Zebda

Zebda (from Arabic: زبدة zubda, lit. 'Beur') is a French band from Toulouse, known for its political activism and its wide variety of musical styles. The group, which was formed in 1985, consisted of seven musicians of diverse nationalities, and the themes of much of their music involved political and social justice, the status of immigrants and minorities in France, and the inhabitants of the French banlieues, or suburbs.[1] Zebda earned widespread recognition, as well as several awards, for its 1998 single "Tomber la chemise" ("Take Off Your Shirt").[2] In 2001, the band spearheaded an independent political party that won over 12% of the first-round vote in Toulouse's municipal elections. The group disbanded in 2003 but reformed in 2011.

Zebda
Zebda performing live in Laon, 2015
Zebda performing live in Laon, 2015
Background information
OriginToulouse, Midi-Pyrénées, France
GenresPop rock, reggae
Years active1985–2003
2011–present
LabelsBarclay
MembersMagyd Cherfi, vocals
Pascal Cabero, guitar
Joël Saurin, bass
Hakim Amokrane, vocals
Mustapha Amokrane, vocals
Vincent Sauvage, drums
Rémi Sanchez, keyboard and accordion
Websitehttp://www.zebda.fr

History

Zebda was first formed in 1985 when Magyd Cherfi, a community organizer at the time, organized a small group of his musician friends to shoot a video for a community organization for which he was working.[3] More members joined the group later—several of the members met one another through involvement in community projects geared towards supporting arts and music involvement among Toulouse youth.[4] The group began performing together regularly in 1988.[3] The band gained widespread recognition when they performed at the Printemps de Bourges music festival in 1990 and then performed on an international tour which included venues in Great Britain, Italy and France.[3]

The group released its first album, L'arène des rumeurs, in 1992, under the label of Barclay Records.[3] As the band toured and performed, the members continued to be active in community work, and Zebda became known for its politicized lyrics. Its 1995 album, Le bruit et l'odeur ("The Noise and the Smell") took its name from a gaffe made by then-president Jacques Chirac in reference to the conditions in the French banlieues, many of which have large immigrant populations.[5] The record itself had a strong critical and commercial reception and has been said to have "cause[d] a major stir" in France.[3]

In 2003, Zebda released its only live album, La Tawa, after which the band split up.[3][4]

The group reformed in 2011 and toured France. A new album, Second tour, was released in January 2012.[6]

Political involvement

Zebda (زبدة, transliterated Zubda or Zabda), the Arabic word for butter (beurre in French), is a play on the word beur, a French slang word referring to French citizens of North African origin[2][7][8]—several of the group's members are of North African and other immigrant descent.[4][7] As Zebda was originally formed for a community organization and many of the members met through social initiatives and activism, the band remained highly political throughout its existence; Bruce Crumley of the Culture Kiosque has called the group "politically engaged and culturally committed" and "politically progressive."[7] Much of the group's music and lyrics have centered on issues of political and social justice among the immigrant community and inhabitants of the banlieues.[5] In fact, Bangor University's Jonathan Ervine, in a deconstructive analysis of Zebda's music and identity, states that "Zebda's music invokes both the virtues of multiculturalism and the problems that exist within French society regarding the treatment of immigrants, ethnic minorities, and young people from France's banlieues. Difference, discrimination, and exclusion are themes that feature heavily in J'y suis, j'y reste [a song from the album Utopie d'occase]."[9] The themes of Zebda's music were known for dealing in issues of racism and intolerance.[1]

In 1997, three members of Zebda formed a group called "Tactikollectif,"[4] which was involved in fund-raising and advocacy for immigrant groups in the banlieues. In the 2001 municipal elections, Zebda sponsored and spearheaded a list of independent candidates, Les Motivé-e-s ("The Motivated Ones"),[10] who ran for office on the platform that the current local government was not representative of all demographic groups in the city; Les Motivé-e-s was also dedicated to encouraging local youth and immigrants to vote and become more involved in local political issues.[4] The group of candidates, two of whom were Zebda band members, won 12.38% of the vote in the first-round elections, and advanced to the second round, where they were narrowly defeated.[4][11][12]

After the band's breakup in 2003, the individual members continued to be active in local politics and other activities for social advocacy.[4]

Musical style

Zebda's music is influenced by its band members' multicultural background as well as music from all over the world; the group's songs have incorporated rock, and reggae styles, and musical instruments and styles as diverse as Latin music, Arab, and French accordion.[7] While the content and themes of their music are politically serious, typically detailing racism and discrimination, the group has been said to have a positive and "upbeat" sound that represents the ideal of peaceful coexistence and cultural diversity.[7][13]

The group is best known for its single "Tomber la chemise" ("Take Off Your Shirt"), from the 1998 platinum album Essence ordinaire. In addition to being a commercial success, the song went on to be named the best French song of 2000 at both the Victoires de la musique[3] awards and the NRJ Music Awards.[14][15]

Awards
  • Victoires de la musique:
    • Best band (2000)
    • Best song (2000), for "Tomber la chemise"
  • NRJ Music Awards:
    • Francophone song of the year (2000), for "Tomber la chemise"
    • Francophone band of the year (2000)

Discography

Albums
Year Album Peak positions Certification
FR
[16]		 BEL
(Wa)
[17]		 SWI
[18]
1992 L'arène des rumeurs  –  –  –
1995 Le bruit et l'odeur  –  –  –
1998 Essence ordinaire 3  –  –
1999 Le bruit et l'odeur (re-release) 54  –  –
2002 Utopie d'Occase 3 36 36
2012 Second Tour 4  –  –
2014 Comme des Cherokees 22 81  –
Live albums
Year Album Peak positions Certification
FR
[16]
2003 La Tawa (live) 40
2012 Plan d'occupation du sol (compilation from live shows) 127

Singles
  • 1999: "Tomber la chemise"
  • 1999: "Y'a pas d'arrangement"
  • 2000: "Oualalaradime"
  • 2002: "L'erreur est humaine"

Further reading
  • Marx-Scouras, Danielle (2005). La France de Zebda 1981–2004 : Faire de la musique un acte politique. Autrement. ISBN 978-2-7467-0661-3.

References
  1. Lamarche, Bernard (3 August 2003). "Zebda aux Francofolies – La fête avec du sens". Le Devoir (in French). Canada. Retrieved 18 December 2008. Zebda continue de parler d'exclusion, de racisme, de tolérance et de son contraire.
    English: "Zebda continues to talk about exclusion, racism, tolerance and its opposite."
  2. Burke, Rose Marie (11 February 2000). "Rai Music Reigns in France As 'Bears' Assert Their Roots". The Wall Street Journal Europe. Retrieved 18 December 2008. One big 1999 hit was "Tomber la Chemise" ("Take Off Your Shirt") by the Franco-North African group Zebda (meaning butter, or beurre in French, a play on the word Beur)...
  3. "Zebda". Radio France Internationale. September 2005. Archived from the original on 2 December 2008. Retrieved 29 October 2008.
  4. Ervine, Jonathan. "Citizenship and Belonging in Suburban France: The Music of Zebda" (PDF). Acme Journal. 7 (2). Retrieved 29 October 2008. Page 4.
  5. Ervine, Jonathan. "Citizenship and Belonging in Suburban France: The Music of Zebda" (PDF). Acme Journal. 7 (2). Retrieved 29 October 2008. Page 3.
  6. "Zebda : 'Nous nous sommes débarrassés de l’accessoire'.", L'humanité.fr, 18 November 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  7. Crumley, Bruce (29 September 1999). "Zebda: the Sound of the New France". Culture Kiosque. Archived from the original on 13 May 2008. Retrieved 29 October 2008.
  8. Mahieux, Léonore (19 February 2007). "Tomber la Chemise". Politis (in French). Retrieved 18 December 2008.
    "En verlan, arabe se dit beur. En arabe, beurre se dit Zebda."
    English: "In verlan, "beur" means North African. In Darija, "Zebda" means butter ["beurre"]."
  9. Ervine, Jonathan. "Citizenship and Belonging in Suburban France: The Music of Zebda" (PDF). Acme Journal. 7 (2). Retrieved 29 October 2008. Page 7.
  10. Dubois, Francis (15 March 2001). "Les élections municipales en France". World Socialist Web Site (in French). Retrieved 29 October 2008. Un exemple typique de ces groupes sont les listes «Motivé-e-s» qui ont surgi dans de nombreuses villes et qui parfois ont fait des scores relativement élevés (12 pour cent à Toulouse). La listes Motivé-e-s de Toulouse s'est cristallisée autour d'un groupe de musique (Zebda). English: A typical example of these groups is the Motivé-e-s list, which surged in numerous villages and at some places earned a relatively high portion of the vote (12 percent in Toulouse). The list crystallized around a music group (Zebda).
  11. International Viewpoint Online magazine, IV330 – April 2001, Jan Malewski.
  12. Mahieux, Léonore (19 February 2007). "Tomber la Chemise". Politis (in French). Retrieved 18 December 2008.
    "Le mouvement « Motivé(e)s », dans lequel sont engagés, de près ou de loin, tous les membres de Zebda, rafle 12,38% des suffrages au premier tour des municipales à Toulouse."
    English: "The Motivé(e)s movement, in which all the members of Zebda were engaged from near or from far, won 12.38% of the votes in the first round of the municipal elections in Toulouse."
  13. Oscherwitz, Dayna. "Pop Goes the Banlieue: Musical Metissage and the Articulation of a Multiculturalist Vision", The Journal of Contemporary French and Francophone Studies, 8(1)2004. Page 43.
  14. Marti, Sébastien (26 February 2008). "Musique. Zebda, le retour". La Dépêche du Midi (in French). Retrieved 29 October 2008.
  15. "NRJ Music Awards". News de Stars (in French). 25 July 2008. Retrieved 29 October 2008.
  16. "Zebda discography". lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  17. "Zebda discography". ultratop.be/fr/. Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  18. "Zebda discography". hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 September 2014.

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