Sonia Dersion

Born on January 14, 1971, Sonia Dersion grew up in Îlle-et-Vilaine (35), in a family of six children originally from Martinique and Guadeloupe. During vacations in Guadeloupe, Sonia Dersion came into contact with West Indian music through the major figures of her childhood. Strongly influenced by the rhythms of zouk and Celtic music, and spurred on by her guitarist father and singer aunt (Joby Valente), the desire to pursue an artistic career soon followed. After singing in a choir, she joined the group Geant's in 1993, becoming their lead singer. Four years later, she released her first solo album, Tout Va Bien, which included the hit "Natirèl " and sold tens of thousands of copies. Voted best song of the year 1999 at the Tropical Music Awards, the singer's zouk sound won her over and propelled her to the forefront of the music scene. Sonia Dersion followed this up in 2000 with a second album, Initiation, in which she combined zouk with soul and R'n'B, then collaborated with some of the biggest names in West Indian music, including Jean-Michel Rotin, Tania Saint-Val and Zouk Machine. Acknowledged by fans of the style, Sonia Dersion unveiled her third studio album in 2004, Les 4 Saisons, then flew to England, where her music evolved a few years later with Celebration With Roses (2012).