Concerts
INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS
When you’ve had one hit after another and made generations of people dance around the world for twenty years, accumulating as many gold records as you have years in the business, it’s hard to shake off the image of an innately successful band, driven only by the desire to get the crowds going.
The French public will be seduced by their single 1er Gaou, whose clip which has become mythical- is acclaimed on all music channels. The international career of the Ivorian quartet is launched. Solicited by French artists (113, Leslie, Soprano), North African singers (Chawki, Khaled, Cheb Bilal), and Ivorian music legends (Tiken Jah Fakoly, Alpha Blondy), Magic System became a sure thing in the record industry.
A dozen albums and as many commercial successes later, A’Salfo, Tino, Goudé and Manadja have become true ambassadors of the Ivory Coast throughout the world, and perfect representatives of the relationship between their native country and their host country, France.
Twenty years after their first album, the four members of Magic System are still driven by an incredible energy, allowing them to cross borders and bring cultures together in a great burst of positivity.
After a sold-out African tour, MAGIC SYSTEM is back on stage to present its new album “Envolé zougloutique”.
Yemi Eberechi Alade, born March 13, 1989, better known as Yemi Alade, is a Nigerian Afropop singer-songwriter. Her fame has taken a continental and international importance with her single Johnny. Since then Yemi has gained prominence in the music industry and is considered one of the biggest artists in Africa.
She made her musical debut at age 16 in a girl group called Noty Spices in 2005, but her music began to become really popular in Nigeria in September 2009 following her success on the reality show, Peak Talent Show. A few months later, she released her first single Fimisile on the Jus’ Kiddin label.
In 2012, she signed to the Effyzzie Music label and launched her single Ghen Ghen Love.
In July 2013, she released the video for a more romantic R&B song, “Bamboo,” produced by Fliptyce. But it was in the last quarter of 2013, that she broke records and gained international fame with her hit song Johnny, produced by Selebobo, leaked on the internet. The song became a hit in Tanzania, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Liberia, Uganda, Zimbabwe and the UK, among others. It is listed as one of the best songs of 2013, despite its late release in the year and the lack of a music video.
She has been on the cover of several magazines and has played around the world, occasionally sharing the stage with Mary J. Blige, Becca, Shina Peters, Waje, etc. Through her self-mockery, her themes (love, disappointment in love, good food, etc.), she embodies the young African woman. She covers her main hits in different African languages, such as Swahili. She also covers some songs in French.
In 2014, she teamed up with cinematographer Clarence Peters and created a music video for Johnny, released in March, which garnered over 149 million views on YouTube. She is the first Afro-pop star to surpass 100 million views on YouTube.
She released her first album, King of Queens, on October 2, 2014, and then went on tour. Her second studio album, entitled Mama Africa, was released in March 2016. Her career is truly launched.
After performing live alongside Nigerian music heavyweights (Dipp, Ice Prince, Eldee, MI, Sauce Kid, Shank, Sir Shina Peters, Waje, Wizkid and Yemi Sax) Yemi Alade now stands alone at the top of the bill.
In 2019, in addition to appearing on Beyonce’s single Don’t Jealous Me, she released her fourth studio album Woman of Steel containing collaborations with artists such as Rick Ross, Angelique Kidjo and Funke Akindele.
An emblematic figure of reggae-dancehall and of a whole generation of young people from the Caribbean, Admiral T is without doubt one of the best known representatives of this community.
Christy Campbell was born in Guadeloupe in 1981. Admiral T’s teenage years were spent simply listening to the reggae-dancehall and sound systems he heard along the streets of his neighbourhood. He continued his studies until the baccalaureate S while being attracted by the song.
At the age of 12, Admiral T took his first steps into the world of music. Accompanying his brother DJ Jay’Wee and the Arawak Sound System collective, Admiral T discovered the world of reggae-dancehall. The young man is influenced by many musical styles from Kassav’ to Bob Marley, Lucky Dube or Beenie Man.
He seeks above all to combine these different styles to transform his music into a song of unity. Admiral T then joined the Karukera Sound System, a group of DJs. In 1997, the collective managed to sign a contract with Don Miguel, a famous producer of singers in Guadeloupe.
The grandson of a generation of Cape Verdeans who moved to the Netherlands, Nelson Freitas began playing with the group Quatro in 1997. Nelson Freitas started in 1997 with Quatro, a band that was exploring a new sound. which explored a new sound, halfway between zouk and Kizomba, with r&b and hip hop influences. Their three albums, released over a period of seven years, brought them success in countries such as Cabo Verde, Angola, Mozambique and Portugal.
“Magic”, the first solo album, arrived in 2007, followed by “My Life”, in 2010, and “Elevate” in 2013. All of these albums have a story of growth: from “Deeper” to “Rebound Chick” to “Bô Tem Mel”, which became a turning point in Nelson’s career.
Then came ‘Miúda Linda’, the perfect calling card for Nelson’s 2016 album ‘Four’. “I took the opposite view of “Bô Tem Mel”. Mel”. Miúda Linda has become the biggest song to date with over 64 million views on YouTube.
The next single, “Break of Dawn”, with Richie Campbell, also helped shape the album. also helped shape the album: “This song is an example of what I had in mind with this record: breaking boundaries.”
Other collaborations include Mayra Andrade, Mikkel Solnado and Loony Johnson. Album four was born and went platinum.
Sempre Verão is released in September 2019. With the hit singles Bolo Ku Pudim, Manha Cedo and Dominar, Nelson embarks on a new journey.
With this album, he won several awards, including Best Lusophone Male at the Afrima Awards in Dallas, Texas.
The year 2020 started a bit differently than other years, but Nelson nevertheless released 4 singles, Na Bo Mon, Dpos d’Quarentena which went gold in less than 3 months, Plena and Tellin me Something ft Mr Eazi, all of which are on the latest album called “Dpos d’Quarentena”.
For several years, Naza has been a growing success in the urban music scene. His Afro-sounding tracks with a subtle mix of trap and Congolese rumba make you want to party, dance and sing along; right up to the French team’s dressing room during the 2018 World Cup.
On the strength of this success, he worked hard on “C’est la loi”, his second album. Released in May 2018, the project features appearances by the likes of Alonzo, Fally Ipupa and Ninho. It is supported by the hit “P*tain de m*rde” which now has over 40 million views on YouTube and 30 million streams. A title with sunny notes that quickly becomes an anthem.
In 2020, Naza had the best start of her career with her album “Gros bébé”, now certified as a gold record. This opus was a great success, supported by the hit “Joli bébé” in a duet with Niska, which allowed the singer to earn a new diamond record.
Now Naza is back with a vengeance with his latest album ‘B.I.G Daddy’ (Vol. 1), collaborating with big names such as Soolking, Fally Ipupa, Koba LaD, Hornet La Frappe and DA Uzi. He now has a string of great tracks, including the single “Baby Lova”, which has over 7 million views on YouTube. The buzz around his first tracks is now confirmed, Naza is a certified artist.
Landy is an instinctive rapper. Those for whom music is a necessity, almost a duty. With his new album, Brave, he tells the story of his vital need for success and what he has to sacrifice to achieve it. He says it straight out: “Without rap, I’d be dead or in jail. This is what gives this album its obvious authenticity and rawness. Landy knows how to make hits: he proved it as soon as he entered the game in 2017 with the single “En bas de chez moi” or with “Muerte” in 2019, among many others. But he also knows how to tell the story of the street, his environment, in all its hardest and most precious aspects. This is why this album is accompanied by an autobiographical series in three episodes directed by Anouar El Alami. It begins with this sentence: “My name is Dylan, but as you know, in the neighbourhood they call me Landy. Two sides of her personality are revealed, one trying to avoid the pitfalls and problems in her native Saint-Denis, the other getting out of them through music.
Revealed to the general public five years ago, Landy has definitely made a name for himself in French rap thanks to his gold-certified debut album Assa Baing in 2019, confirmed by the even greater success of A-One a year later, certified platinum. He was already showing off his storytelling skills, as on the huge hit ‘Medusa’, and collaborating with famous names such as Niska, Soolking, Koba LaD or Jul, proof that the heavyweights are also looking to rub shoulders with him. On his new album Brave, he perfects his science of melody and builds an ode to determination, an indispensable value for anyone who wants to last in rap. He takes his inspiration from the African rhythms he grew up with, Ivorian or Congolese, like the track “Auto-détruit”, and blends them with the productions of the faithful DJ Bellek, architect of some of his biggest hits.
This time, other resounding names accompany him: Gazo on the frontal track “Maybach”, Leto and Rsko on the dark “Chaque jour”, Ronisia on the languorous “Mental”… All of them participate in giving Brave a resolutely rap and direct aesthetic. When Landy is not singing melodies, he reminds us that he is above all a rapper who depicts walls and their colours, as on the track “Né pour briller”. In one go, without artifice, he explores the melancholy of a not so distant life, the one he led in his neighbourhood of Joliot-Curie and from which he escapes without totally detaching himself. Landy can’t deny his past, so he expresses it. Success, prestigious featurings and achievement may make him shine, but nothing will make him forget where he comes from.
EMERGING SWISS TALENTS
The ZIMIX Festival offers a large stage for the promotion of young emerging talents of Afro music in Switzerland
TED BEAUBRUN
A barefoot artist with the humble appearance of a peasant, he is a charismatic musician who carries the fire of Haiti within him. All it takes is a few notes of drumming to transmit a positive energy to his audience and make them vibrate irresistibly to the sound of Vodou Pop. Carried by the dynamics of his musicians, Ted Beaubrun gives everyone the freedom to dance and sing along…
A Congolese artist living in Switzerland, Akili has been playing music since he was very young. He started out in the family choir and then started rapping about ten years ago under the name “Stelios”. He changed his name to Akili which means intelligence in his mother tongue, Swahili.
It is precisely with intelligence that he has readapted his musical style with more vocals and Afro-coloured melodies to speak to us about love, experience, joie de vivre and success.
With her sensitive lyrics and rhythmic melodies, she brings a breath of fresh air to the emerging Swiss music scene. Coming from a bicultural background, her crossbreeding is today her strength and allows her to navigate through different cultures in order to propose a unique style ☆Afro-Pop-Soul-R&B☆
The track ‘Tsunami’ is a tour de force between French song, lyrical flights of fancy, RNB sounds and Latin percussion. In this piece, the artist addresses the difficulty of being hypersensitive in our contemporary times. TV5Monde Afrique
Ready for a rich Afro music experience? Lakna will perform alongside other Swiss and international artists.
“B” comme “Butterfly” – Fly comme “First Love Yourself”. Nicky B Fly will be at the ZIMIX Festival with his band. With roots in the Congolese port city of Kinshasa & Zurich the artist and single mother sees herself as a cultural hybrid. In “The Bundle of Energy” she mixes Swiss-German, French, English and Lingala in her lyrics, creating a unique style of music that she performs live with her band and dancers.
Seley is short for Selina, which means moon. She was born and raised in Zurich, Switzerland, to a Ghanaian father and a German mother. Seley’s early days were unconventional, as she was soon confronted with a wide range of opposing customs, beliefs and ideologies, making her a distinct, balanced and multi-faceted woman, perfect for her new quest in music. Conquering regions, pushing boundaries and bridging gaps between parallel worlds with the gift of storytelling. the gift of storytelling, wrapped in Afro melodies, fueled by his foundation in hip-hop and his Afro heritage.
Her first and fondest memories are of singing in the church choir at a young age, which naturally helped to refine and develop her talent quickly.
Outside the church, she has been influenced by pop groups like Destiny’s Child, pop icons like Britney Spears and hip-hop stars like Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu. In recent years, she has been in tune with Afro music, most recently inspired by a modern Afropop star, Ayra Starr.
Born in Cameroon, he now lives in Zurich. This musician and producer is at the centre of a new era of “AmaPiano” music. Influenced by afrobeats, hip-hop and R&B, he has refined his sounds over the years with a style all his own.
Karter makes music that embodies his hopes and dreams. For this talented musician, music is an art form that reflects his experiences, and by using his gift, he is able to express himself fully and offer a musical experience that is both unique and engaging
Marcus Lyon makes your nights a waking dream.
We celebrate Afro musical diversity
The artists are the main actors of the ZIMIX Festival. The Festival’s artistic scene will bring together and produce internationally recognised music celebrities and emerging Swiss talent at the Geneva Arena. This production will celebrate the richness of music from here and abroad with the audience.
