Zouk Machine is an all-female

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 ...

group 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 ...

which had several hits, particularly in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, such as the summer number-one single on French SNEP Singles Chart "

Maldòn "Maldòn" is a 1989 song recorded by the Guadeloupean band Zouk Machine. Written and produced by Guy Houllier and Yves Honoré, the song is the first single from the album of the same name, and was released in May 1990. In France, it achieved a h ...

(la musique dans la peau)", in 1990 that sold over 1 million copies well more than any other Antillean band, even

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 t ...

."Maldon" on French Singles Charts + Zouk Machine discograph
Lescharts.com
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History

Founded in 1986 by the members of

Experience 7 Experience 7 was a Guadeloupean kadans band formed in the mid-1970s, led by Guy Houllier and Yves Honore. However unlike Kassav' or Malavoi, the small band produced most songs with Henry Debs in Guadeloupe. Biography Career The group was ...

, Guy Houllier and Yves Honore, and composed by three Guadeloupians (Joëlle Ursull, Christiane Obydol, Dominique Zorobabel), the group became successful with their first album ''Sové Lanmou'' (composed by Guy Houllier and Yves Honoré, who are respectively Christiane Obydol's brother and brother-in-law).

Joëlle Ursull Joëlle Ursull (born 9 November 1960) is a French singer. She performed "White and Black Blues", composed by Georges Augier de Moussac with lyrics by Serge Gainsbourg, in the Eurovision Song Contest 1990 of 5 May 1990. She scored 132 points an ...

left the group and embarked on a solo career, taking second place in the 1990

Eurovision The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...

with ''"

White and Black Blues "White and Black Blues" was the entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1990, performed in French (with some words in English) by Joëlle Ursull, from her album ''Black French''. The song was performed fourteenth on the night of the competition. At t ...

"'', composed by

Serge Gainsbourg Serge Gainsbourg (; born Lucien Ginsburg; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991) was a French musician, singer-songwriter, actor, author and filmmaker. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provoca ...

and Sylvain Augier. In the early 1990s, Jane Fostin (from a large musical family in

) was recruited to continue ahead. Therefore, the success of the group overstepped the Caribbean community and the song " Maldon' (la musique dans la peau)" remained number 1 in the Top 50 for nine weeks in 1990. The group carried out some tours around the world, then recording albums ''Sa ké cho'' and ''Clin d'œil''. Various members also participated in

Maxime Le Forestier Maxime Le Forestier (; born 10 February 1949 as Bruno Le Forestier) is a French singer-songwriter. Life and career Bruno Le Forestier was born on 10 February 1949 in Paris to father Robert Le Forestier and mother Genevieve (née Lili 1917–2010 ...

's album, ''Passer ma route'', along with Julien Clerc and "Utile", plus the soundtrack of

Asterix ''Asterix'' or ''The Adventures of Asterix'' (french: Astérix or , "Asterix the Gaul") is a ''bande dessinée'' comic book series about a village of indomitable Gaulish warriors who adventure around the world and fight the Roman Republic, wi ...

''On vit ensemble'' et ''Au Revoir''. In 1995, the group had a crisis situation, and BMG released a first

best of A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

. Jane Fostin finally left the group to launch into a solo career. Her first solo single "La Taille de ton amour", cover of Deborah Cox's "Who do you love" was a success in France, where it peaked at #9, followed by 4 albums with R&B overtones, including a 2006 an album with the Zouk hit single 'Pas de Glace', a duet with Medhy Custos.

Members

* Christiane Obydol (former) *

Jean-Marc Vivenza Jean-Marc is a French masculine given name. It may refer to: * Jean-Marc Adjovi-Bocco (born 1963), Beninese former football player * Jean-Marc Ayrault (born 1950), French politician * Jean-Marc Barr (born 1960), French-American film actor and dir ...

(former) * Dominique Zorobabel (former) *

(former) * Jane Fostin

Discography

Albums

Singles

* "Sové Lanmou" (1986) * " Maldon' (la musique dans la peau)" (1990) - #1 in France * "Ou ké rivé" (1991) - #28 in France * "Sa ké cho" (1991) - #9 in France * "DJ" (1992) - #31 in France

References and links

* Elia Habib, ''Muz hit. tubes'', p. 187 () * Zouk Machine, chronolog
Étoile-productions.be
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zouk Machine Zouk musicians Guadeloupean musicians