Saodaj invites you on a captivating journey deep into the soul of Réunion Island. Rooted in maloya yet defiantly free and untamed, their music roams between worlds. Sung in Creole and French, their lyrics rise up and rebel, searching for beauty in a troubled world.

For over a decade, Saodaj has carved its path between tradition and innovation. Saturated strings collide with the ritual, festive polyrhythms of maloya, a music once born out of resistance, now reimagined with urgency and grace.

Poetic and politically charged, the group tackles essential themes: the thirst for justice, the fight for freedom, collective memory and the act of transmission. For them, creation is a lifeline:
“It helps us face the world as it is, with all its beauty and brutality, without surrendering to despair.”

With rebellious voices, the rustle of the kayamb, the deep pulse of the roulèr and trance-inducing rhythms, Saodaj questions our world.

Their new album Lodèr la vi (“the scent of life”) explores uncharted sonic landscapes. It’s a tribute to transformative births, off-road journeys, the living and the dead and above all, a cry of love, fierce and ever-present.

Marie LANFROY – Vocals, Bobr’, Kayamb, Tarlon

Jonathan ITÉMA – Vocals, Roulèr, Sati-pikèr, Bobr’, Morlon, Triangle

Mélanie BADAL – Cello, Vocals

Frederick CIPRIANO – Sati-pikèr, Triangle, Kayamb

Blaise CADENET – Guitar, Percussion

Zélito DELIRON – Percussion, Ethnic Flute, Roulèr, Vocals