Star Feminine Band are a band consisting of eight girl musicians from

Benin Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. The majority of its po ...

, born between 2003 and 2010. The group sing songs on social topics, often with a feminist message.

Formation

Star Feminine Band was the brainchild of Beninese musician André Balaguemon. Balaguemon, who moved from central Benin to

Natitingou Natitingou , informally referred to as Nati , is a city and commune in north western Benin and the capital of Atakora Department. The commune covers an area of 3045 square kilometres and as of 2013 had a population of 104,010 people. Natitingou ...

, collaborated with the city's mayor to organise music workshops for local girls, using Balaguemon's own instruments and advertising the project on local radio. The project had the aim of empowering local girls and defending their rights; Balaguemon stated that the band was about addressing the way women are mistreated by men. The group sing in a number of languages, including English, French, Waama, Peul, Ditammari and Fon. At first locals rejected the idea of girls playing music, but according to Balaguemon, after their first concert they were widely accepted.

Musical career

Having rehearsed together for two years, the group came to the attention of French musical engineer Jéremie Verdier, who was volunteering in Benin at the time and heard the group rehearsing. Verdier, now the manager of the group, recorded demo tapes for the groups. The band signed to Born Bad Records in 2020, and released their first self-titled album. They released their second album, ''In Paris'', in 2022. Later that year the band featured on the track "Look Away, Look Away" by

The Go! Team The Go! Team are an English indie rock band from Brighton, England. The band initially began as a solo project conceived by Ian Parton; however, after the unexpected success of the Go! Team's debut album, '' Thunder, Lightning, Strike'', Parton ...

. The band's songs are often about social topics, including the rights of women, female genital mutilation and forced marriage. Their musical style has been described as a mix of genres including

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock music that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is ...

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highlife Highlife is a Ghanaian music genre that originated along the coastal cities of present-day Ghana in the 19th century, during its Gold Coast (region), history as a colony of the British and through its trade routes in coastal areas. It encompasse ...

and

Congolese rumba Congolese rumba, also known as African rumba, is a dance music genre originating from the Republic of the Congo (formerly French Congo) and Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire). With its rhythms, melodies, and lyrics, Congolese ru ...

. The group have performed at numerous major festivals, including

Glastonbury Glastonbury ( , ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbury is less than across the River ...

and

Roskilde Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 53,354 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...

. In 2023, Star Feminine Band were named as

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

Young Champions for their activism.

Members

* Julienne * Grace * Benie * Urrice * Angélique * Marguerite * Anne * Sandrine

Discography

Albums

* ''Star Feminine Band'' (2020) * ''In Paris'' (2022)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Star Feminine Band Musical groups established in 2016 Beninese women singers Beninese musical groups 2016 establishments in Benin