Princess Erika (real name : Erika Dobong'na, born on April 5, 1964, in Pari… Read Full Bio ↴Princess Erika (real name : Erika Dobong'na, born on April 5, 1964, in Paris), is a French singer and actress with Cameroonese origins. She is particularly known for her ragga songs "Trop de bla-bla" ou "Faut qu'j'travaille".

In 1982, Erika formed with her sisters a band named Blackheart Daughters, then joined the band Princess and the Royal Sound, with whom she made several tours, opening for Jamaican singer Dennis Brown. In 1988, she recorded "Trop de bla-bla" in London and achieved a minor success in France (#39 on the Top 50, but later, the song became famous for being used for a TV advert for MMA).

Then, she released the single "Tendresse" and her first album in 1992. She also opened the concerts for Les Négresses Vertes. In 1995, she released her second studio album, D'origine, and the lead single, "Faut qu'j'travaille", hit #15 in France. Two years later, she recorded a duet with Marc Lavoine, "Les Hommes sont des Femmes comme les autres". She participated in Les Enfoirés and wrote several songs for various artists such as "Embrasse-moi" for the Nubians. In 2004, she also particiapted in the the compilation Agir Réagir intended to raise funds to help the Morocans who lived an earthquake on February 24, 2002. In 2005, she was a contestant on the French TV reality La Ferme Célébrités to bring money for the African association Routes du Sud. She then organized the four editions of the concerts Les Voix de l'espoir, performed with many other artists in a charity goal. She covered the songs "La Vie en rose" and "J'ai encore rêvé d'elle" with Pierpoljak on the cover album Il est 5 heures Kingston s'éveille. She was occasionally actress in films and theatre and played in Le Petit Trésor, with Steevy Boulay and Vincent Azé. Erika had two children : Julien (born in 1982) and Oudima (2003).

Black Music
Princess Erika Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Couplet 1
Je n’oublierai jamais d’où je viens
Petite fille d’un grand chef africain
J’entends la voix de Steevie, me chanter « isn’t she lovely » derrière son piano
Aretha vibe sur moi « chain chain chain »
Moi devant mon miroir comme sur scène
Une fois le show fini, reste une douce mélancolie qui me colle à la peau, qui me colle à la peau

Refrain
Black music, celle qui me fait vibrer
Rythme d’Afrique, danse au son des djembés
One spirit, love and unité
Black, black music, chante pour la liberté.

Couplet 2
Je n’oublie pas mes frères de combat
Qui ont ouvert la voie pour toi et moi
J’ai jammé sur Bob Marley, I’m a rebelle aventurier
C’est la voix du ghetto
Comme dans las spirituals des esclaves
Mon vieux blues me vient en héritage
Sur les rives de Babylone, entends-tu mon chant qui résonne
Let my people go

Refrain

Pont
C'est la voix du guetto
Quand je pose la main sur mon oreille
Des échos de chansons se réveillent
Fela Ransome Kuti, she go say i’g be lady o
Me collent à la peau

Coda
Black music, celle qui me fait vibrer
Rythme d’Afrique, danse oh oh hé oh

One one spirit, oh hé oh oh hé oh
Black, black music, chante pour la liberté.

Overall Meaning

Princess Erika's song "Black Music" is an ode to the singer's roots and appreciation for the power of black music. In the first verse, she reflects on her African heritage as the daughter of a great African chief. She hears the voices of Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin singing their iconic hits "Isn't She Lovely" and "Chain of Fools" behind their piano, inspiring her to perform. The after-effects of the show, however, remain with her, creating a bittersweet longing that remains with her even when the show has ended.

The chorus celebrates the beauty and power of black music, its African rhythms and the unity it creates among people. In the second verse, Princess Erika acknowledges the trailblazers who have fought for the freedom and rights of black people. She performed Bob Marley's music and embraced her rebellious spirit and African roots. She identifies with the voice of the ghetto and the spirituals of the slaves, inheriting the old blues as her musical heritage.

The bridge expresses the singer's profound connection with black music, reverberating throughout her soul, even as she covers her ear to hear the echoes of the songs. The coda is a final recognition of the freedom and unity black music seeks to instill, its African rhythms summoning people to dance and sing for liberation.

Line by Line Meaning

Je n’oublierai jamais d’où je viens
I will never forget where I come from

Petite fille d’un grand chef africain
I am the daughter of a great African chief

J’entends la voix de Steevie, me chanter « isn’t she lovely » derrière son piano
I hear Stevie Wonder's voice singing 'Isn't She Lovely' behind his piano

Aretha vibe sur moi « chain chain chain »
I feel the vibe of Aretha Franklin singing 'Chain Chain Chain'

Moi devant mon miroir comme sur scène
I am in front of my mirror as if I were on stage

Une fois le show fini, reste une douce mélancolie qui me colle à la peau, qui me colle à la peau
Once the show is over, a sweet melancholy remains that sticks to my skin, that sticks to my skin

Black music, celle qui me fait vibrer
Black music, the one that makes me vibrate

Rythme d’Afrique, danse au son des djembés
African rhythm, dance to the sound of djembes

One spirit, love and unité
One spirit, love, and unity

Black, black music, chante pour la liberté.
Black, black music, sings for freedom.

Je n’oublie pas mes frères de combat
I do not forget my brothers in the struggle

Qui ont ouvert la voie pour toi et moi
Who have paved the way for you and me

J’ai jammé sur Bob Marley, I’m a rebelle aventurier
I jammed to Bob Marley, I'm a rebellious adventurer

C’est la voix du ghetto
It's the voice of the ghetto

Comme dans las spirituals des esclaves
Like in the slaves' spirituals

Mon vieux blues me vient en héritage
My old blues comes to me as an inheritance

Sur les rives de Babylone, entends-tu mon chant qui résonne
On the banks of Babylon, do you hear my echoing song?

Let my people go
Let my people go