Born in the 19th district of Paris, France to an Ivorian father and a French mother, Badié was interested in the mystical, unifying, energizing and pacifying power of music at a young age. He would often listen to the reggae, soul, disco, beguine, and afro-beat records his mother bought him on a loop, and deepened his musical culture through exposure to radio, dance clubs, and sound systems.
As a teen he spent time between the streets and the “banlieue”, forming the dance troupe “Les Street Kids” with his brother and several friends. Together they performed in several major European cities.
After graduating from high school, Badié enrolled at the music conservatory and learned about harmony, piano, and enriched his guitar skills. At that time, he reached out to his friends from his dance troupe to form the band “Les Groovallegeance” to perform soul, funk, and reggae covers, as well as some original compositions in French and English. Together they toured the small theaters of Paris and the Île-de-France. While writing and collaborating with different artists and indie labels, Badié held onto unpublished titles, hidden away at the bottom of a drawer.
After having been spotted and solicited by two major record companies, Badié finally signed with one of them. He released his first solo album “Element Earth” with Warner Music France. The realization of this opus, which he made alone, voluntarily keeps in mind stripped down versions of the compositions recorded in his home studio. Badié’s lyrics are in his image, a child of the concrete jungle who yearns to see another horizon.
The spirit of Bob Marley hovers over this album which echoes and carries multiple references to the Third World prophet who was the leader of the wailers; “I had no father, Bob Marley was naturally mine,” he says. The spirit, the police violence, “mother earth”, the return to the sources far from the concrete, the soul sister, Badié perpetuates this ‘roots attitude’ by making the big ones his own. Claims of the Rasta Lion, while adding its French-speaking culture with its own references (Brassens, Gainsbourg, Forestier, Souchon, Voulzy, Salvador…).
Accompanied by his acoustic guitar, he shares with us his quest for distant horizons, of sun and nature leading away from the dreariness of the surrounding urban environment. After this trip dedicated to his African origins, Badié is now handing over his notebook from board to zero for a new destination, a new departure that leads him to redo small concerts in France, sometimes opening for artists such as Keziah Jones or his “sister at heart” Ayo, continuing collaborations with, among others, CapiLocks Center, Matthieu Chedid, Sasha Bogdanoff, Tiwony, Meta, the legendary Jamaican Earl Chinna Smith, his collective trio Filey-Daoud-Badié and many more.
This road naturally leads him to a new album accompanied by music videos, with titles such as “Ici bas” (Over here), “C’est ma nature” (This is my nature), “Vivre libre” (Live freely), and “Le long du channel” (Along the channel) which will be released in 2021.
Visit Steve at his website: www.facebook.com/badiemusic
Performances
