Ibeyi (which translates to twins in the Yoruba language) may be new faces on the international stage, but don’t be fooled – they’re old souls with a rich musical ancestry and strong connection to their faith. Their self-titled debut album was released last year through XL Recordings. The album has lyrics sung in English and Yoruba, which is a West African language brought to Cuba by slaves in the 1700s. “We learnt this language from our mother. When we were girls she would sing to us,” Lisa-Kaindé says.
Their bond with their mother, French-Venezuelan singer Maya Dagnino, is strong. Their father, Miguel “Angá” Díaz, was also a musician before his death in 2006. Their oldest sister died in 2013, and their family ties (and tragedies) have become a source of inspiration for the 21-year-old twins. “We never wanted to be musicians before, even though music was a huge part of our lives. I wanted to be a music teacher for teenagers,” Lisa-Kaindé says.
“I didn’t know what I wanted to be,” Naomi says, before Lisa-Kaindé adds, “Now we always say that life took us on that path. We were not expecting it at all.”
Originally created as a homage to their father and sister, today Lisa-Kaindé and Naomi see their debut release as a celebration of hope. “I remember people used to ask us a lot about the message of our album or about what we were trying to say with it,” Lisa-Kaindé says.
“All we could say was to have hope – that’s the most important thing for us,” Naomi says.
“And the beautiful thing about music is having people connect to it,” says Lisa-Kaindé. “For me, writing is really personal and I never thought those songs were going to be out in the world one day. So when I hear people say that our songs have helped them a little bit, even for two minutes, then that feels really nice.
“In our songs we just talk about what’s going on in our lives, and talk about our pains and our joys. Making pain look and sound beautiful – that’s our goal.”
An Ibeyi gig will no doubt be a sight to behold, with Lisa-Kaindé at the helm of a piano and Naomi slightly hunched over her cajón drum to produce the perfect rhythm. “When we play live, our music comes to life. We just want everyone to enjoy the party and come to our show.”
BY NATALIE ROGERS
