By Christine Jean-PierreCSMS Magazine staff writer For the last two years Zouk has plummeted to extremely low record sales. Fans seem to have lost interest in Zouk and are now leaning more toward a Kompa flavor in Zouk songs. Recently Kompa bands such as T-Vice and Carimiare reaching more popularity from Zouk fans in Martinique and Guadeloupe. The popularity of Kompa has triggered new strategies from Zouk music companies in order to regain more Zouk CD sales. The way they are trying to revamp Zouk is by getting artists to perform Zouk songs with Kompa flavor. This new reality can be seen in the work of artists such as Ludo, Talina, Kimberlite Zouk, Ali Angel, and Princess Lover.Zouk music has gone down because of lack of good danceable melodies, many observers say. Many artists were releasing videos instead of albums, and Kompa CDs such Kite’m Viv fromT-vice are selling more copies from record stores in Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana. Local Caribbean hit radio stations and music channels in those prominent islands are playing more Kompa songs than Zouk songs because of requests from fans, and Kompa songs are being on top of music countdowns.Releasing music before hand on YOUTUBE is another tool Zouk producers are using. The fans get to see the video before its official release on music video channels. Kompa producers, such as Nickenson Prud’homme of Zenglen, are producing for Zouk singers, creating Zouk songs with more of Kompa flavor so both Zouk and Kompa fans can enjoy.Legendary Zouk-love artists like Sonia Dersion, Jecelyn Deloumeaux etc… seem to have faded from the scene. But experts agree that Zouk will never lose its popularity entirely as long as it keeps evolving through time, and that Zouk music artists can still maintain the Kompa edge in their music for new generations of fans to come.
Zouk music producers have turned into Kompa to boost record sales
