16 MARCH 30 - APRIL 5, 2023 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | Sister, Sister Ibeyi embraces the international no matter the language. BY DAVID ROLLAND F or the twin sisters Lisa-Kaindé and Naomi Diaz, who together make up the duo Ibeyi, their se- cret power is to be able to sing in four languages: English, French, Spanish, and Yoruba. “Each language has its own magic. There are things you can’t sing in English, and you have to say in Spanish,” Lisa-Kaindé tells New Times. Naomi quickly adds, “English is more di- rect. Spanish is more poetic. French brings melody to the storytelling. Singing in French is ethereal.” The fraternal twins had an international up- bringing. Their Cuban father, Anga Diaz, was a member of the renowned Buena Vista Social Club; their mother was a French artist and photographer. Naturally, that had sisters mov- ing a lot between France and Cuba as children. “We embraced the differences between the two countries. We always moved a lot, so we embraced all cultures. We toured with our Dad when we were 2 years old. A lot of our family moments were based on the mu- sic in our living room,” Lisa remembers. “Our mom had us learning instruments at 5, and we took classical music lessons for ten years, then jazz at 16. I did piano and singing, and she did percussion.” The sisters took their stage name from the West African Yoruba, where ibeyi means twins. Over the last decade and three records, they’ve developed a sound encompassing a Björk-esque art-pop and a world music vibe. Their latest single, “Juice of Mandarins,” has one foot in R&B and the other in the esoteric. “We made that song when we did [our lat- est album] Spell 31,” Lisa-Kaindé explains. “I think it’s the best love song I’ve ever written. The obsessive passion of falling in love is so magical and painful, but you can’t get enough. The image of someone with the juice of a mandarin orange stuck with me.” Naomi says she liked the lyrics for “Juice of Mandarins” right from the start, explaining their division of labor: “She writes and I work more on production.” Still, not all of Lisa-Kaindé’s songs get an automatic stamp of approval from Naomi. “Many songs I write she doesn’t like. That’s why I get better. I try to seduce her more and more,” Lisa-Kaindé says, laughing. While speaking with New Times over Zoom, the sisters find themselves somewhere in Montana amid their current tour that closes out on Sunday, April 2, at the Miami Beach Bandshell. On camera, Lisa-Kaindé and Naomi are eager to show the snowy land- scape outside their vehicle as they speak about the current tour. “People who have seen us many times say this is our best show,” Naomi says. “We have a light show. We have other musicians with us so we can dance. But there are times it is just us.” Among their growing fan base is pop su- perstar Beyoncé who cast the duo for sizable roles alongside Zendaya and Serena Wil- liams in her visual album Lemonade. “We signed an NDA, so we can’t say so much about it,” Naomi warns. “We were im- pressed to be part of such a big-scale music video,” Lisa-Kaindé adds. “Everything was so on top. She’s 20 me- ters away, and she sings like she’s a centime- ter from our ears. Anyone saying they love our music, whether Beyoncé or not, is really special to hear.” After their North American tour, the sis- ters plan to spend the remainder of 2023 working on Spanish-language songs with var- ious new producers in the recording studio. “We are excited to find the new sound of Ibeyi and keep growing,” Lisa-Kaindé says. Ibeyi. With Annahstasia. 7 p.m. Sunday, April 2, at Miami Beach Bandshell, 7275 Col- lins Ave., Miami Beach; miamibeachbandshell. com. Tickets cost $39.14 to $329.60 via dice.fm. [email protected] ▼ Music Ibeyi stops at the Miami Beach Bandshell on Sunday, April 2. Photo by Rafael Pavarotti “THE OBSESSIVE PASSION OF FALLING IN LOVE IS SO MAGICAL AND PAINFUL, BUT YOU CAN’T GET ENOUGH.” Feel the beat! N
