Ibeyi is a French musical duo consisting of twin sisters Lisa-Kaindé Diaz and Naomi Diaz. The duo sings in English, French, Spanish and

Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...

, In Yoruba, Ibeyi (''Ìbejì'') means "twins". Their music has elements of Yoruba, French and

Afro-Cuban Afro-Cubans or Black Cubans are Cubans of West African ancestry. The term ''Afro-Cuban'' can also refer to historical or cultural elements in Cuba thought to emanate from this community and the combining of native African and other cultural ele ...

, and fuses jazz with beats, samples with traditional instruments., Lisa, the lead singer, plays the piano; Naomi plays the traditional Peruvian/Cuban percussion instruments

cajón A cajón (; "box", "crate" or "drawer") is a box-shaped percussion instrument originally from Peru, played by slapping the front or rear faces (generally thin plywood) with the hands, fingers, or sometimes implements such as brushes, mallets, ...

and

Batá drum The Batá drum is a double-headed drum shaped like an hourglass with one end larger than the other. The percussion instrument is still used for its original purpose as it is one of the most important drums in the yourba land and used for tradi ...

Early life and career

The fraternal twins (born 13 December 1994, in Paris) lived in

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

for the first two years of their lives, then moved to Paris, where they were educated. They visited Cuba yearly on holiday, but were primarily raised in Paris, where they currently reside. Their father was the famed Cuban percussionist

Anga Díaz Anga (Sanskrit: ) was an ancient Indo-Aryan peoples, Indo-Aryan tribe of eastern South Asia whose existence is attested during the Iron Age in India, Iron Age. The members of the Aṅga tribe were called the Āṅgeyas. Counted among the "six ...

, who has received a

Grammy award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

for his work with the Latin jazz band

Irakere Irakere (faux-Yoruba for 'forest') is a Cuban band founded by pianist Chucho Valdés (son of Bebo Valdés) in 1973. They won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Recording in 1980 with their album ''Irakere''. Irakere was a seminal musical laboratory ...

, and was also a member of

Buena Vista Social Club Buena Vista Social Club is an ensemble of Cuban musicians established in 1996. The project was organized by World Circuit executive Nick Gold, produced by American guitarist Ry Cooder and directed by Juan de Marcos González. They named the g ...

ensemble, playing with

Ibrahim Ferrer Ibrahim Ferrer (February 20, 1927 – August 6, 2005) was a Cuban singer who played with Los Bocucos for nearly forty years. He also performed with Conjunto Sorpresa, Chepín y su Orquesta Oriental and Mario Patterson. After his retirement in ...

, Rubén González and Máximo Francisco Repilado Muñoz aka Compay Segundo. On his death in 2006, Naomi, then aged 11, learned to play his signature instrument, the cajón. Together the sisters studied Yoruba folk songs. Their mother is French-Venezuelan singer Maya Dagnino, who serves as their manager and encouraged Lisa-Kainde's songwriting. In 2013, they signed to the record label,

XL Recordings XL Recordings is a British independent record label founded in 1989 by Tim Palmer and Nick Halkes. It has been ran and co-owned by Richard Russell since 1996. It forms part of the Beggars Group. Although only releasing an average of six album ...

. Label owner Richard Russell is the only other contributor to their self-titled debut album, released in 2015. Released when they were 20, the album pays tribute to their deceased father and the track ''Yanira'' immortalizes the duo's older sister, who died in 2013. The song ends with a synth that sounds like a life-support monitor. In 2014, they received attention for the video for their album's second single, "River". The twins appear in a closeup shot throughout, taking turns having their heads forced underwater while the other sings. In 2016, the twins appeared in the short film for

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

's album ''

Lemonade Lemonade is a sweetened lemon-flavored beverage. There are varieties of lemonade found throughout the world. In North America and South Asia, cloudy still lemonade is the most common variety. There it is traditionally a homemade drink using le ...

'' as members of Beyonce's farm utopia that offers a safe space for black women. In May 2016, Ibeyi returned to Havana for live performances at the CHANEL 2016 Cruise collection in Cuba and the international music festival MUSICABANA. Their 2017 album ''Ash'' was nominated for

IMPALA The impala or rooibok (''Aepyceros melampus'') is a medium-sized antelope found in eastern and southern Africa. The only extant member of the genus '' Aepyceros'' and tribe Aepycerotini, it was first described to European audiences by Germa ...

's European Album of the Year Award.

Influences

As well as their father

, the duo claims

Frank Ocean Christopher Francis "Frank" Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux; October 28, 1987), is an American singer, songwriter, and rapper. His works are noted by music critics for featuring avant-garde styles and introspective, elliptical lyrics. Ocean ...

, James Blake, and

King Krule Archy Ivan Marshall (born 24 August 1994), also known by his stage name King Krule, among other names, is an English singer, songwriter, musician, rapper and record producer. He began recording music in 2010 under the moniker Zoo Kid. The fol ...

among their influences. In live shows, they have covered rapper

Jay Electronica Elpadaro F. Electronica Allah (born Timothy Elpadaro Thedford; September 19, 1976), known professionally as Jay Electronica (stylized as J A Y E L E C T R O N I C A), is an American rapper and record producer. Born and raised in New Orleans, he ...

's ''Better in Tune with the Infinite'' and others. Their recordings also show a strong and spiritual connection to their Yoruba roots, as do the name and themes. They also pay tribute to

Santería Santería (), also known as Regla de Ocha, Regla Lucumí, or Lucumí, is an African diaspora religions, African diasporic religion that developed in Cuba during the late 19th century. It arose through a process of syncretism between the tradit ...

, a

syncretism Syncretism () is the practice of combining different beliefs and various school of thought, schools of thought. Syncretism involves the merging or religious assimilation, assimilation of several originally discrete traditions, especially in t ...

practiced by many Afro-Cubans.

Discography

Albums

EPs

Singles

Notes

References

External links

*
XLRecordings – Ibeyi page

UK Talent Agency Profile

French Talent Agency Profile
{{Authority control Cuban electronic music groups French electronic music groups Cuban contemporary R&B musical groups French contemporary R&B musical groups Cuban soul musical groups French soul musical groups French musical duos Yoruba-language singers English-language singers from France Cuban twins French twins Cuban people of Yoruba descent Cuban emigrants to France French people of Cuban descent French people of Yoruba descent 21st-century French musicians Yoruba women musicians 21st-century French women musicians Twin musical duos Female musical duos French women in electronic music Cuban musical duos