Carmel Zoum

A versatile Congolese/French singer flowing in English, French and Lingala, MC Carmel Zoum is a fiery force of nature on the mic, thrilling dancefloors worldwide with her groovy, beautiful melodies and hardcore Afro-dancehall vibes. She is mainly known as a dancehall/reggae artist, but also works with hip-hop, electronic and drum 'n bass producers.

As a teenager, Carmel Zoum sang in reggae bands in her hometown in northern France. Her fascination with dancehall is rooted in the similarities she could feel between the Congolese pop music she listened to at home and the modern Jamaican music by the descendants of African slaves. She left France in 2000 and moved to southern Germany, where she has been working with various dancehall reggae bands and soundsystems, as well as drum 'n bass and house DJs.

Now based in Berlin and after featuring on various recordings, Carmel recently released her debut album, 'Skwamat', under the Berlin label Sprinstoff. 'Skwamat' (or 'squamat', meaning shedding or moulting skin) is a striking set of dancehall, reggae, dubstep and DnB tracks that relate the metamorphoses of Carmel Zoum into a reptile 'singjay' and producer.