Les Nubians is the name of an "Afropean" R&B Grammy-nominated duo composed … Read Full Bio ↴Les Nubians is the name of an "Afropean" R&B Grammy-nominated duo composed of sisters Hélène (born 1975) and Célia Faussart (born 1979) from Bordeaux, France. Although born in France, the sisters moved with their parents to Chad in 1985. Seven years later, they returned to their home country.

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

Princesse nubienne
Les Nubians Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

J'ai vu, de mes yeux vu
Des voies perte de vue
Tu m'as servi de guide
Sur cette terre inconnue

Oh, Femme d'Afrique
Oh, Princesse nubienne
Aujourd'hui ton sang irrigue mes veines

J'ai pris la parole au milieu du silence
Pour chanter tes louanges
Oh, Femme d'Afrique

C'est au nom d'un peuple toujours en effervescence
Que ma voix s'élève
Que mon âme se réveille

Dans la peau d'une princesse nubienne
Dans la peau d'une de celles
Qui m'épaule comme une mère
Quand je suis seule face au blues
Les nuits de veillée je me retrouve

Donne-moi une bonne raison
De me glacer la mémoire
De ne plus m'abreuver dans les puits de l'histoire
L'heure o les mensonges se transforment en songes
J'ai trouvé un remède ce mal qui me ronge

J'ai pris la parole au milieu du silence
Pour chanter tes louanges
Oh, Femme d'Afrique
C'est au nom d'un peuple

Toujours en effervescence
Que ma voix s'élève
Que mon âme se réveille

Dans la peau d'une princesse nubienne
Dans la peau d'une de celles
Qui m'épaule comme une mère

Quand je suis seule face au blues
Les nuits de veillée je me retrouve

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Les Nubians's "Princesse nubienne" pay tribute to the powerful and resilient women of Africa, particularly those of Nubian descent. The singer reflects on her own experiences on this "unknown land" and expresses the gratitude she feels towards these women who have served as guides and support in her life.

The phrase "Femme d'Afrique" (Woman of Africa) and "Princesse nubienne" (Nubian Princess) are repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the singer's admiration and respect for these women. She sings that their blood now flows in her veins, a testament to the lasting impact these women have had on her life.

In the second verse, the singer takes on the role of a storyteller, describing the importance of speaking up and praising the accomplishments of others, particularly in the face of silence and adversity. She asserts that her voice is rising not only for herself, but for the entire Nubian and African community, always in "effervescence" and striving for progress.

The final verse seems to address the difficult realities of living as an African woman, particularly the weight of history and the ongoing struggle against lies and oppression. However, the singer finds solace in the company of these female role models, who have given her the strength to face the "blues" and overcome the "ravage" of time.

Overall, "Princesse nubienne" is a beautiful and emotionally charged tribute to the strength and resilience of African women. Through the repetition of key phrases and the weaving together of personal experience and larger cultural themes, Les Nubians conveys a deep respect and admiration for these powerful figures.

Line by Line Meaning

J'ai vu, de mes yeux vu
I have seen with my own eyes

Des voies perte de vue
Endless roads

Tu m'as servi de guide
You served as my guide

Sur cette terre inconnue
On this unknown land

Oh, Femme d'Afrique
Oh, Woman of Africa

Oh, Princesse nubienne
Oh, Nubian Princess

Aujourd'hui ton sang irrigue mes veines
Today, your blood flows in my veins

J'ai pris la parole au milieu du silence
I spoke in the midst of silence

Pour chanter tes louanges
To sing your praises

C'est au nom d'un peuple toujours en effervescence
In the name of a people always in effervescence

Que ma voix s'élève
That my voice rises up