Photo by Jurgen Rogiers

Sound is just one of the languages that Marie Daulne has mastered. Listen to Zap Mama's albums and you'll hear French, Swahili and Wolof, harmonizing with Pygmy bushmen, and free styling in Brooklyn slang. Sound is truly her mother tongue. And with it she tells a tale unlike any other.

Born in the former Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) to a Belgian father and a Zairian mother, Marie Daulne fled the country at the age of three when war broke out. After taking shelter with a tribe of Pygmies, her family eventually made their way to Brussels. There is no question that Marie experienced an uncommon Belgian upbringing.

While children from her school were whimpering in front of a piano, Marie's mother was introducing her to the sounds of the rain forest, teaching her the unearthly singing of the Central African Pygmies. But Marie preferred to listen to Stevie Wonder and early hip-hop from the United States: "Our mother would make us learn the polyphonic singing, but at the time we thought it was boring because it was traditional." Instead, Marie honed her vocal skills through imitation of the sultry voice of Roberta Flack and the lip-smacking beats of the Fat Boys' Human Beat Box. An appreciation for the music that her mother tried to teach came later when Marie returned to Zaire at the age of 18. Hearing the music in its context and re-imagining her past, Marie found new meaning in the syncopated ululations of the Pygmy melodies. Energized by her rediscovery, Marie returned to Belgium ready to share.

Zap Mama, the world-renowned a cappella group Marie founded, is a continual exploration of cross-cultural musical pollination, incorporating sounds ranging from Moroccan mawal to sweet Delta blues. It was the Zap album Seven that marked an evolution for the strictly a cappella female ensemble with the introduction of instruments and male vocals. Marie explains the change: "To use only women limits the vocal register too much, I want to see the voice go as far as possible. But the voice talks to the head. Instruments talk directly to the body. When there is a drum, it's the body that understands. I wanted to mix the two."

She also wanted to return to the music that had always been a part of her, but which she had yet to explore musically - American hip-hop. Marie collaborated with Spearhead rapper Michael Franti on Seven and the soundtrack to Blue in the Face, dropping hints at a new direction. "People ask do you listen to hip-hop and I'm like yeah, I dance to it, it's the only music I can put on in my place along with ethnic music...I'm very impressed by Timbaland and Missy Elliot. He gave rap something new, and I have something really different than Americans. That's why I want to mix and give, and I really want to learn."

Marie plans to continue to collaborate with hip-hop musicians on future projects. She moved with her daughter to the United States: "...the history of the United States is like that - people came from everywhere - you are in the street and everyone can be my brother."

Marie relocated to Philadelphia, where she began to collaborate with its R&B and hip hop artists. Zap Mama's fifth album is an experience in global soul, featuring help from neo-soul superstar Erykah Badu (on "Bandy Bandy"), hip-hop artists Common and Talib Kweli (on "Yelling Away"), and other members of the Roots' Philly massive.

When asked what music her daughter likes to listen to, Marie states, "She likes to listen a lot to Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill..." and with no small hint of pride in her voice, "Pygmy music!"

Zap Mama (Cramworld - Crammed Records, 1991)

Adventures in Afropea 1 (Luaka Bop, 1993)

Sabsylma (Cramworld - Crammed Records, 1994)

Seven (Virgin, 1997)

A Ma Zone (Luaka Bop, 1999)

Ancestry in Progress (Luaka Bop/V2, 2004)