with "Fall the shirt", Zebda has made France dance

Before "Falling Shirt", Zebda was a group known for its militant and political commitment, notably thanks to its second album "The Sound and the Smell", released in 1995. But the very large success came in 1999 with the release of "Ordinary Essence" and its flagship title "Fall Shirt", which sold more than 900,000 copies. A whirlwind for the band members, also dedicated to Victoires de la musique and the NRJ Music Awards.

Report France 2: E. Cornet / F. Bazille / E. Brouillard / H. Possetto

It has been almost 20 years since Toulouse have danced and singed France with their flagship title "Fall Shirt". A festive anthem that stays in your head and puts you in a good mood. Until then, the group was relatively successful and was best known for its activist and political commitment to racism and inequality. Themes covered in the first two albums. But their titles were little played on the general radios.

Everything changed with the release of "Fall the shirt" where the success was immediate. "My sister called me every hour to tell me that we were on the radio," recalls Magyd Cherfi, member of Zebda and author of the texts of the group. "We said to ourselves, but what's going on? We go on the radio all day, from evening to morning." Nearly a million singles sold, awards at the Victoires de la Musique, endless solicitations, tours, festivals, the success is incredible and positive. But he puts the members of the group uncomfortable.

The tube sounds the momentary end of the group

How to manage success, money and badume to be a "festive" group when it's been more than 10 years that we have an badociative and activist commitment and that we are talking about the darkest aspects of our society? This is the case of consciousness that Zebda faced after the release of "Fall Shirt". The members of the group did not all react in the same way.

Thus, in an interview, Mouss Amokrane recalls that "Hakim and I, we were overflowed by the joy, whereas for Magyd, it is too much. Too positive, too reductive. " Indeed, Magyd Cherfi, who is the author of the song, explains that she also signed the end of the adventure. "I saw the good things of success, but I thought it was the end of the band, because I considered that we would be condemned to do this title and that radios would want this title -the." Cherfi dreaded the superficial and festive image of the title, far from the commitment of the group.

In fact, the following album, "Utopia Used" was much harder and darker, as if to recall the origins of the collective. "We did everything we could to not make a little brother of + Fall the shirt." For us, it was the fatal mistake, "says Joel Saurin, the band's bbadist. Nevertheless, Zebda split in 2003. After many personal projects, the members are on stage at the end of 2011. They go on tour in 2012 and released a 6th album, "Comme des Cheerokees", in 2014 And on stage, they always interpret, and with pleasure, "Fall the shirt".