Meiway
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Biography
Meiway is a renowned Ivorian musician and a pioneering figure in the Zoblazo music genre, a style of popular dance music that originated in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, in the 1990s. Born Frédéric Désiré Ehui on March 17, 1962, in Grand-Bassam, he began singing at his local church and later cut his teeth performing with the groups Pace and les Génitaux, winning several prizes along the way. After relocating to France in 1985, he rose to fame with his self-funded studio debut Ayibebou (1989), whose popularity in Ivory Coast turned him into a celebrity almost overnight. His effervescent blend of Southern Ivorian rhythms with modern instrumentation reached its definitive shape on his sophomore effort, 200% Zoblazo, released in 1989 to great critical acclaim. The album helped the singer win Best Variety Artist at the first-ever African Music Awards and was followed by other well-received releases such as Jamais 203 (300% Zoblazo) (1993) or Appolo 95 (1995), recorded with Kassav's Jacob Desvarieux and King Mensah. After introducing his backing band Zo Gang on 1998's Hold Up, Meiway collaborated with Manu Dibango on the album Extraterrestre, released in 1999 to celebrate his tenth anniversary in the music industry. Over the following decades, he remained the genre's most influential artist with albums like Ãternel (2001), Golgotha (2004), 9ème commandement (2006), M20 (2009), Professeur (2012), and Illimitic (2016), all of which combined a message of peace and spirituality with his infectious brand of dance-oriented music. Légende, his thirtieth album, arrived in 2019 and featured guest spots by Donguy, DSK on the Beat, Champy Kilo, JC beat, as well as by numerous studio musicians from French-speaking Africa.
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