Naâman bridges the gap with reggae music

Millennial French artiste Naâman is helping to reshape the music scene in France. He joins the likes of other artistes, such as Serge Gainsbourg, Bruno Blum, Tonton David, Raggasonic and Lord Kossity. All are born in the Western European country and have over several decades earned their title as pioneers of reggae music within their sphere, while remaining unknown to the local reggae audience.

Naâman was born Martin Mussard. His stage name was derived from a biblical story, “one about facing one’s ego and to eventually find healing”, he shared. Naâman was a commander of an army in Syria who was healed from leprosy after bathing in the Jordan River.

Though he grew up in a Christian home, with the Bible, “the notion of faith and love did not always resound with my inner conscience”, said the French recording artiste who assumed the biblical name as his professional moniker.

With reggae it was different. “Listening to reggae music, that is when I felt love freely expressed. Life took me on a different path in spite of my curiosity for spiritual growth, and I discovered that I did not need any religion to have a talk with God,” he shared.

The singer-songwriter embarked on an adventure of reggae discovery, recording his first roots-like album, Back A Yard, eight years ago in Jamaica at the Harry J Studios in Kingston. He continued on a similar trajectory with the release of his second and third albums, Rays of Resistance and Beyond in 2015 and 2017, respectively. With the latter, he chose to be fully independent and created his own label Big Scoop Records.

“I wanted to go to the source of my influences: Bob Marley, Gregory Isaacs, Damian ‘Jr Gong’ Marley and Sizzla, because working on reggae from France was not the most pragmatic,” Naâman told The Gleaner.

Next to the United Kingdom, France has a sizeable local scene, according to Naâman, but he said, “authentic, roots-rock-reggae does not play on the radio as much as it should be played”.

“Every reggae artiste in France has to make it for himself or herself, and by this fact, the only way people could listen to a lot of the music was by us touring to perform. It is seeing exponential growth as modern artistes are managing to bridge the gap,” he continued.

OVERCOMING BARRIERS

He says when he first started, it was a mixture of hip hop and reggae; his first official single, Skanking Shoes, even finds him rapping over a dubstep rhythm. It garnered over 10 million views on YouTube while Naâman worked his way through many barriers. Now, the music takes inspiration from blues, ska, folk and dancehall. He records most of his songs in English but will include some of his native tongue every now and again.

“Before you can be who you are meant to be and do what you want to do, there will always be barriers … those barriers have been my Jordan River to face,” he expressed. “Social media is where people make most of their criticisms, the usual or most common, about appearances, but I never had the chance to have a real conversation about it. I am glad to represent reggae; the magical thing about music is that it is free.”

His latest production is Time is to Rebel, released in the first week of September, which he said has come at a “good time”.

“In France, there has been an ongoing social movement, a lot of violence and police brutality; our minds are submerged with these images, and it speaks on the topic from a different angle. It is not speaking to an actual revolution but reconnecting our minds, hearts and bodies. It is about stepping aside and reacting to the system with love and peace, which is especially essential in a time of confusion,” he explained.

After more than 200 live performances across France, UK, Spain and other European countries, and in Australia, India and China, Naâman can confidently say that he is gaining international recognition. His most recent performance on a large stage was in India at the Goa Sunsplash Festival, where the likes of Anthony B and Macka B have been part of the line-up.

Of course, noting that his daily and seasonal routine has changed since the pandemic, the singer said, “Majority of my focus is writing music where I can. I wrote many songs while in India as I would spend five to six months, back and forth. It is a big mix of culture, people coming and going, but it really doesn’t matter where I am.”

He is also working on his next album and is also promoting another compilation of live-recorded performances titled A Live Story, which was done at approximately 80 concerts.

“It’s one hour of live music by me. I am using my voice to give back to reggae music, and its people, what they gave to me … which is quality,” Naâman said.

stephanie.lyew@gleanerjm.com