Zebda (from , , ) is a French band from Toulouse, known for its political activism and its wide variety of musical styles. The group, which was formed in 1985, consisted of seven musicians of diverse nationalities, and the themes of much of their music involved political and social justice, the status of immigrants and minorities in France, and the inhabitants of the French banlieues, or suburbs. Zebda earned widespread recognition, as well as several awards, for its 1998 single "Tomber la chemise" ("Taking Off Shirt"). More members joined the group later—several of the members met one another through involvement in community projects geared towards supporting arts and music involvement among Toulouse youth. The group began performing together regularly in 1988. The record itself had a strong critical and commercial reception and has been said to have "cause[d] a major stir" in France.
Political involvement
Zebda (زبدة, transliterated Zubda or Zabda), the Arabic word for butter (beurre in French), is a play on the word beur, a French slang word referring to French citizens of North African origin—several of the group's members are of North African and other immigrant descent. The themes of Zebda's music were known for dealing with issues of racism and intolerance. who ran for office on the platform that the current local government was not representative of all demographic groups in the city. Les Motivé-e-s was also dedicated to encouraging local youth and immigrants to vote and become more involved in local political issues.
After the band's breakup in 2003, the individual members continued to be active in local politics and other activities for social advocacy.
The group is best known for its single "Tomber la chemise" ("Take Off Your Shirt"), from the 1998 platinum album Essence ordinaire. In addition to being a commercial success, the song went on to be named the best French song of 2000 at both the Victoires de la musique
Awards
- Victoires de la musique:
- Best band (2000)
- Best song (2000), for "Tomber la chemise"
- NRJ Music Awards:
- Francophone song of the year (2000), for "Tomber la chemise"
- Francophone band of the year (2000)
Discography
Albums
{| class="wikitable"
!align="center" rowspan="2" width="10"|Year
!align="center" rowspan="2" width="180"|Album
!align="center" colspan="3" width="30"|Peak positions
!align="center" rowspan="2" width="120"|Certification
|-
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" | FR<br />
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" | BEL <br />(Wa)<br />
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" | SWI<br />
|-
|align="center" rowspan="1"|1992
|L'arène des rumeurs
|align="center"|
|align="center"|
|align="center"|
|align="center"|
|-
|align="center" rowspan="1"|1995
|Le bruit et l'odeur
|align="center"|
|align="center"|
|align="center"|
|align="center"|
|-
|align="center" rowspan="1"|1998
|Essence ordinaire
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|
|align="center"|
|align="center"|
|-
|align="center" rowspan="1"|1999
|Le bruit et l'odeur <small>(re-release)</small>
|align="center"|54
|align="center"|
|align="center"|
|align="center"|
|-
|align="center" rowspan="1"|2002
|Utopie d'Occase
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|36
|align="center"|36
|align="center"|
|-
|align="center" rowspan="1"|2012
|Second Tour
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|
|align="center"|
|align="center"|
|-
|align="center" rowspan="1"|2014
|Comme des Cherokees
|align="center"|22
|align="center"|81
|align="center"|
|align="center"|
|-
|}
;Live albums
{| class="wikitable"
!align="center" rowspan="2" width="10"|Year
!align="center" rowspan="2" width="180"|Album
!align="center" colspan="1" width="30"|Peak positions
!align="center" rowspan="2" width="120"|Certification
|-
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" | FR<br />