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The Reunionese artist Maya Kamaty on tour in Brazil

Like many artists today, it is difficult for me to define my music. I am multifaceted, and so is my music.

For nearly a decade, the Reunionese singer Maya Kamaty has been refining her Creole and electro-pop sounds. Resolutely open to the world, she is about to embark on a nearly month-long tour in Brazil. This project is supported by the IF Export programme of the Institut français. 

Published on 27/06/2024

5 min

Born into a family of musicians, it was within the family that Maya Kamaty, born in Sainte-Clotilde on Reunion Island, discovered maloya. This musical genre, sung in Reunion Creole, has its roots in slavery and was banned by the French authorities until the 1970s. It was alongside her parents, Gilbert Pounia and Annie Grondin, that she was introduced to music before a stay in France for her studies, during which she joined the group Grèn Sémé. Upon returning to her native island, Maya Kamaty then formed her own group with Maona Apo and Stéphane Lépinay, before releasing her first album, Santié Papang, in 2014. This debut album marked the culmination of an international tour that followed her winning the Indian Ocean Music Award. Her style then evolved towards sounds close to maloya, with the inclusion of instruments like the kayamb and roulèr, which are reinterpreted through the lens of her very personal poetry. 

Maya Kamaty has always sung in Creole, while being dedicated to resonating Reunionese identity with other traditions and sounds. This openness has become more pronounced throughout her musical journey. Among her influences, she cites artists as diverse as Björk, Agnès Obel, Susheela Raman, and Flavia Coelho, with whom she regularly shares the stage. Her second album, Pandiyé (2019), provided an opportunity to explore more electronic sounds, creating a hybrid style that she has continued to develop and which now bears her unique mark. This blend of socially conscious lyrics and contemporary rhythms is evident in her latest EP, SOVAZ, released in 2022, as well as in the song Meute, performed with about twenty other Reunionese artists and released on International Women's Day. 

At the end of this rich journey, Maya Kamaty now embraces a more engaged stance: "Sovaz," she declares in reference to her latest EP, "refers to wildness, neocolonialism, and the violence of our societies." Reflecting the themes in the song "Meute," the artist now addresses societal issues, such as domestic violence and social injustices. This latest work also owes much to her collaboration with the beatmaker Sskyron, who successfully incorporated the sounds of maloya into a much more urban music style. "In Reunion, maloya blends with all kinds of music," she notes, while remaining careful not to be confined to a single heritage or musical style. A veteran of international tours, Maya Kamaty is now ready to captivate a new audience during her tour in Brazil, scheduled for August. 

  • 2013

    2013

    Winner of the Indian Ocean Music Award.

  • 2014

    2014

    Santié Papang, her debut album.

  • 2019

    2019

    Pandiyé, her second album.

  • 2024

    2024

    Start of a tour in Brazil.

IF Export

As part of her Brazilian tour in the summer of 2024, Maya Kamaty is supported by the IF Export programme of the Institut français. IF Export supports the international projects of artists, professionals who are French or based in France (mainland or overseas), or institutions in the creative and cultural sectors. More information 

L'institut français, LAB