LETTER FROM ABIDJAN

It took just one minute and 37 seconds – the duration of the Stabilise track by Arii and Toto le Banzou – to set a new musical trend in Côte d'Ivoire. Released in February, the song instantly became a hit on social media, TikTok in particular, where it has been abundantly covered, while it is already approaching 400,000 views on YouTube. Its young but ambitious creators already see Stabilise as spearheading a new genre called "Ivorian rock." A challenge in a country with no shortage of musical creativity, but where fans of electric guitar solos and raspy vocals have always struggled to find their audience.

In their tiny recording studio at the independent label Banger Studio, in Cocody-Angré, a commune of Abidjan, Arii and le Banzou unfurl their story and their long legs, already exhibiting the dragging, disillusioned tone of rock stars. They're not forming a band, they made clear, and are just two friends teaming up for the occasion.

Originally rappers, these 22- and 23-year-old young men joined their producer, Keelam, in the studio in January, wanting to "get out of [their] comfort zone, and move into another universe." "Keelam put a sauce on us – that's how I call the production – and then we put in our rice, lyrics and toplines," said le Banzou, "and it created this hit that everyone has sampled."

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