrocher
A determination to hold on and persevere, indicating the strength and resilience to overcome challenges.
De faire de mon rêve la plus belle réalité
The desire to turn dreams into reality, indicating the determination and drive to achieve one's goals in life.
Oui je me battrai pour une nouvelle destinée
A statement of conviction and determination to fight for a new destiny, indicating a sense of agency and empowerment.
J'implore Son Nom
An appeal for a higher power to guide and support in the journey ahead, indicating a sense of faith and spirituality.
Ici tout va commencer
A repetition of the opening line, emphasizing the idea that a new chapter in life is about to begin.
Bebela, bebela
A final repetition of the opening line, indicating a sense of excitement and anticipation for what is to come.
Contributed by Thomas O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.