What does it mean to be a world musician? Ask Valérie Chane Tef, a Réunionese pianist who formed a band in Bordeaux, France and recently rocked out a jam-packed concert in Mumbai. As winding as her journey might sound, when you ask her what’s driving it, she has it straight. “I carry my culture and the history of my people with me. Music is my way of putting the spotlight on my origins,” she shares.

Braving Mumbai’s erratic monsoon on a working day, crowds gathered at a Lower Parel venue earlier this week to catch a glimpse of Tef performing alongside percussionist Eric Perez and bassist Thomas Boude at the World Music Day celebrations organised by Alliance Française de Bombay. “Having played a show in Mumbai once in 2023, I knew the crowd would be a delight to perform to. Bringing Fete De La Musique [World Music Day] to the city with my band Akoda this time was no different,” the artiste reveals.