A grandfather’s legacy to his granddaughter.
A young woman’s tribute to her home, Sudan.
Singer and oud player since her youngest age, winner of numerous awards in her country, Sulafa Elyas, 26, a refugee in France since 2023, has chosen to bear witness to the grace of Sufism and to perpetuate the soundtrack of her North Sudanese childhood beyond her country, by combining It with her Parisian electro-pop encounters.
Sulafa recorded her first six-track EP in 2024 and performed works by the Sufi poet she admires the most: Abba, her grandfather. The sung texts of her ancestor are odes to the beauty of what shapes our daily lives, the facts, our gestures, our conversations: a spiritual elevation that offers Sulafa to find her peace.
Eager for artistic upheavals, Sulafa also finds fulfillment in encounters, she has collaborated with the Algerian Tuaregs Imarhan or with one of the pioneers of the French Touch, the electronic music producer Dominique Dalcan.
Her first recording with the support of Fonds Régnier pour la Création and the program Summer Chance is made with the artistic director Maxime Kosinetz (Bon Voyage Organisation, Gruff Rhys, Tinariwen), surrounded by musicians who also participate in the audacious renewal of the French and elsewhere pop, electro, funk and folk scenes, the keyboardist and bassist Maxime Daoud (Hey Djan, Forever Pavot), the guitarist Adrian Edeline (Clara Luciani, Serpent), the percussionist Amar Chaoui (Oum, Tinariwen), the guitarist and percussionist Hicham Bouhasse (Imarhan, Tinariwen) or the programmer Emile Larroche (UTO, Saint-Michel).
The EP will be released in 2025 and will be called “Abba .”ابّا
Listen and Keep up to date with the latest group news on:
Sulafa Elyas (@sulafa_elyas)
Sulafa Elyas Spotify
What is “Summer Chance”?
On July 1st, 2020 we launch a call for projects dedicated to musical creation to support the emerging scene: “SUMMER CHANCE #1” is born :).
We wish then, taking into account the sanitary constraints related to the epidemic of Covid-19, to allow bands deprived of concerts, to finalize during this period a project of EP in professional and convivial conditions. Our partner, the Red House Studio, has all the qualities to welcome the winners: a magnificent house of 450 m2 in a peaceful and green setting, an ultra professional human accompaniment with a dedicated sound engineer and state-of-the-art equipment.
Among the many applications received during the summer, our selection committee has chosen four winners: Kids Return, LUNAR, Zoe’s Shanghai and Black Rooster.
The project is a real springboard for these musicians, and we’ve decided to repeat it every year:
SUMMER CHANCE #2 in 2021 : Extraa, Saint-Victoire, Serpent et Yakie.
SUMMER CHANCE #3 in 2022: Mandelbro, The CZ et Torren.
SUMMER CHANCE#4 in 2023: Maeva, Mélys, Ooma et Paul Roman
SUMMER CHANCE#5 in 2024: Eldegee, Sulafa Elyas, Taormina et Two Faced Animal
Watch the Summer chance teasers: