Le Coeur de Fely
(The Heart of Fely)

Article, Interview and Photography by Diane “Livonn” Adam © 2008

“Fely is a unique and fascinating artist capturing the spiritual essence of her Cote d’Ivoire homeland and the world.” -- Livonn

Leye Felicite Tchaco or "Fely" as she is affectionately called is a stunningly beautiful singer, songwriter and performer from Cote d’Ivoire, West Africa.  Seeing Fely for the first time there is no way to ignore this striking dark beauty.  With her long, lean frame it would be easy to mistake her for a high fashion model.  Fely could easily take to the catwalk with the likes of Donyale Luna (first supermodel, cover girl and model of African decent to appear on the cover of Vogue in 1966), Iman Mohamed Abdulmajid (Somalia) or Alex Wek (Sudanese).  On first meeting Fely, I was struck not only by her physical beauty but even more so by her inner beauty that clearly exudes a warm and genuinely sweet personality.  

Born in Yamoussoukro, the capital city of Cote d’Ivoire, Fely’s family ties are deeply rooted to the Guro Tribe originally known as the “Kweni” tribe who were brutally colonized by the French who invaded the country from 1906-1912.  The artistically talented Guro Tribe gained international attention for their colorful Guro mask that symbolize the spirit of Gu, the wife of Zamble (a supernatural being who is part of the intricate Guro belief system).  It is apropos to mention that the spirit of Gu could also be synonymous for the spirit of Fely as they both represent all that is “elegant, graceful, serene and beautiful’. 

In her latest CD release, Awareness, Fely captures not only the spiritual essence of her Cote d’Ivoire homeland but also a deeply profound spiritual connection to people all over the world.   Awareness is a fine collection of appealing Afro-Pop infused music that offers upbeat dance songs like “Let’s Go For Peace” and the exquisite and moving “Afrique Bon Le Wou” (Cry of Mother Africa) which Fely says is “dedicated to people of African decent”.  Fely beautifully performed these songs and more at the 13^th Annual Monterey Bay Reggae Festival on Sunday, August 31, 2008. 

The only complaint I had about her performance is that it was just too short!  I really wanted to hear more from Fely that day.  The weather was sunny and bright and the small stage was filled with Fely’s multi-cultural mix of musicians, dancers, and singers and was set in the most beautiful location at the festival adorned with a backdrop of pure blue sky and the outstretched twisted branches of a singular tree that somehow made me think of Africa throughout her performance.  Fely had some audience members even join her on stage for a competition to judge the best dancer which was really a big hit with the crowd as they laughed and cheered on each contestant.  Though the crowd was a little sparse, as many people were pulled between her show on the smaller stage and the performance on the main festival stage, Fely never let this stop the fun and excitement of her performance and, in the end, I could only feel sad for the people who were not lucky enough to be present for her performance.  Those of you wishing to see a little of what Fely has to offer can view a video of Fely performing Afrique Bon Le Wou” (Cry of Mother Africa) at You Tube by following this link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCrr_Et7CyY.

Immersed in a world rich in the traditions of Ivorian music, Fely recorded her first albums "Amour Perdu" (“Lost Love”) in 1996, and "Aude a L’amour" (“Ode to Love”) in 1998.  Though she was absent from the music scene for a few years she came back strong after relocating to the United States with her daughter and in 2003 released her third album and first U.S release, De Zere Gnan.  Like many other talented artists, Fely has really struggled and suffered for her art and the result is a truly rounded and expressive performer who finds that all important connection with her audience which distinguishes her as an important addition to the legacy of African artists.  Fely is a unique and fascinating artist capturing the spiritual essence of her Cote d’Ivoire homeland and the world. 

I feel especially honored to have been given some time to sit and talk to Fely in San Francisco, California on October 12, 2008.  I was very impressed by this articulate young lady who speaks fluent French and English, also a distinction in her musical repertoire (Fely also sings in her native language of Gouro, and also Spanish).  As we conversed over lunch about her past, her present and what she is working towards in her future in music, I found Fely to be a complex albeit straightforward individual who has a lot to say about her life and music.

Livonn:       Greetings Fely!

Fely:          Hi Livonn! Thank you for giving me this opportunity.

Livonn:       Can you give our audience a little background on how you got started?

Fely:         Well, it’s a little bit funny because since I was a child I always wanted to sing and I remember when I was in the 5^th grade I went up to my dad, actually I had a dream and I was sitting in front of a TV and it that was so weird to me, I was like wow!  But even before that I always wanted to sing, so I went to my Dad and told him I wanted to sing and I wanted him to send me to an arts school and he laughed at me.  He laughed at me and was like where are you going to go with your singing because in Africa people think that singing is like you know its like something different that they want to see all the time because only the boys are taken seriously so not only I’m a girl and also I want to sing for them its something out of the world.  So I took my patience in my heart you know and even though the opportunity wasn’t there I always wished and wanted to sing so it didn’t happen to later on when I got married and then got separated that I sold my car finally that I had and went into the studio and surprised everybody.

Livonn:       Fely, can you tell us a little bit about your home land of Cote d’Ivoire?

Fely:          Cote d’Ivoire is a very nice place to be we have nice weather, it’s like Jamaica.  It’s just beautiful, that’s all I can say.

Livonn:       Do you remember the very first time you performed?

Fely:          This is very funny.  I remember when my dad used to receive guests at home and I would go in my room…actually when I come from school my dad use to have this friend that use to come over all the time and one day I came from school and I went in my room and changed my school dress and put on a wrap and I took clay and put water in it and put it on my face and I came back out and said, “Dad, look at me!  I was dancing and doing acrobats and he said, “Oh my God! We don’t want to watch this again, I have a guest, just get out of here (laughing).  I was about 6 or 7 years old then but I remember always liking to perform but no one was paying attention to me.  So, I did my very first concert, a very big concert, as a singer in 1996 in Cote d’Ivoire at this big place called Hôtel d’Ivoire, it one of the biggest five star hotels.  I played a couple places and did some tour and right after that is when things went bad because I had to divorce and my career went down and I came to the U.S.

Livonn:       A lot of people may remember your performance a while back at Reggae On The River in 2005 where you gave a beautiful solo performance and also performed with Alpha Blondy who is also from Cote d’Ivoire and there has been a lot of comments about your incredible dancing skills.

Fely:          I didn’t even think that Alpha Blondy would call me on the stage.  I opened for him before in my country he put together this show called Fiesta and I was one of the artists that opened the art show in 1998 and he was very happy to see me at Reggae On The River he was actually surprised he didn’t think that I was here because he said that he didn’t hear from me and no one knew where I was they don’t see me anymore so I told him I was here so he called me on stage and I did some dance with him it was really nice I was a very good experience.

Livonn:       Though you are a singer, I must say that you are an incredible dancer and I wanted to ask you if the style of dance you did with Alpha Blondy has a particular name in Africa.

Fely:          Yes, it is a particular style that we have in Cote d’Ivoire called Mapoka.

Livonn:       It’s really interesting to watch, I love seeing you dance, but Mpoka seems very hard to master.

Fely:          Yes, you shake your booty and you bend as your shaking it without moving.

Livonn:       Recently you had an utterly splendid (albeit too short for me) performance at the 2008 Monterey Bay Reggae Festival in August.  Can you talk about some of the songs you performed?

Fely:          This was a really good show and I really enjoyed it.  You know, it’s really special when you see the audience reacting to your performance, it’s very touching and I didn’t even know that there were people crying in the audience.  I was told later, actually one of my supervisors at my work surprised me there, I didn’t know she was there, her name is Charlene Smith and she was there with her husband who was crying when I sang, Cry Of Mother Africa and she told me later that when they got home and she put the music on (he was arguing with her at the time), she got out of bed it was around 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning and she put my CD on and he started crying.  When she explains it its better, I can’t explain it better than she does but its very touching and I appreciate that and just wish that I get more shows like this and people discover me more because my style is new its different and I’m hoping also to secure management soon.

Livonn:       You’re style, does it have a name or have you given it a name?  Can you describe what your style is?

Fely:          Its fusion of African with modern and western instruments.  Most of my compositions are in my language but then you see piano, trumpet, guitar and other instruments, I don’t usually use African instruments.  I really like pop music and classical music so I combine those and create a special sound and people really like it.

Livonn:       The song that you just mentioned, “Cry Of Mother Africa”, I know that you are singing in French but could you translate from Français to Anglais for our audience?

Fely:         “Cry Of Mother Africa” is actually dedicated to people of African decent.  As I mentioned during the show, at one point we were all one, we all started out at the Motherland and even the scientists have proved it today, so what I am saying is that Mother Africa is the symbolic name of the continent.  So what I am saying in this song is that when the settlers came in Africa they were greeted very well and the African people have helped them a lot and in return they wiped the land and really didn’t do much and as African decent people have contributed in the world and even today they still remain behind.  So, Mother Africa is crying ‘why are my children still behind, why are they left behind” so that’s what I am singing and this song is a homage to the hard work of African people, big “A”, meaning whether you are African American or from the Caribbean as long as you have a background from Africa you have contributed into this world, the prosperity, the happiness of everybody, my forefathers have suffered to give us this freedom and a better world today.  So this song is dedicated to them.

Livonn:       Beautiful words Fely.

Livonn:       I noticed that as you performed in Monterey, you had a beautiful blue dress on and in the front of it you had a picture of Obama.  Can you tell us a little bit about what the election of Obama to the U.S. presidency means to you?

Fely:          Thank you Livonn, this is a good question (and so have your other questions too!)

Fely:          Well, the dress first of all was sponsored by a local designer and her name is Maria Calloux and I would like to thank her for trusting me, believing in what I do and have taken her time to sponsor me because not many designers can just sponsor an artist if they don’t know them, they don’t know who they are, so I am very thankful and grateful for what she did for me.  A friend of mine introduced to me to her and she had this idea of this really nice colorful dress, she asked me where I was going to sing and how is the environment so I told her.  And then I told her that I have a painting that I have at home and the painter is my big fan.  I won’t tell you who it is, but I just want to describe what it is, it’s a portrait of somebody that I really, really, like and I’m sure maybe you’re going to like him too, I would like him in front of my chest. (Laughing) So, she said, OK, bring the picture and let me see and when I brought the picture she said, “Oh my God!  I love Obama too!” (Laughing)  So, we both collaborated so I printed it, actually, the time was so short, I didn’t have enough time and the printing place where I went they wanted a couple of weeks in advance and they don’t do small amounts so I went to an office supply store and brought those sticky printing paper and printed it from my computer and ironed it onto a white cotton t-shirt, cut it out and sent it to her and she sewed it onto the front of the dress and it came out very nice and people liked it and I am very thankful.  To answer your question, I am an Obama fan.  I don’t support Obama because he is black, I support him because he has a different way of seeing things and he has different views and ideas something new that you don’t hear and see all of the time and I think in today’s world we have to move on, the world is so mixed, we cannot still have biases and still think in the past, we have to go forward because of our children, our future generations.  So, I think that Obama’s ideas are really good for me because myself, I am not a racist, I’m very open minded and I fit everywhere I go in life and that’s the environment I want for my child because she is mixed too, half white and half black and I am black and my parents are Africans so we need a president that understands this so that we can all have a better life.

Livonn:       Yes, as they say, “Out Of Many One”.

Fely:          Yes!

Livonn:       Fely, you have a new album release now that’s called, Awareness.  Can you talk about this?

Fely:          Yes, Awareness is my new album.  Because I started out very young and I didn’t have the life experience, everything was new to me and I was just doing my music for the passion and the love.  As years went by, I discovered things, been through some life changes, really bad experiences and at one point in life, I wanted to stop everything, I didn’t want to sing anymore, I lost self-confidence, I didn’t believe in myself anymore, I withdrew myself from my family and everybody else so I came here and started life over again.

Livonn:       When was it that you came to the U.S. from Cote d’Ivoire?

Fely:          I came here in 2000 after a very bitter divorce, with my daughter.  Thank God that I was able to get her custody.  I didn’t have any support from anybody, and when I say anybody, no family support, no ex-husband support so I started life all over again along with my daughter and it was a very new experience.  In Africa, you have a maid, you have family around, you know, but here coming to a new world along with your daughter to a very different system and you have to learn the language, it was very challenging and like I said, I lost all confidence in myself, I didn’t want to sing any more, I didn’t believe in me basically.  But what I learned is that once you are born an artist, when something is in you, there is no way you can get around it.  I never stopped writing and at one point I started writing poems and I thought, well maybe if I don’t sing, I’ll write poems and I discovered this place call International Café on Haight Street in San Francisco.  Listen to this now, I use to go there because they have spoken-word and my accent was really, really heavy back then right?  I had this beautiful poem in French that I translated in my way in English and I volunteered to go share my poems call L’arbre de Vie (The Tree of Life) and the other was called Sacred Amour (Sacred Love).  So, I performed a couple of my poems and the host who showcases the artists there, I think he heard me sing one time, he came to me and said “You know what Fely, can you do anything else other than poems” and I said, Yes, I use to sing and he said, “You know what I think I want to hear about your singing”.  So, one day, I met with him outside and there was a guitar player there named Steve and we did something real quick together and he goes “My sister, I think you should stick to singing” (Laughing) and he said, “Are you sure you want to be a poet?” (Laughing)

Livonn:       (Joins in the Laughter) He put you back on the right direction! 

Fely:    (Still Laughing)  He then asked me did I have any other songs, and that’s when I started to tell him about myself, what I do and that yes, I am a singer and he told me to never lose faith, if this is what you are, this is what you should be doing and he encouraged me to keep singing and that my poems are beautiful but you are in America and when people don’t understand what you’re saying it is hard so he helped me gain more confidence and then I started going there more often and met other musicians and I formed a band with five musicians, a drummer, a guitar player, pianist and other instruments and it was very new to them.  They liked my music but they were not familiar with it and for them, maybe it wasn’t not going to go anywhere so we stuck in there but they didn’t…I don’t know because if they didn’t believe in me they wouldn’t be playing with me but they had other goals so they didn’t stay there with me so my only challenge was that I have to have musicians who really believe in what I do and like what I do so that we can have a band and move forward.  So, since those musicians went in their different ways so I stayed alone and kept working until I found a producer and collaborated with and that’s when I recorded my third album, De Zere Gnan.  It was a very good experience and I started gaining more confidence now.  So, I am very happy that I came here, this country has been good to me and I am very thankful.  So, my message in my songs are for peace, unity and awareness so this is what Awareness is about that you can never deny who you are no matter what you went through in life you should always hope for the best and keep doing it because you don’t know, maybe the future holds better things for you.  So, that’s what this album is about.

Livonn:    Fely, you have some shows coming up this month.

Fely:    I have two shows coming up in San Francisco on October 28 at Mojito (1337 Grant Avenue, SF 94133) and on October 29 at Biscuits & Blues (401 Mason Street, SF 94102).  I hope you and everyone can come to see me perform.

Livonn:      I do really look forward to seeing you perform again too!  I want to thank you Fely for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk to me and wishing you all the best in your career.

Fely:   Thank you so much Livonn!  And a quick message, if anyone is out there is a hard working person who would like to try something different and would like to work with an international musician, I am looking for a manger, promoter and booking agent.

Livonn:      Yes, and you can contact Fely via email at info@felymusic.com and for more information on this talented artist go to her website: http://www.felymusic.com or her My Space page at http://www.myspace.com/felymusic.

Fely:       That’s right!  Merci Beaucoup Livonn! 

Livonn:  Merci Beaucoup Fely!

Blessed Love