#streamcaribbean - "Siwo" by Matieu White (March 2024)
I've said it before in my podcasts, but Matieu White (Guadeloupe) is the one with the best foundation for an international career. A charismatic showman, clear branding, somehow structured storytelling... It's all there.
Since his "Para Bellum" album (2021), he has offered a promising artistic direction in terms of originality. Although he comes from the dancehall world, the songs he has been releasing over the past three years have flirted more with Caribbean pop, which is the genre most suited to the mainstream taste. Nevertheless, it's the evolution of his branding that I'd like to highlight. Whether it's with Bamby, Rachelle Allison or Maurane Voyer, his duets with female singers allow him to play the dreamy lover boy and the fvckboi we hate to love. It's a difficult balance, but he pulls it off quite well on his mini-album "Siwo".
For 14 minutes, all he talks about is love. Sweet love with "Slowmotion", passionate love with "Pa Nowmal", sexual love with "Coup de Vent" (feat. Young Chang MC), secret love with "Discret", unexpected love with "50-50".
If it wasn't already clear, I love Love, so I paid even more attention to the lyrics. When he sings a duet with a woman, Matieu White has no problem being teasing and sensual. When singing solo, he always takes the point of view of the dominant man and talks in detail about how the woman feels, whether physically or emotionally. However, he remains generic in telling the male point of view when it comes to real emotional intimacy... As in "50-50", apart from having "stars in his eyes", he says nothing about how he feels, but we know precisely how he makes his partner feel, for whom he turns savior. I find it fascinating to talk so much about love, to idealize a "50-50" relationship without ever defining this "50-50" on the basis of what we want ourselves first. This contradicts what he hinted at in “Nouvo Mood”, his single with YSN, released before “Pa Nowmal”, which serves as a title track for the “Siwo” project.
The music productions are effective. Even if Matieu White remains faithful to his Caribbean identity, musically you can hear the French influence even in the way he sings… But it's an album that has what it takes to give him access to the French mainstream audience, while satisfying his original fans. And, once again, in our context, choosing the “Siwo” image while expressing a complex masculinity is not for everyone, given the representation of the Black man from the colonial lens. So it remains to be seen what direction he will take his career in.
My Karukerament tracks
“Slowmotion” (lyrics video) - for me, this is the track with the best potential to attract an international audience. Musically, it's a kind of R&Bized hip-pop, but there's a nod to his dancehall identity. Even singing the “youuu slow motion” may resonate with those familiar with Juvenile's hit. The lyrics mix Creole, French and English. There are catchy accessible references like “That’s So Raven”, “you're my sunshine”, the Valentino brand. And the love theme, where he's the perfect bad boy boyfriend, always wins over women around the world.
“Pa Nowmal” - this is a Konpa song in the lane of the Haitian Troubadour style. Although the majority of the track is in French, he also uses Haitian Creole, so he respects the culture. The lyrics reflect this timeless paradox: the male gaze on "the lady in the street, but a freak in the bed". The partner has to create the space for the woman to be herself, but in return he has to be ready to receive and return that energy. Yet, the man finds it so extraordinary that she is "not normal" ? Fascinating.