Slaï

Having roots in Guadeloupe, zouk artist Slaï first attracted notice toward the end of the 1990s among the genre’s emerging talents and soon built a multifaceted career as a respected performer, label founder, and accomplished producer. He passed his childhood in the suburbs of Paris before heading back to his birthplace for the greater part of his teenage years. Immersed in Caribbean sounds, particularly zouk and reggae, during that period, he relocated once more to France and settled there in 1996. There he connected with Guy Bordey, another writer and interpreter of West Indian music, and the two launched BS Productions, which issued its debut recording, Fresh, the following year. Slaï then undertook a wide-ranging tour across the French Antilles that propelled the single “Flamme” from his recent album to widespread popularity; the track and its accompanying video turned him into a recognizable figure in France and an established name throughout the French-speaking Caribbean. Through BS Productions he and Bordey likewise advanced the careers of up-and-coming acts including Marina Carliste and Beatrice Poulot. The self-titled album Slaï issued in 2002 yielded the further radio success “La Derniére Danse,” which performed strongly in both the Antilles and France and reached the Top 20 on French sales charts. His 2004 album Florilège achieved even greater commercial results, moving more than 200,000 copies within a few years. Four years passed before the next project appeared; the well-received Caraibes sustained his momentum until the arrival of the 2011 release Escale.