Singer-songwriter Seheno talks to RFI about how the nature and musical traditions of her native Madagascar inspired her latest album Hazo Kely.
Seheno was born in Madagascar into a family of musicians. Her father founded Ny Railovy, one of the island's most famous pop bands of the 60s and 70s. She inherited a love of music but went on to develop a style all of her own, bringing electronic, blues and pop influences to Malagasy melodies. Her second album Hazo Kely, on which she worked with Indian tabla virtuoso Prabhu Edouard, is a kind of hymn to the beauty of her native island and the sheer force of its nature. "The land is rich," she says, "but its people are poor, there's a problem." She admits to feeling powerless but does what she can through song. "It's affected me greatly, the nature, its beauty, its power. We have one earth, I really worship it, it's sacred," she says. "That's why for me it's really important that my music and the theme of nature is linked. It's one thing."
For upcoming concerts follow Seheno on facebook
Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning
Subscribe