Léona Gabriel-Soïme (8 June 1891 - 11 August 1971) was a

biguine Biguine ( , ; ) is a rhythmic dance and music style that originated from Saint-Pierre, Martinique in the 19th century. It fuses West African traditional music genres, such as Bélé, with 19th-century French ballroom dance steps. History Two ...

singer from

Martinique Martinique ( ; or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: or ) is an island in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It was previously known as Iguanacaera which translates to iguana island in Carib language, Kariʼn ...

active in Paris during the

interwar years In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...

. She married the military doctor Norbert Soïme in 1933. She was born at

Rivière-Pilote Rivière-Pilote (; or ) is a town and commune in the French overseas department of Martinique Martinique ( ; or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: or ) is an island in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean Sea. ...

. Daughter of a white creole she grew up in Martinique, going to secretarial school in

Cayenne Cayenne (; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and capital city of French Guiana, an overseas region and Overseas department, department of France located in South America. The city stands on a former island at the mouth of the Caye ...

Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...

at age 14, going on to work as a secretary for the Lesseps company during the building of the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...

. After returning for a period to Martinique she moved to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1920. In France she began singing and recording with the orchestra of clarinettist Alexandre Stellio under the stage name of ''Mademoiselle Estrella''. Her career as a singer continued until the 1960s. She was the aunt of

Henri Salvador Henri Salvador (18 July 1917 – 13 February 2008) was a French Caribbean singer, comedian and cabaret artist. Biography Salvador was born in Cayenne, French Guiana. His father, Clovis, and his mother, Antonine Paterne, daughter of an Indigen ...

and supplied him with his best known tune " Maladie d'amour".Nottingham French Studies 2001 - Volumes 40-42 - Page 84 This moment is figured in the final pages of Zonzon Tête Carrée, when Zonzon is alone in the bus station in Fort-de-France and hears a piece of music — 'la voix créole et acidulée de Léona Gabriel' (ZTC, p.225) — from a radio in a nearby house. Gabriel returned to Martinique in the 1940s, becoming a radio presenter, a career which lasted over 30 years. She continued recording until the 1960s. She died in

Fort-de-France Fort-de-France (, , ; ) is a Communes of France, commune and the capital city of Martinique, an overseas department and region of France located in the Caribbean. History Before it was ceded to France by Spain in 1635, the area of Fort-de-Fra ...

, aged 80.

References

1891 births 1971 deaths 20th-century French women singers People from Rivière-Pilote Martiniquais singers French radio presenters French women radio presenters People from the French West Indies {{France-singer-stub