Razia Said

Born in Madagascar, Razia began singing for her family at the age of three and grew up listening to what she calls “a very funky mix of music, including traditional Malagasy music, the Beatles, Bob Marley, James Brown and Fela Kuti.” At age eleven, Razia left Madagascar to join her mother in Gabon, West Africa, where Razia joined the local church choir. She was sent to boarding school in France, where she played guitar and sang with friends. Seeking stability, she obtained her doctorate in pharmacy in France, then lived in France, Italy, Bali and Ibiza. When she fell in love and moved to New York, she began to perform at several of the city’s well-known clubs, including Joe’s Pub and S.O.B.’s. “All of my travels have provided different inspirations that can be heard through my music,” she says now. “My sound is culturally eclectic and appeals to a multiethnic audience. I enjoy merging different musical styles together.” Razia’s seductive melodies, combined with ethnic drumbeats and percussions, attract world fusion audiences. And running through her sound is a spirit that honors her Malagasy, Afro-Arabic and Indian heritage. Seeking to raise awareness of the critical problem of climate change in her native Madagascar, singer Razia Said will be releasing a collection of original songs, entitled Zebu Nation. This long-awaited CD, which follows her warmly received debut album, Magical (2005), slithers effortlessly between jazz and R&B with rhythms that grab the listener. Critic Bill Wahl wrote of Razia in Jazz & Blues, “Like Sade she has a very smooth voice, and is quite sensual, but the world rhythms add a whole different dimension to her music.”