Sibu Manaï – Justine Mauvin’s hybrid electro, creole, soul, pop – want to listen?

We’re still getting feedback on the rather brilliant eight-page profile of musician and world-ranked French longboarder Justine Mauvin from Issue 104 of the mag - with words by Lucy Small and photos from all over.

For a sidebar in the print article we asked Justine to give us her take on her music and recent release:

Sibu Manaï

When I had a first chat with Lucy I was processing the release of my latest EP. It's out now on every platform (Spotify, Deezer, iTunes) under the name of Sibu Manaï. I’ve been working on the release (art direction, distribution etc.) during the French national quarantine, which was a lot of work but very constructive as well. 

 You can also find my last music video here 

The story behind it is based on a simple point - on our big way home called life, in every stranger you meet, you find a part of yourself (that's why I play all the characters). 

This photo is of my band and I - Sylvain Rabbath (François Rabbath's son) and Aurélien Fradagrada. My EP "Vavanguer" (means wanderer in Creole) is a mix of what I learnt on the road, from growing up in Reunion Island to travelling for surfing. It’s hybrid between pop, soul, electro and traditional music from Reunion.

I sing in English and Creole to make the link between the wider world and my little island. 

I have a lot of influences from Ghana, Nigeria and all the West Coast of Africa - The Lidjadu Sisters, Blay Ambollay, and Ebo Taylor, but also some very folk and soul names like Joan Baez, Fleetwood Mac, Candy Staton.

My biggest artist and influence from Reunion remains Alain Péters, a deceased poet I covered in "Vavanguèr" as a tribute.

Sibu Manaï is the name that a Mentawai tribe gave me. (You can find the movie of our trip here - 45-minute movie). It means "cherish the flower, make it blossom" and I chose it for my musical project because I think it summarises perfectly the message I want to give in this time when our society is sick from treating every living and non-living thing in a non-kind way.