Jocelyne Béroard (born 12 September 1954) is a

Martinican Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in th ...

singer and songwriter. She is one of the lead singers of the

Zouk Zouk is a musical movement pioneered by the French Antillean band Kassav' in the early 1980s. It was originally characterized by a fast tempo (120–145 bpm), a percussion-driven rhythm and a loud horn section. The fast zouk béton of Martini ...

and

Compas Compas, also known as compas direct or compas direk (; Haitian Creole: ''konpa'', ''kompa'' or ''kompa dirèk''), is a modern méringue dance music genre of Haiti. The genre was popularized following the creation of Ensemble Aux Callebasses in ...

band

Kassav' Kassav' is a French Caribbean band formed in Guadeloupe in 1979. The core members of the band are Jacob Desvarieux, Jocelyne Béroard, Jean-Philippe Marthély, Patrick St. Eloi, Jean-Claude Naimro, Claude Vamur, and Georges Décimus (who left ...

. As a solo artist, she helped create

zouk Zouk is a musical movement pioneered by the French Antillean band Kassav' in the early 1980s. It was originally characterized by a fast tempo (120–145 bpm), a percussion-driven rhythm and a loud horn section. The fast zouk béton of Martini ...

Beton, a music genre started by Kassav'. The main members are from

Guadeloupe Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the ...

and Martinique.

Biography

Béroard was born in

Fort-de-France Fort-de-France (, , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Fodfwans) is a Communes of France, commune and the capital city of Martinique, an overseas department and region of France located in the Caribbean. It is also one of the major cities in the ...

, Martinique, and studied in France, attending the National School of Fine Arts in Paris, before beginning to work with Caribbean artistes as a background singer in 1980. She has served as a lead singer of

since 1983. She has also recorded several albums as a solo artist. In 1986, she won a Gold Disc for her album ''Siwo'' (the all-time biggest seller for an album by a female in the West Indies). In 1987, she recorded a duet with

Philippe Lavil Philippe Lavil (born 26 September 1947 in Fort-de-France, Martinique), pseudonym of Philippe Durand de La Villejégu du Fresnay, is a French singer. He remained particularly famous for his hits singles "Il tape sur des bambous", "Elle préfère ...

, the hit single "

Kolé séré "Kolé séré" is a 1986 zouk song recorded by Guadelupean band Kassav'. Written by Jocelyne Béroard with a music composed by Jean-Claude Naimro, it was covered the next year as a duet by Béroard with singer Philippe Lavil, and was released as ...

", which peaked at number four in France. In 1999, she was made a

Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

. In 2014, she sang "On n'oublie pas" (written by Serge Bilé) with several artists and personalities including

Alpha Blondy Seydou Koné (; born January 1, 1953 in Dimbokro), better known by his stage name Alpha Blondy, is an Ivorian reggae singer and international recording artist. Many of his songs are politically and socially motivated, and are mainly sung in hi ...

Harry Roselmack Harry Roselmack (born 20 March 1973 in Tours) is a French radio and TV journalist of Martiniquan descent. Career Harry Roselmack graduated with degrees in History ( DEUG) and Journalism (DUT). He began to work for a local radio station, durin ...

and

Admiral T Admiral T, whose real name is Christy Campbell, is a French singer of reggae- dancehall music. He is one of the most popular and successful Guadeloupean singers. He is also a designer and the creator of the clothing trademark WOK LINE. Biograph ...

. This song is a tribute to the 152 victims from Martinique of the crash of 16 August 2005, to remember this event and to help the AVCA, the association of the victims of the air disaster, to raise funds. She helped American singer-songwriter

Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (born December 25, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and businessman. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffet ...

write the song "Love and Luck", which appeared on the

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

Boats, Beaches, Bars & Ballads ''Boats, Beaches, Bars & Ballads'' is a four-compact disc (or cassette) compilation box set of Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band's greatest hits, rarities, and previously unreleased songs. Released in 1992, the collection reached quadrup ...

''. The song mentions the Kassav song "Kolé Sére". On 1 April 2019, it was announced on Kassav's official Facebook page that Béroard was to marry her longtime fellow Jacob Desvarieux, singer and musician of the band and that the festivities were to take place on the day Kassav' will celebrate their 40 years. The announcement later proved to be a joke for April Fools' Day.

Discography

Filmography

Feature films

Short films

Television

Awards and recognition

Honours

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

** 1999 – ''Chevalier'' (Knight) of the

** 2014 – ''Officier'' (Officer) of the

Awards

* Prix SACEM SACEM Martinique Best Female (1991) * Prix SACEM Martinique of Best Songwriter ( for ''Ké sa lévé'', 1995) * Prix SACEM SACEM Martinique Best Female (for ''Ahidjéré'', song of the movie L’Exil de Behanzin, 1997) * Prix SACEM Martinique of Best Songwriter (for ''Eti’w'', co-authored by Dédé Saint Prix, 1995) * Prix SACEM SACEM Martinique Best Female et Prix SACEM SACEM Martinique Best Ballad (with Giles Voyer) (for ''Pou I pe sa Tjenbe'', 2008)

Bibliography

* Gladys M. Francis, " Résister au compromis, crever la douleur, dire le silence : Entretien avec Jocelyne Béroard." ''Amour, sexe genre et trauma dans la Caraïbe Francophone''. Coll. ''Espaces Littéraires'', L'Harmattan, Paris, 2016, p. 227–250 ()

References

External links

* Biography on ''All Music Guide''br>Official Site (in French)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beroard, Jocelyne 1954 births Living people People from Fort-de-France Zouk musicians Officiers of the Légion d'honneur 20th-century French women singers French women singer-songwriters