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

Unfaithful / Si Infidèle
Les Nubians Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Rester
Dans tes bras je veux encore rester
Et je me fous what you people say
Dans tes bras je veux encore rester

Donne moi une heure encore
Je sais qu'elle t'attend
Mais donne moi une heure encore

Avant de partir

Si infidèle

Blessée
Sous mes draps, je vais rester blessée
Je ne me plains pas
Ainsi le sort en est jeté

Je ne veux plus
Je n'peux plus supporter
Que tu m'dises je t'aime encore
ça fait du mal
Quand tu me dis je t'aime encore
Avant de partir

Troubled waters, I would cross for you
Stormy oceans, I would swim for you
I'm dying for your love, I feel so blue
Troubled waters I would cross for you

Si infidèle

Overall Meaning

The song Unfaithful/Si Infidele by Les Nubians is a melancholic and emotional piece that deals with the painful dynamics of a failing relationship. The opening lines express a deep yearning to stay with the person, regardless of what others might say. The singer of the song wants to hold onto their lover for a little longer before they leave, despite the fact that the lover has another waiting for them. The repetition of "Dans tes bras je veux encore rester" (I want to stay in your arms again) emphasizes the desperation and longing to be close to their lover one more time.

The chorus of the song, "Si infidèle," which translates to "unfaithful," reveals the root of the problem. The singer feels betrayed and hurt, wanting to stay in bed all day to avoid facing the pain. They cannot bear to hear their lover say "je t'aime encore" (I love you still), knowing that it will only add to their pain when the lover inevitably leaves. The bridge of the song expresses the depth of their feelings, declaring their willingness to cross troubled waters and swim through stormy oceans for love.

Overall, Unfaithful/Si Infidele is a heartbreaking portrayal of the inner turmoil of a relationship on the brink of collapse. The lyrics are raw and authentic, capturing the complexity of emotions that come with heartbreak and rejection.

Line by Line Meaning

Rester
I want to stay in your arms

Dans tes bras je veux encore rester
I want to stay in your arms

Et je me fous what you people say
I don't care what other people say

Dans tes bras je veux encore rester
I want to stay in your arms

Donne moi une heure encore
Give me one more hour

Je sais qu'elle t'attend
I know she's waiting for you

Mais donne moi une heure encore
But give me one more hour

Avant de partir
Before you leave

Si infidèle
So unfaithful

Blessée
Hurt

Sous mes draps, je vais rester blessée
I'll stay hurt under my blankets