Razia Said was born on the Eastern Coast of Madagascar of an Afro-Arabic Mother and an Indian Father. She was raised with the sound of valiha, a local stringed bamboo instrument and singing to her Uncle’s guitar playing.
At the age of ten she moved to Gabon in West Africa where she began to sing in a local church choir and continued listening to traditional Malagasy music, the Beatles, Bob Marley and James Brown. Razia draws on a vast diversity of cultures. Her music blends African percussion’s with more urban R&B arrangements.
With her soothing mellow voice, Razia’s haunting melodies combine with ethnic percussion to blend magically into an irresistible groove that is filled with optimism, and speaks of the truth found in daily life. She has lived in Madagascar and France and is now a resident of New York.
Discography:
Magical (2005)
Zebu Nation (Cumbancha, 2010)
Akory (Cumbancha, 2015)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
