Granmoun Lélé

Granmoun Lélé, whose real name was Julien Ernest Philéas, was born in Saint-Benoît on February 28, 1930. He had to work from an early age, starting out as a teenager in a sugar factory as a laborer. Little by little, he witnessed the dances and music performed at the end of the work week by the men and women employees. It was at this moment that he discovered maloya, a musical style born during slavery to resist the harsh conditions of life, characterized by its specific rhythm and the use of the roulèr, a traditional Réunionese percussion. Granmoun Lélé was seduced by the practice, and added a spiritual dimension inherited from his upbringing. However, it was not until later that his musical output was published. In 1993, he released Namouniman, a debut album whose eponymous track has become one of the classics of the genre, alongside productions by Danyèl Waro and others. Granmoun Lélé, whose nickname refers to the elderly in Reunionese Creole, went on to build up his discography, releasing three further albums: Soleye (1995), Dan Ker Lele (1998) and Zelvoula (2003). While organizing numerous concerts, accompanied by over a dozen musicians and children, this former worker died on November 14, 2004 in Saint-Benoît, leaving behind him an enriched musical heritage and tradition.

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