Singer-songwriter, dancer, composer and designer Leye Felicite Martin, better known as Fely Tchaco, was born in the town of Yamoussoukro in the Ivory Coast.
Fely started singing and dancing at a young age, entertaining her parents and their friends with improvised house concerts. At the age of 15, Fely started singing with local bands in her hometown, ultimately joining the house band at the Hotel President in Yamoussoukro. Afterwards, she started singing in the piano bars of the coastal resort town of San Pedro, where she performed covers of Edith Piaff, Nana Mouskouri, Mirielle Mathieux, and other French chanson stars into her act.
Fely’s repertory also included traditional West African, Afro-Cuban and Afro-Colombian sounds. It was unusual for her generation, and made her stand out among her peers who listened to commercial hip-hop and pop. Latin sounds in particular resonated with her and were the key to her early success.
In 1996, at the age of 19, Fely released her first album Amour Perdu, an independent release distributed by Jat Music, a local subsidiary of EMI. It was followed by a second album in 1998, that propelled her career internationally with her hit song “Mon Espoir” (My Hope), for which she won best music video for three months in a row on the national TV. The video featured American Actor Tiny Lister, best known for his role as “Deebo” in Ice Cube’s Friday movies.
In 1998 Fely was one of the “100 Most Influential Women in Cote d’Ivoire” by Amina magazine; but she had already planned to move United States in 1999. After taking the time out to establish her residency, learn English, and pursue her education at City College of San Francisco, Fely returned to recording, releasing her American debut album, De Zere Gnan in 2004. This was followed by the Awareness EP in 2008 and the album Maturite in 2011.
In 2012, Fely’s song “Goba” from the album Maturite won an Independent Music Award in the World Beat category.
Fely has collaborated with celebrated composers such as Jerry Martin, former audio director at Electronic Arts, and Serge Bile, an international author and journalist based in Martinique.
In 2016 Fely was invited by San Francisco Bay Area musician Freddy Clarke to participate in a musical humanitarian trip to Greece, to perform and tour Syrian refugee camps, in celebration of the volunteer workers supporting the refugees.
Besides being a singer-songwriter, Fely is a mother, wife, fashion designer, entrepreneur and visual artist. She is currently based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Discography:
Amour Perdu (1996)
De Zere Gnan (2004)
Awareness, EP (2008)
Maturite (Fely Productions, 2011)
Yita (Fely Productions, 2021)
[headline image: Fely Tchaco – Photo by Vincent Gotti]
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.