[LA RENCONTRE D’ONFR]
Kelly Bado is a Franco-Manitoban singer-songwriter, from Côte d’Ivoire. On May 2, she launched her second album, entitled Beautiful souls. She collects three nominations at the next Gala Trille Gold and recently became the first artist signed by Odd Dolls Records, a disc label founded by women, in Manitoba. Her music is the result of a mixture of cultures and languages that have shaped her life path, which she traces with us.
“What led you from Côte d’Ivoire to Manitoba?”
I had come just for my studies. Many people in my country go abroad for better diplomas or to explore other possibilities. I had lived in Morocco for a few years. And there, my father, who loves studies very much, wanted me to continue and proposed Canada.
I did not necessarily have in mind to go here, until it was discovered that there were encouragement to immigration to Manitoba. The Canadian Embassy in Côte d’Ivoire said that Manitoba was looking for professional students and immigrants.
I arrived with my sister. It was the condition for me. In Morocco, we returned (to Côte d’Ivoire) two or three times a year. Here, it’s far away. I may go there every three years. I didn’t want to be so far from everyone. My sister also finished her studies, so my parents encouraged him to accompany me. I think she too wanted to discover, visit, know other places. It worked well for both of us.
What kind of cultural clash did you live?
Cultural clashes, there are everywhere, unless you stay at home. When you travel, you meet other people, other cultures.
In addition to the cold, the thing I had not achieved is that it is really a mainly English -speaking province. I expected a perfectly bilingual province. Already, at the airport, I was told in English. It was a big shock, although I studied English at school. It was necessary to accelerate my learning, because you cannot have the basic services in French, such as installing your TV channel, shopping, etc.
Fortunately, we had the reception of the student service of the University of Saint-Boniface, which was at that time the college university.
How did you find your place in the Franco-Manitoban community?
It is really a small community that is concentrated in Saint-Boniface. Fortunately for me, the university had residences, so I lived in the heart of Saint-Boniface.
Adaptation was OKbut difficult. OKbecause I met other people from my home: Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, even Morocco, etc. So, I was not alone. But cultural differences were really difficult to overcome.
The University of Saint-Boniface has since created an introductory workshop to cultures which must be followed by immigrants and Canadians. They then added a faculty component. It was absolutely necessary to do it, because there were cultural misunderstandings which led to difficulties to understand each other between students and teachers.
Cultural differences should not be overlooked. It has an impact that can go so far as to fail someone, just because they can’t make their needs understand.
For example, all half year long without the teacher understands why I did not look him in the eyes. He took this for distraction, a lack of concentration and a lack of interest in what he said. And it took half a year before he talked to me. It earned me negative remarks in my file.
I had to explain that it was not distraction. With us, we do not look at people in the eyes, especially an elder or a hierarchical superior. It can pass like an affront. We don’t tute up older people than us, either.
What decided you to stay in Canada?
I met my husband, it’s as simple as that. Just after finishing my studies, when I was about to come back.
Did you already make music before?
I have always made music, but voluntarily. My mother sang in a choir, my grandmother too … For them, it was natural to register for the choir.
So when I arrived in Canada, I joined a French -speaking neighborhood choir. Music was a way to get used to me.
Today, you mix different cultures in your music and sing in several languages. What is your creation process in this sense?
It comes as our life experience progresses. At the start, I did not write my songs. I listened to Céline Dion, Julio Iglesias, Edith Piaf … My parents listened to all kinds of music, so it entered my brain. And afterwards, I discovered that Céline Dion is not French, but Canadian! We didn’t know that in my country! (Laughter)
By listening, I started to have snatches of ideas. In Morocco, I wrote them in my notebook. It was quite special, not quite Ivorian, not quite European. My friends said to me: your songs, it’s… different! (Laughter) So, I did not show my songs, except for fairly close friends.
I continued this once in Canada. I started writing on themes that fascinated me, like Africa, for example. I am a big pureeer, in the sense that I always have messages or themes that interest me, like politics, but not to mention politics, rather by talking about injustices.
I am a singer. So, instead of going to do activism in the streets, I will use my pen.
The Manitobaines in song discoveries helped me get out of the interpretation to go to the author-songwriter. It was a little contest, but without that, I might not have known that I was able to write well. Through the encouragement and the coaching I had there, it made a lot of things tumble.
Then each new competition was more prestigious than the previous one. It worked well for me. But those who saw me at the beginning and who gave me this chance, it is to them that I would say thank you.
-You also did The voicein Quebec, in 2018. With hindsight, what has this experience brought you?
To have met idols, people I listened to on the radio, of which I was a big fan. It was still incredible to be in the same room as Garou or Lara Fabian, these international artists who had great successes and who teach you. I trembled. Instead of focusing on rehearsal, I said to myself: Wow, Lara Fabian is there giving me advice!
And you met Yama Laurent, who sings with you on the title song of your new album. Tell us about this friendship.
When they put us in the pair, to Let it be Beatles, we wondered how we were going to make this song. It’s old, there are hundreds of online interpretations … We panicked. I said to him: We just have to be ourselves. This is how we worked together.
Fastforward Seven years later, we meet. I tell him: Yama, I have a song called Beautiful soulsand I would really like you can sing it with me. She was so happy!
I wouldn’t have thought of someone else for this song. I have kept this idea in my heart since we knew each other, to find a way that we are growing together. Everyone said we should go back together.
She came to Winnipeg to shoot the video. She went thoroughly and it was a great experience.
It’s a very spiritual song, is it representative of the album Beautiful souls?
No not at all! But for me, the gospel was fine with this song and our voices lent themselves well to this interpretation. The original, Good peoplewas written in English, without gospel choir.
It is my creativity, I do not put limits to what I hear in my head. But as Yama lives in Quebec, when I sing her in a spectacle, I am alone. The ideal would be to meet to sing it together.
This album is inspired by all the people around me, what I see, what I observe. Especially human beings, people. That’s why I chose the title Beautiful souls. I’m not talking about physical beauty, I’m talking about who we are inside. It goes through all our experiences.
My songs are always melancholy, but marked with hope, 50/50. I have a touch of realism, I am not completely in the clouds. I do not think it is enough to snap fingers so that everything smiles at us. It’s difficult, reality is not always rosy, but that does not mean that we do not have the right to hope that tomorrow, something better could be there for us.
You made Ontarois in January 2025. Will we see you in Ontario in the next year?
I hope! I had a virtual tour during the pandemic, so hope is to come in person this time. I cross my fingers, maybe for the fall. I will also be at the Gala Trille Gold, in Ottawa, in May, but I would like to visit other regions of Ontario.
You are appointed to the golden trille as a solo artist, revelation and favorite of the public. How did you react when you saw the appointments?
It really made me happy. Especially for the price of the public. I always like these prices, because we do this job for the audience. Yes, we do it for us, as an artist, we express our creativity. But it’s good when people meet there. We are unique, but we still have a way of connecting in our uniqueness.
And it’s a big year for Manitoba, several artists from home are nominated.
There are a lot of creative people here. The fact that we are far from the industry … it’s weird to say that, because there are a lot of talents here, but we try a lot to export. It is difficult to have opportunities in French. There are a lot in English, but in French, we count them on the fingers.
I participate in shows here and there, but 60% of my audience is English -speaking. I do not complain, but it shows that it is difficult to live from your music in French. Hence the thanks that I have for the golden trille and all these windows which allow us to have a small space anyway, we people of the west, to live our Francophonie. »»
Kelly Bado key dates
2007: Arrival in Canada
2013: Winner of Franco-Manitoban Discovery in Song
2017: Participation in the 150th anniversary concert in Canada alongside Alessia Cara, Walk of the Earth, Lisa Leblanc, Serena Rider and Marie Mai, among others.
2017: Wedding with the one that made him want to stay in Canada. They are two sons, born in 2019 and 2021.
2018: Participation in the La Voix television competition. Sound duel on Let it be With Yama Laurent was even noticed by Paul McCartney.
2020: Launch of his first full album, Hey earth
2023: She is the first part of the concert of her idol Angélique Kidjo, winner of five Grammys
2025: Launch of the beautiful soul album
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