No. 26: Zap Mama

Zap Mama is a musical group from Belgium that fuses hip hop, R&B, reggae, and African roots. Lead singer Marie Daulne sings in both French and English, and backing vocals help put the focus of the group's music on vocals. The vocals are basically used as another instrument.

Daulne was born in Isiro, a city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. When she was only a week old, her father was killed by Simba rebels. Daulne eventually was flown to Belgium because her father was a Belgian citizen. Growing up in Belgium, she felt the need to learn more about her African roots, so she traveled back to the Congo in 1984. Now she is trying to connect European and African cultures with her music.

I enjoy Zap Mama's more upbeat songs. The vocals are intricate and interesting. They kind of lose me with their slower R&B-type songs. I could see Zap Mama being a pretty fun act to see live if they keep the energy up. They play at 1:00 on Friday of Lollapalooza. They aren't really up against anyone I want to see, but I still probably won't be checking them out.

Zap Mama on Myspace

Official site