Samoëla

Samoëla Rasolofoniaina, better known as Samoëla, is a Malagasy vocalist and composer of contemporary folk fusion and roots music that draws upon musical traditions throughout the island of Madagascar. He typically sings and plays acoustic guitar, accompanied by an ensemble including bass guitar, Western and traditional percussion, and backup singers. He is distinguished by his use of hainteny traditional poetry and its metaphorical language, as well as youth slang and culturally subversive direct language to critique and address sensitive social and political topics.

Early life Samoëla Rasolofoniaina was born in Madagascar on 2 April 1976. In school he began writing poetry and particularly the traditional Malagasy poetry form called hainteny, which incorporates proverbs and figurative language to address culturally sensitive topics. with the intent to open a musical production company for the promotion of Malagasy artists. Many of his lyrics were also imbued with such elements of hainteny as its figurative and poetic descriptions and plays on words.

Musical career Samoëla began writing compositions in 1996 He was named the 1997 "Artist of the Year" in Madagascar. This was followed in 2013 by Maha-domelina, his eighth album, which condemned the consequences of the 2009 Malagasy political crisis and the Malagasy politicians responsible.

Samoëla continues to regularly give open-air concerts around the country but also performs at cabarets in the capital city of Antananarivo where many of his urban fans prefer his more intimate performances. As of 2013, the artist has toured in 16 countries around the world.

Style and image A NewsMada journalist described Samoëla as the enfant terrible of Malagasy-language songwriting. He has generated acclaim and controversy over his lyrics, which condemn social ills and confront the concerns of youth using direct and unequivocal language, in opposition to predominant cultural norms favoring indirectness and avoidance of criticism or confrontation. Samoëla typically performs wearing custom-made traditional Malagasy clothing such as a malabary - a long cotton tunic over loose matching trousers - embroidered with Malagasy motifs like the aloalo.

Other activities In 1998, Samoëla performed in a musical play entitled Tana-Cergy written by Vincent Colin and celebrated Malagasy poet Elie Rajaonarison. In the play he performed alongside fellow musical acts Trafic de Style and The Specialist. The play toured France to wide acclaim in the French press.

Discography Title Released Label Tracks Mampirevy 1997 Mars 9 (--') Manatosaka 1999 Mars 11 (45') Efa sy Dimy 2001 Mars 19 (71') Bandy Akama 2005 Be Mozik! 16 (71') Efa sy Folo 2005 Be Mozik! 10 (45') Teny an-tsehatra 2006 2007 Be Mozik! 14 (--') 'Ty 2007 Be Mozik! 12 (52') Zana-bahoaka 2010 Be Mozik! 10 (45') Maha-domelina 2013 Be Mozik! 10 (--') ... Ao anatiny 2015 Be Mozik! 10 (--')