In the world of Mauritian music, the few female headliners are not enough to mask the profound deficit of women, which is estimated at around 10%. … Led by Kimberly Oxide, the ASSA OI project has played another part in putting the work and potential of women in the spotlight… The August 16 concert at the IFM was striking proof of this. Dominique Bellier
“Many women musicians and singers feel illegitimate and don’t dare take the plunge…” points out Kimberly Oxide, who created the ASSA OI residency and concert for them, relying on the transmission of experience between Mozambican star Assa Matusse, three musicians and a singer-guitarist, all from different countries…
Accompanied by coach Drean, the residency resulted in a concert in a style unheard of in Mauritius: electro-pop and jazz, steeped in the musical currents and languages of Mozambique, an ode to friendship by Christelle Zamir, three new creations and a Rodriguan medley that set the audience alight. Following the convolutions of Assa’s voice, Anjelly Legentil’s accordion created melodic unity, as did the turntables of explosive Reunion DJ Agnesca, while Vanessa Lucas added her Seychellois touch.
The opening act, presented by Étoiles en herbe, had set the bar high, with four female singers and a keyboardist in tune. Fam dan zil, Sizann, Donn to leker… on a repertoire of hits dedicated to women, they each had their moment of glory and proved that different voices and personalities create magic when they sing together. Whether their names are Guyancy, Cheyenne Jackson, Catherine Perrine or Julie Deville, or even their keyboardist Shekina Mootanah, the performance was as promising as it was convincing !
