RFI's Prix Découvertes 1999
And The Winner Is … Mikidache From The Comoro Islands!
26/05/1999 -
Competition was tough at RFI's 'Prix Découvertes' awards this year with eleven highly talented acts making it through to the finals on Friday 21 May. With finalists including the Cameroonian singer Richard Bona, Venezuelan artist Diego Pelaez, up-and-coming Senegalese star Touré Touré and the French-Algerian group Gnawa Diffusion, the judges were faced with a difficult decision. But in the end the jury, chaired by the well-known musician Manu Katché, awarded RFI's 'Prix Découvertes RFI 99' to Daniel Mikidache, a hot new talent from the Comoro Islands.
The jury at this year's 'Prix Découvertes' awards was made up of a host of celebrities from the French music world including Catherine Saint-James (SACEM), Christophe Crenel (from the French TV channel M6), François Chesnais (ADAMI), Jean-Luc Marti (from the magazine Géo), Michel Collnet (from French record store FNAC) and Yves Malbrancke (M6 Musique). And, after much careful deliberation, the jury's votes went to Comoran artist Daniel Mikidache for his debut album "Kauli/Words" (released on Long Distance/Wagram Music).
Daniel Mikidache, who is actually of Madagascan origin, was born in Mayotte in 1969. Mikidache was a passionate music fan from an early age and began teaching himself to play music when he was just 13. He soon proved to be a talented songwriter and composer, drawing inspiration for his work from various sources including Madagascan folk, traditional African music and Afro-American rhythms. Mikidache's songs, performed in Comoran and Madagascan as well as French and English, boast impressive melody-lines and a catchy mix of rhythms.
Mikidache has already established an excellent reputation on the live scene, performing regular solo concerts over the past ten years (after a brief interlude studying economic science) and supporting top reggae act Burning Spear in 1987. Now, following the release of his debut album and his triumph at the 'Prix Découvertes 99', Mikidache looks set to take Paris by storm. Music fans can catch him in concert at Le New Morning on 8 June and then at the special DECOUVERTE RFI 99 concert organised at Le Bataclan on 9 November.
And needless to say, we'll be keeping you up to date with Mikidache's forthcoming tour dates in the Agenda section of Le Petit Journal. Yet another good reason to stay on-line with RFI Musique!
Valérie Passelègue
Translation : Julie Street
