Kali (singer)

Jean-Marc Monnerville, better known by his stage name Kali is a Martiniquan musician known for his contributions to Modern Zouk, banjo playing and his work with the Eurovision Song Contest. He is further notable for his often controversial, politically-charged lyrics comment on imperialism, slavery and military proliferation.

Monnerville was born in Fort-de-France on 21 February 1956. His mother, a primary school teacher, and his father, a professional musician, encouraged Jean-Marc to study classical percussion. The nickname "Kali" was developed in primary school in homage to "Kalimero," a well-known cartoon character of the time. Kali's musical career began in earnest when his father sent him to France in the early 1970s to study music composition and theory. His first group, "Gaoule" was symbolically named after a notorious slave massacre carried out in the French West Indies in the 17th century.

"I belong to a very special race / I’m a nigger who was born in France’s overseas ‘department’ / And I’m heavily into the colonial style .... They bent over my cradle and covered me with the flag / Taking everything, even my destiny/ I’d have been better off born an orphan / Oh how many more generations will have to submit to this curse?"

His signature Rasta style developed in 1979 with his sophomore ensemble, 6ème Continent. Their notable singles included an iconoclastic version of "Adieu Foulards" and "Reggae Dom-Tom", a hard-hitting song which evoked the difficult relationship between France and its former colony. In June 1983, 6ème Continent rose to national prominence when they stepped in to replace the Nigerian singer Femi Kuti at the "Fète de la Musique." Playing on an open-air stage erected on the Place du Trocadéro, 6ème Continent proved an enormous hit. After being asked to "modernize their sound" by CBS Records (the international name of Columbia Records), Monnerville made the executive decision to split up the group.

Kali returned to Martinique to start a solo career, intentionally ignoring the popular "Zouk" craze and focusing on traditional music of the West Indies. This return to musical heritage was further explored on the albums "Racines I" (1989) and "Racines II" (1990) by fusing acoustic piano and banjo with percussion and synthesizers. After returning to Paris for a live performance in 1990, he was selected to represent France in the 1992 Eurovision Song Contest. His performance, the original composition Monte la Rivié (Going up the River) was regarded by fellow contestants to be "an absolute surprise" for its offbeat subject matter and inclusion of the banjo. While the French entry ranked 8th among 22, his performance garnered major popularity and helped the sales of his next album "Lese la Te Tounen" (Let the Earth Move). In 1994 he won an award from the Sacem (French Association of Songwriters and Composers), citing his composition "Pan Patchew" as "Best Song of 1994."

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