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Edith Lefel
Edith Lefel
Edith Lefel
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Key Information

Edith Lefel (17 November 1963, in Cayenne, French Guiana - 20 January 2003, in Dreux, France) was a French singer.[1]

Biography

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Lefel's mother was from French Guiana and her father, a meteorologist, from the island of Martinique; she is Edith in memory of a cyclone of the same name.[2] 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, Lefel grew up in a compas or cadence music environment where Haitian Compas bands such as Les Frères Déjean, Le Ska Shah Number One and Tabou Combo flourished, featuring a rich modern western-Hispaniola meringue-compas style (the Dominican Republic is located on the eastern side of the island where it's spelled merengue in Spanish), in the Afro-Caribbean diaspora that includes the basic music of the French Antilles, Haiti, Dominica, Cabo Verde and several places in west Africa and the continental Americas.

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.[3]

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 bassist-producer Georges Décimus 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 Edith Lefel had often imitated Edith 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[4] in January 2003, at only age 39. Autopsy results revealed that she died of a heart attack in her sleep, and ruled out the possibility of an overdose.[5] Edith Lefel is buried at Père Lachaise Cemetery.

Discography

[edit]

Albums

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  • Le meilleur de Edith Lefel (2003)
  • Si seulement (2002)
  • The best of Edith Lefel (2001)
  • À fleur de peau (1999)
  • Edith Lefel à l'Olympia (1996)
  • Rendez-vous (1996)
  • Mèci (1992)
  • La Klé (1988)
  • Sanglots
  • Edith Lefel chante Édith Piaf (1999)

also appearing on

Tilda (Ronald Rubinel, 1987)

Further reading

[edit]

References

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[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Edith Lefel

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
''Edith Lefel'' is a French singer known for her powerful voice and significant contributions to zouk music, a genre blending Caribbean rhythms with romantic and soulful elements. Born on November 17, 1963, in Cayenne, French Guiana, to a Guyanese mother and a Martinican father, she spent her first three years in French Guiana before moving to Martinique at age three and later relocating to Paris at age 14. Lefel began her professional career in the 1980s, initially as a backing vocalist for Malavoi, which helped launch her presence in the French Caribbean music scene. She released her debut solo album ''La Klé'' in 1988, followed by ''Mèci'' in 1992 and ''Rendez-vous'' in 1996, the latter accompanied by a landmark solo concert at the Olympia in Paris that broadened her audience. Her repertoire often featured zouk love ballads, and she maintained close artistic ties with composer Ronald Rubinel, who became her husband and father to her twin sons. In 1999, she released a tribute single singing a song associated with Édith Piaf, reflecting her admiration for French chanson traditions. Edith Lefel died suddenly on January 20, 2003, in Dreux, France, at the age of 39 due to a heart attack, shortly after releasing her final album ''Si seulement''. Her untimely passing left a profound impact on the francophone Caribbean community, where she remains celebrated as one of the most distinctive and emotive voices in zouk and Afro-Caribbean music.

Early life

Childhood and origins

Édith Lefel was born on November 17, 1963, in Cayenne, French Guiana. She was the youngest of five children born to a Guyanese mother and a Martiniquais father. Her first name is said to derive from Cyclone Edith, which struck the Lesser Antilles in 1963, just two months before her birth. Lefel spent the first three years of her life in French Guiana before relocating with her family to Martinique. She grew up in Le Lamentin, Martinique, following her parents' separation in 1967, remaining there with her father while her mother moved to Saint-Denis in the Paris suburbs. These early years in the French Caribbean territories shaped her origins within the region's cultural and familial contexts. At age 14, Lefel joined her mother in metropolitan France.

Relocation to metropolitan France

Edith Lefel relocated from Martinique to metropolitan France at the age of 14, leaving the Caribbean island for the Paris region. She joined her mother in the suburb of Saint-Denis, in the Seine-Saint-Denis department north of Paris, marking her transition from life in the French overseas department to the urban setting of mainland France.

Musical career

Beginnings and early collaborations

Edith Lefel launched her professional singing career in 1984 with a tour across the Caribbean, marking her entry into the zouk music scene. That same year, she contributed vocals to "Etiw doudou" as part of Jacky All Stars, one of her earliest recorded participations in the genre. Her profile grew in 1987 through collaborations within the zouk community. She provided lead vocals on several tracks of Ronald Rubinel's album Tilda, including "An Ti Son" and "Ti Manmail'", alongside chorus work across the project. That year also saw her team up with the established Martinican band Malavoi, whose invitation to perform at the Zénith de Paris offered her significant exposure and helped establish her presence in the broader French Caribbean music circuit. She also worked as a backing vocalist for Kassav', further building her experience in the genre. In 1989, Lefel added chorus vocals to Mav Cacharel's Kebo, featuring on the track "Yo Dit," further building her reputation through guest appearances in the zouk style before transitioning to her solo endeavors.

Breakthrough albums and rise to prominence

Edith Lefel's breakthrough as a solo artist came with the release of her debut album La Klé in 1988, which marked her emergence as a lead performer in the zouk genre after years of collaborations as a backing singer. This album established her distinctive voice and style within the Antillean music scene. Her rise to prominence accelerated with the 1992 album Mèci, which earned her the SACEM award for best female singer that year and solidified her status in zouk music. The success of Mèci highlighted her growing recognition as a major female interpreter in the genre. Throughout the 1990s, Lefel released several key albums that further cemented her influence, including Rendez-vous in 1996, which featured notable tracks and contributed to her reputation as an essential figure in zouk. She followed with À fleur de peau in 1997 and Si seulement in 2002, albums that showcased her continued evolution and sustained popularity among audiences in the Caribbean and beyond. By the late 1990s, Lefel was widely regarded as the "reine du zouk" due to her commanding presence and successive successes in the genre.

Major performances and later works

Edith Lefel's later career featured prominent live appearances and distinctive recording projects that highlighted her versatility as a performer. A major highlight was her 1996 concert at the Olympia in Paris, a renowned venue for French artists, which was documented in the live album Édith Lefel à l’Olympia, recorded on May 11, 1996. In 1999, she released the tribute album Édith Lefel chante Édith Piaf, where she interpreted songs associated with the iconic French singer Édith Piaf. Her final studio album, Si seulement, appeared in 2002 and represented her last major work before her death the following year.

Personal life

Family and relationship with Ronald Rubinel

Édith Lefel had a long-term personal relationship with Ronald Rubinel, a Martinican singer, songwriter, composer, and producer who composed many of her songs. Their connection was described as both professional and deeply personal, marked by close collaboration and, according to several accounts, marriage. The couple had twin sons, Chris and Matthieu, for whom Rubinel is the father.

Death

Cause and circumstances

Edith Lefel died suddenly on January 20, 2003, in Dreux, Eure-et-Loir, France, at the age of 39. The cause of death was a heart attack. This occurred unexpectedly, one month after the release of her final album ''Si seulement''. No details regarding prior health conditions are documented in reliable sources, with reports consistently describing the death as sudden and without preceding illness.

Legacy

Posthumous tributes and influence

Following her sudden death in 2003, Édith Lefel received several posthumous tributes that underscored her lasting significance in zouk and Caribbean music. The compilation Le meilleur de Édith Lefel was released in 2003, gathering her key recordings for fans and new listeners. Two biographical books appeared that same year: Édith Lefel, une flamme créole by Marie Line Ampigny and Édith Lefel, une vie by Emelyne Medina-Defays, both offering detailed accounts of her life and career. A documentary also titled Édith Lefel, une vie was produced in 2003, directed by Éric Basset. More than a decade later, the tribute concert Éternelle Édith Lefel took place in January 2014 at the Cabaret Sauvage in Paris, organized by Aztec Musique and France Ô, with performances by artists including Jocelyne Béroard, Tony Chasseur, Fanny J, and Tanya Saint-Val. Lefel remains an influential figure in zouk, celebrated for her emotive voice and contributions to the genre's development and popularity across the Caribbean and beyond. Various hommages, including songs such as "Di'y Mesi (Hommage à Edith Lefel)" by Jocelyne Béroard and Kassav' in 2004, further reflect her enduring presence in the music community.

Discography

Studio albums

Edith Lefel released a series of studio albums over the course of her career, beginning with her debut La Klé in 1988. Her second album, Mèci, appeared in 1992. In 1996, she issued Rendez-vous. She followed these in 1999 with À fleur de peau and the tribute album Édith Lefel chante Édith Piaf, dedicated to the French icon Édith Piaf. Lefel's final studio album was Si seulement, released in 2002. These releases represent her primary original studio output in the zouk and Caribbean music genres.

Live albums, compilations, and notable participations

Edith Lefel released a notable live album titled Édith Lefel à l’Olympia in 1996, capturing her performance at the famous Olympia venue in Paris. This recording highlighted her dynamic stage presence and vocal strength in front of a live audience. Compilations were issued to honor her repertoire, including The best of Édith Lefel in 2001 and the posthumous Le meilleur de Édith Lefel in 2003. These collections gathered her most acclaimed tracks and contributed to sustaining her popularity after her passing. Lefel also made several notable participations in collaborative works, such as the duet "Touché en vol" with Philippe Lavil in 1992 and "La sirène" with the group Malavoi in 1993. These features showcased her ability to blend with diverse artists across genres.

References

  1. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/edith-lefel-mn0000184876
  2. https://azmartinique.com/en/all-to-know/celebrities/edith-lefel
  3. https://www.passionchanson.net/2020/11/11/lefel-edith/
  4. https://www.identite.radio-site.com/news/edith-lefel-16-ans-deja-25
  5. https://www.kawomu.com/artistes/edith-lefel/
  6. https://la1ere.franceinfo.fr/2014/01/20/onze-ans-apres-l-amie-et-biographe-d-edith-lefel-se-souvient-101337.html
  7. https://radio-mayouri.radioweb.co/artistes/edith-lefel-72
  8. https://www.discogs.com/release/2052664-Jacky-All-Stars-In-The-Jump-Vol-V
  9. https://www.discogs.com/release/1564414-Ronald-Rubinel-Tilda
  10. https://www.afromix.org/html/musique/artistes/edith-lefel/bio.en.html
  11. https://www.discogs.com/master/1159484-Kebo-Mav-Cacharel-Pr%C3%A9sente-Kebo
  12. https://open.spotify.com/album/3wb9umzM3nCrbkuCToplDm
  13. https://open.spotify.com/album/27jAiWEarOa4Hbg9e015nk
  14. https://musicbrainz.org/artist/ad386f9f-6d5b-4bbe-8bbd-7d5f249b21a7
  15. https://www.discogs.com/release/5142339-Edith-Lefel-La-Kl%C3%A9
  16. https://la1ere.franceinfo.fr/guadeloupe/basse-terre/baie-mahault/video-le-concert-hommage-a-edith-lefel-a-fait-vibrer-le-public-de-lacaz-art-1583147.html
  17. https://www.guadeloupe.franceantilles.fr/actualite/culture/20-ans-apres-sa-mort-7-choses-marquantes-sur-la-carriere-de-la-chanteuse-edith-lefel-920260.php
  18. https://csmsmagazine.org/remembering-edith-lefel-two-years-later/
  19. https://www.discogs.com/release/1719549-Edith-Lefel-Rendez-Vous
  20. https://www.discogs.com/release/1719550-Edith-Lefel-A-Fleur-De-Peau
  21. https://musicbrainz.org/release/db4a22c6-28b3-47bd-a2d6-395e04b73db9
  22. https://www.allmusic.com/album/live-al-olympia-mw0000724401
  23. https://www.deezer.com/us/artist/55390
  24. https://www.liveone.com/artist/edith-lefel/2779
  25. https://www.discogs.com/release/16150797-Edith-Lefel-Si-Seulement
  26. https://open.spotify.com/track/200n4pv4B6L2LfcCaBcybk
  27. https://outremermemory.com/edith-lefel/
  28. https://open.spotify.com/track/07vcXuzNQBjN7ToUlWlkFB
  29. https://aztecmusique.com/2019/11/18/edith-lefel/
  30. https://www.discogs.com/artist/602149-Edith-Lefel
  31. https://www.discogs.com/release/6719592-Edith-Lefel-Rendez-Vous
  32. https://www.discogs.com/release/1720638-Edith-Lefel-A-Fleur-De-Peau
  33. https://www.discogs.com/release/1720703-Edith-Lefel-Si-Seulement
  34. https://open.spotify.com/album/4P2FHDm6VAPmMepIwZMe3z
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