Life after zouk: Emerging popular music of the French Antilles

For the past thirty years, zouk has been the predominant popular music in the French Antilles. Since 2000, however, there have been an increasing number of performers expanding the sonic palate of Guadeloupean popular music. This thesis focuses on the music of three post-zouk trends, and how their work is redefining what it means to make Guadeloupean music. The first group, K'Koustik, takes traditional gwo ka and updates it to appeal to a wider audience. Admiral T performs music in the Jamaican dancehall style, but infuses his music with representations of Guadeloupean identity. Lastly, Soft blends different genres to create a cosmopolitan pan-Caribbean sound. Although the three styles are sonically disparate, they all emphasize the continued importance of social critique and commentary in music of the French Antilles and incorporate Guadeloupean traditional music into their sound, drawing upon these traditions to invoke issues of authenticity. In addition, these artists blend different musics together to provide a Creolized sound that can revivify Guadeloupe's musical identity.