Travelling man the unofficial king Malagasy
It’s interesting to learn that the unofficial king of Malagasy soul lives in an apartment building just off Roncesvalles Ave. and works for an elevator company.
Then again, Toronto is filled with such royalty — both of the music and arts variety — who half the city doesn’t even know about.
But those-in-the-know certainly know Donné Roberts.
The Madagascar-born, Russian-raised singer/guitarist (his father was a diplomat at Moscow’s Madagascan embassy) has made a name for himself as the person responsible for bringing the music of his birthplace to Toronto.
The music of Malagasy, the national language of Madagascar, is filled with reggae, funk, jazz and rock elements. Roberts, who also sings in Russian, English and French, says it’s a music that speaks to his soul, allowing him to truly express his feelings and experiences.
The 38-year-old has pioneered Malagasy soul in Toronto, performing with a variety of bands, including the award-winning African Guitar Summit and with his own group, the Donné Roberts band. On Dec. 14 he joined the Nathaniel Dett Chorale at the Toronto Centre for the Arts for their annual holiday concert, An Indigo Christmas.
“For me music is about the joy of playing with people,” Roberts says during a sit-down at the legendary Hugh’s Room in early December. “When I started at age 9 – it wasn’t about being the lead in the band, but about music itself.”
While he released his first solo recording, only a year ago, Rhythm Was Born, Roberts has been instrumental in the careers of international musicians.
While in Moscow, Roberts worked with a slew of musicians, including Russian singer Leonid Agutin, boy band Nana and Swedish popstars Ace of Base.
He approached working with the bands with the same enthusiasm and eagerness as he did when he was a 9-year-old playing with his six siblings in the family band Krogazor (Russian for “the ability to see around”), Roberts says.
“I can see things from different perspectives,” says Roberts, who organized background vocals for Ace of Base in 1997. “I’ve done many things: back vocals, rhythm guitar … I’m not that guy who can only be a soloist.
“I’m able to lead, but I’m able to lead by not being up front (on the stage).”
His work with the bands led him to be host of two TV music shows in the late 1990s, including working as the VJ for Mambassa, a biweekly show on MTV Russia.
“Everyone wanted a piece of me,” remarks Roberts, whose cosmopolitan lifestyle led him to study in Marseille, France before coming to Toronto in 1999.
With African Guitar Summit, a band he’s been with since 2004, Roberts has gained further notoriety in Toronto’s diverse music scene. He and the other members won a 2005 Juno Award for Best World Music Album for their debut CD. The second album, African Guitar Summit II, was nominated for a Juno in 2006.
Having spent much of his life moving from country to country, Roberts sees himself staying in Toronto. He plans to release his next solo CD sometime next year and says he wants to include the voices of other musicians, including the Nathaniel Dett Chorale.
He promises the music on the CD will stay true to what he’s always done: Malagasy soul with hints of his worldly and interesting life.
“(Living in the different countries and experiencing each country’s culture) has made me more open, more flexible, more knowledgeable,” he says. “All the knowledge stays.
“Everything I saw gives me some influence to whatever I am doing now.”
By Lorianna De Giorgio
Then again, Toronto is filled with such royalty — both of the music and arts variety — who half the city doesn’t even know about.
But those-in-the-know certainly know Donné Roberts.
The Madagascar-born, Russian-raised singer/guitarist (his father was a diplomat at Moscow’s Madagascan embassy) has made a name for himself as the person responsible for bringing the music of his birthplace to Toronto.
The music of Malagasy, the national language of Madagascar, is filled with reggae, funk, jazz and rock elements. Roberts, who also sings in Russian, English and French, says it’s a music that speaks to his soul, allowing him to truly express his feelings and experiences.
The 38-year-old has pioneered Malagasy soul in Toronto, performing with a variety of bands, including the award-winning African Guitar Summit and with his own group, the Donné Roberts band. On Dec. 14 he joined the Nathaniel Dett Chorale at the Toronto Centre for the Arts for their annual holiday concert, An Indigo Christmas.
“For me music is about the joy of playing with people,” Roberts says during a sit-down at the legendary Hugh’s Room in early December. “When I started at age 9 – it wasn’t about being the lead in the band, but about music itself.”
While he released his first solo recording, only a year ago, Rhythm Was Born, Roberts has been instrumental in the careers of international musicians.
While in Moscow, Roberts worked with a slew of musicians, including Russian singer Leonid Agutin, boy band Nana and Swedish popstars Ace of Base.
He approached working with the bands with the same enthusiasm and eagerness as he did when he was a 9-year-old playing with his six siblings in the family band Krogazor (Russian for “the ability to see around”), Roberts says.
“I can see things from different perspectives,” says Roberts, who organized background vocals for Ace of Base in 1997. “I’ve done many things: back vocals, rhythm guitar … I’m not that guy who can only be a soloist.
“I’m able to lead, but I’m able to lead by not being up front (on the stage).”
His work with the bands led him to be host of two TV music shows in the late 1990s, including working as the VJ for Mambassa, a biweekly show on MTV Russia.
“Everyone wanted a piece of me,” remarks Roberts, whose cosmopolitan lifestyle led him to study in Marseille, France before coming to Toronto in 1999.
With African Guitar Summit, a band he’s been with since 2004, Roberts has gained further notoriety in Toronto’s diverse music scene. He and the other members won a 2005 Juno Award for Best World Music Album for their debut CD. The second album, African Guitar Summit II, was nominated for a Juno in 2006.
Having spent much of his life moving from country to country, Roberts sees himself staying in Toronto. He plans to release his next solo CD sometime next year and says he wants to include the voices of other musicians, including the Nathaniel Dett Chorale.
He promises the music on the CD will stay true to what he’s always done: Malagasy soul with hints of his worldly and interesting life.
“(Living in the different countries and experiencing each country’s culture) has made me more open, more flexible, more knowledgeable,” he says. “All the knowledge stays.
“Everything I saw gives me some influence to whatever I am doing now.”
By Lorianna De Giorgio
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