PRESENTING
A CONTEMPORARY ANTHOLOGY
OF LOUISIANA MUSIC IN
FRENCH AND CREOLE*
* PRESENTED WITH THE SUPPPORT OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.
12 TRACKS
37’40”
S
I
D
E
A
LOUIS MICHOT
LA VALSE DE MÈCHE PERDU
SUNPIE & THE LOUISIANA SUNSPOTS
SANG BRÛLÉ
THE BABY DOLLS
MO LEMMÉ TOI
LES CENELLES
MICHIÉ BANJO
LEYLA MCCALLA
LA COULÉE RODAIR
SWEET CRUDE
MON ESPRIT
LOUIS MICHOT
SUNPIE & THE LOUISIANA SUNSPOTS
THE BABY DOLLS
LES CENELLES
LEYLA MCCALLA
SWEET CRUDE
S
I
D
E
B
01
02
03
04
05
06
THE BABY DOLLS
EH LÀ-BAS
LEYLA MCCALLA
LAVI VYE NEG
LES CENELLES
MICHIÉ PREVALE
SUNPIE & THE LOUISIANA SUNSPOTS
MARIE LAVEAU
SWEET CRUDE
PORKUPINE
LOUIS MICHOT
L’ABANDONNÉ
01
02
03
04
05
06
THE BABY DOLLS
LEYLA MCCALLA
LES CENELLES
SUNPIE & THE LOUISIANA SUNSPOTS
SWEET CRUDE
LOUIS MICHOT
EH LÀ-BAS
LAVI VYE NEG
MICHIÉ PREVALE
MARIE LAVEAU
PORKUPINE
L’ABANDONNÉ
LA VALSE DE MÈCHE PERDU
SANG BRÛLÉ
MO LEMMÉ TOI
MICHIÉ BANJO
LA COULÉE RODAIR
MON ESPRIT
A MUSICAL ANTHOLOGY TO CELEBRATE WHO WE ARE.
EN MUSIQUE(S).
In 2024, we launched our independent label, Nous, including a record label, a film studio, and a publishing house — because we love creating. Our goal is to release one album a year to create original and contemporary content in French and Creole in Louisiana.
For our very first album, we invited — with the support of the Library of Congress — 6 musicians and musical ensembles from Louisiana (including two Grammy winners) to record an original album to document the centuries-long tradition of singing in French and Creole in Louisiana (read more about our Musique(s) project here).
Musique(s), L’Album was released as an original LP record (12 tracks, 37’40”) on May 7, 2025, and is now available in the permanent collections of the Library of Congress, in Washington D.C. The album is also available for purchase online and at over 10 retailers across Louisiana and the country. And if you feel like listening to it now, check it out on streaming platforms (including Spotify and Apple Music). Enjoy!
2 GRAMMY WINNING MUSICIANS
4 MUSICIAN ENSEMBLES
28 ARTISTS
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Louis Michot is best known as the fiddle player and lead singer for the Grammy-award-winning Lost Bayou Ramblers. He is passionate about Louisiana French and local folklore, and about sustainability in the fastest disappearing landmass in the world. With over 20 LPs to his name, his music career continues to push the boundaries of the Louisiana French music traditions.
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Leyla McCalla was born in New York City to Haitian emigrants and activists, and her music draws inspiration from the past and present: three centuries of history and contemporary influences from around the globe. McCalla is a master of the cello, tenor banjo, and guitar, as well as a multilingual singer and songwriter.A contemporary string ensemble exploring the Creole diaspora through melody and memory to honor Afro-descendent cultural ancestors and preserve the plurality of their experiences through a prismatic and contemporary lens.
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The New Orleans Baby Dolls tradition emerged around 1912 in the segregated red-light district of Black Storyville, as women of color challenged societal norms by parading during Mardi Gras in doll-like attire, expressing their identities and challenging taboos. Today, there are multiple groups of Baby Dolls who continue to participate in Mardi Gras and other events.
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‘Sunpie’ is a renowned musician, ethnographic photographer, actor, author, and former pro football player (Kansas City Chiefs) — and current Big Chief of the Northside Skull and Bones Gang Mardi Gras group. Performing will fellow Louisiana Creole-singing musician, Leroy Etienne, Sunpie is one of New Orleans’s most beloved cultural advocates.
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A contemporary string ensemble exploring the Creole diaspora through melody and memory to honor Afro-descendent cultural ancestors and preserve the plurality of their experiences through a prismatic and contemporary lens.
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Sweet Crude are an indie pop and rock band formed in 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The lyrics of their songs combine English and Louisiana French, a variety of French spoken by members of singers’ Sam Chachere Craft and Alexis Marceaux’s families. The band released their debut album, Créatures, early in 2017, and have garnered a worldwide fan base.
PRESENTED BY NOUS, OUR INDEPENDENT RECORD LABEL, FILM STUDIO AND PUBLISHING HOUSE
Produced by Rudy Bazenet and Scott Tilton for Nous, the New Orleans Foundation for Francophone Cultures’ independent recording label.
Engineered by Misha Kachkachishvili at Esplanade Studios in New Orleans.
Pressed by New Orleans Records Press.
Mixed by Sam Chachéré Craft.
Mastered by Ben Lorio.
Cover Art by Katya Vaz featuring a close-up cross-section of a bald cypress tree’s rings. This tree symbolizes not only resilience and adaptability but also strength. The outward motion of the rings mirrors the flow of sound waves, linking the concept of growth to music. Together, these elements reflect the enduring and evolving nature of both Louisiana’s music and our collective creativity.
This project was made possible thanks to a Community Collections Grant, awarded by the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress in 2024. We would also like to thank the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, the Historic New Orleans Collection, the Louisiana Office of Cultural Development, the Gauthier Family Foundation, James Douglas Hislop, Denise & Jerry St Pierre, and Nicolle & Bob McGuiness.
Video
Excerpts from Musique(s)!, Le Film (2025)