A musical revolution rooted in love, forged in fire, ReBelle is guided by devotion. Co-founded by Manou Africa and Kalpana Devi, ReBelle weaves African liberation, Rasta consciousness, and visionary feminine power into a soul- stirring sonic force that transcends borders, languages, and Genres.

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Singing in Wolof, Creole, French and English, ReBelle’s music is ceremony, protest, and celebration in one breath. Their lyrics are prayers for justice. Their harmonies are weapons of beauty. Their rhythms are rooted in the ancestral drum, and their message is unwavering: Love for Humanity and Gaia.

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From village festivals in West Africa to sold-out U.S. venues and global cultural convenings, ReBelle has shared stages with reggae legends and spiritual giants. But their true power lives in frequency.

 

This is sound as medicine. Music as activism. Art as liberation technology.

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Manou Africa and Kalpana Devi first met in 1994 and joined creative forces composing, recording, performing, and touring together across the U.S. and West Africa.

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Conceived in love and rebellion, ReBelle features Kalpana and Manou’s powerful voices chanting meditations on liberation while instrumentals propel roots, reggae soul. Their dynamic sound and stage presence is internationally Acclaimed.

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Manou is a vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and composer whose musical calling is centered on Rastafari and African liberation. His musical mission includes bringing forth stories of sufferation, justice, love and triumph and bringing these stories to the people.

Manou began as a teenager in Africa forming the band Black Rebels (that later became ReBelle) in tribute to amplifying a Rastafari message of love.

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Kalpana is a vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and composer whose musical calling is centered on a Love for Humanity movement. Her mission includes the power of unity consciousness and unleashing a ferocity of visionary love. She stands for earthwide liberation.

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Kalpana began playing music as a child daily, growing up in a musical family and in devotion to ancestral remembrance. She was influenced by the power of African and Indigenous music, radical folk and Jazz, social and environmental justice movements and the teachings of Shrii Shrii Anandamurti. Her first commission to compose came through Yale University when she was 19 years old and from there, she collaborated with and led multiple innovative music and dance ensembles and projects including with Wadada Leo Smith, Children of the Sun, Susumi Dance Theater, Power of the Drum Ballet, AzaAshe and One Earth DrumDance CO. Alongside her husband, Manou Africa, she is co-founder of ReBelle.

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ReBelle has shared the stage with Skatalites, The Wailers, Burning Spear, Culture, Little Richard, Toots and the Maytals, Ijahman Levi, Israel Vibration, Sister Carol, Steel Pulse, Meditations, Mykal Rose, Itals, The Marleys, Lucky Dube, Yami Bolo, Midnite, Ras Iba, Tuff Lion, Ras Attitude, Batch, Toussaint the Liberator, Kabaka Pyramid, Kenyatta Hill, Andrew Tosh, Nattali Rize, Mike Love and many more. They have performed at festivals and venues across the U.S. and Africa including, The Parliament of World Religions Convening in Chicago, Il, Baia Das Gatas in Cape Verde, Reggae Sunsplash in Senegal, Blaise Senghor Institute in Senegal, LEAF Festival, Harmonic Convergence, International Festival of Arts and Ideas, SOB's, Fire Water Festival, Bel Chere, Ziontific, Vermont Reggae Festival, Ocean State Reggae, sell-out crowds at the Iron Horse Music Hall, Pearl Street Night Club, The Roxy, House of Blues, New England Reggae Festival, Guilford College, Warren Wilson, Hampshire College, UMASS, Amherst College, Smith College to name a few.

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ReBelle also made the top 10 list in Reggae Report's, "Top 10 U.S.-Based Independent Albums". Their first album, "Thank U Jah", came in at #5. They've regularly been voted best reggae band and "Best World Music" by several popular polls in their region, for the last 2 decades including Valley Advocate best of and the 411 polls.

Kalpana and Manou have created platforms for and facilitated youth leadership and cultural activism and exchanges in schools, colleges, and universities – mentoring and counseling young people and families in their local, regional and global communities.

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What the critics are saying about ReBelle:
"powerful musicianship" - "warm, contemporary, vital" -
"spell binding" - "powerhouse lead vocals" "eclectic,
contemporary, African roots interpretation crossing all
borders" - "transcendent" - "intrinsic element of protest" -
"new, intelligent, trail blazing music".

"Few bands brave the more difficult challenges of composing new, intelligent and trail blazing music…ReBelle is one such band."

                                                             - Dirty Linen Magazine