RFI/Musique: Your latest album Swing Karaïb marks a new turning-point in your career now that you've left Kassav'. What made you decide to quit the group?
Patrick Saint-Eloi: Basically, I just had this urge to stop living out of a suitcase and spend some time at home in Guadeloupe. I couldn't bear the idea of going off on tour again and spending the whole year on the road! Besides, I'd reached a point where I felt my artistic collaboration with Kassav' had gone as far as it could. I felt I needed to move on and experience other things. It was a decision I made entirely on my own without any long drawn-out calculation. It was simply a case of turning round and putting a lot of things into question. But I must stress that the split wasn't a big bust-up or anything. I left on friendly terms. In fact, I'm still very close to a lot of musicians from Kassav' and they all understood why I felt it was time to go. Don't get me wrong, I'm not the kind of guy who's going to turn round and bite the hand that fed me! Kassav' were like a university for me. I served a brilliant musical apprenticeship with those guys. They're the ones who taught me my profession and that's not something I'll ever forget…

And what moment will you treasure as your best memory from your Kassav' days?
Well, it's pretty difficult to think on the spot like that and pick out one particular moment rather than another. I suppose if I were to sit down and sift through all my memories, I'd maybe single out the group's first tour as one of the highlights. We did this tour of La Réunion and the atmosphere was just fabulous over there! I have fond memories of our rehearsals too. There was one point in our career where we'd get together every day and rehearse in the basement. Sometimes we'd turn up for rehearsals without even really knowing why we were there! We'd just get such a kick out of being together and playing music. And I must say I find gratuitous acts like that have something very beautiful about them.

Another major change in your career is that you've just signed to a new record label. In fact, you're the first artist from the Antilles to land a record deal with Lusafrica - a label that essentially revolves around Portuguese-speaking acts. How did you get involved with Lusafrica?
Well, it all started when I met Cesaria Evora really. What happened was I appeared on Taratata (a TV music show presented by Nagui on France 2) and we teamed up as a couple - well, long enough to perform a duet for the programme, that is! I was really honoured to perform a duo with the first lade of Cape Verde. Anyway, my duet with Cesaria sort of introduced me to Lusafrica and I hit it off with the people at the label immediately. I was struck by how dynamic Lusafrica is and what a good distribution system they've got. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I'm signed to them now. And I have to say that just like leaving Kassav', I have absolutely no regrets about branching out in a new direction. Far from it, in fact, I think it's going to open a lot of new doors for me!

Let's talk about your new album, Swing Karaïb, for a moment. The title suggests your new record's open to a whole range of Caribbean influences, but it's actually very centred on zouk. Zouk's come to be a powerful symbol of the French Antilles over the years - and I was wondering how someone who's been one of zouk's greatest champions over the past two decades reacts to that?
I think zouk's basically a wonderful musical tool you can mix with a whole range of other things. As an artist from the Antilles I do feel a certain duty to promote such a vital culture from the Caribbean - and all the more so as I have such total faith in the music myself! Looking back on things now, I'd say that even when things were really taking off with Kassav' we didn't realise just what a musical treasure we had. When I travel abroad in mainland France or elsewhere on the continent and I see people swinging their hips to our rhythms I'm happy to see that zouk appeals to such a huge public outside the Creole community. And I'd like everyone to know that zouk's capable of making people everywhere dance! Personally, what I'm trying to do in my own career right now is create a style that's really accessible to everyone.

The eleventh and final track on your new album is a bit different from the rest - it features a very interesting mix of zouk and rap. How did this duo come about?
Well, what happened was I was over in Guadeloupe one day when I met this young guy who wanted me to come along and take a listen to what he was working on. Anyway, I got talking to him and I really liked the sound of what he was working on so I got him to go away, take the thing a bit further and come back and see me when he'd finished. And that's the basic story behind the zouk and rap duet on my new album. The track's called Remix grav' - and I must say I'm really happy with the result! I feel it's a great way of sharing my music. The "tchacheur"/rapper on the track's called DJ Jackson. And take it from me, he's one really talented guy. I think we'll be hearing a lot more from him on the Antillais music scene very soon!

As far as your lyrics are concerned, you seem to be at the opposite end of the spectrum from the light-weight upbeat songs normally associated with zouk. You seem to believe in the idea of getting people dancing and thinking about serious issues at the same time…
Well, the most important thing for me as far as my music's concerned is doing things straight from the heart, you know, really putting my guts into things. I'm not obsessed with the idea of bringing out a new album once a year or anything. I prefer to take my time and work the way I want to work. If all you're doing is bringing out a new album so you can stick your photo on the cover, well, frankly, it's not worth the trouble! There are quite a few love songs on the new album - and when I'm not singing about love I'm singing about topical issues like world peace and ecology, issues I feel very strongly about. I think we really have to raise awareness about problems like these. And at the same time I'm a firm believer in making people dream and forget their troubles for a while. I honestly think it's possible to do both, though. In my own modest way I feel my role in all this is to give 100% of myself all the time!

The Creole music scene recently suffered a big loss when Georges Debs died on June 2nd this year. Debs was someone who devoted a lot of time and energy to promoting Antillais music abroad. He was Kassav's first producer, in fact. What was your reaction to his death?
Well, I always think it's a bit of a delicate issue heaping compliments on someone after they're dead. But I have to say that I truly take my hat off to Georges Debs! He was someone who really believed in the artists he worked with and who never hesitated when it came to investing in a project - even when there was no guarantee he'd ever make his money back! Georges never stinted when it came to backing a project! And if our music's ended up reaching so many different people in the world today it's largely thanks to him. I feel very strongly that we should carry on what he started so that his work continues to live on after him.

These days you're a successful solo artist who's won a whole string of awards for your work. How does such a prominent music star go about his daily life in Guadeloupe?
Well, I'm not big-headed for one thing - and I have to say I'm not that happy about having a public image as some sort of Greek Adonis! I come from a very modest background and I think I've always kept my feet firmly on the ground. Showbiz and all the trappings of the star system are really not my thing! I'm a human being first and foremost and a singer second. I'm not a big star who locks myself away at home and never ventures out into the street! I like to get out there and live my life with everybody else. You know, I shop at the local market, I go out walking with my daughter in the streets and we stop and have a chat with people along the way. People in Guadeloupe are used to seeing me in the street. And I think that's one of the most important things in life - you have to stay close to people because that's where life is! That's where my inspiration lies.