Of Guadeloupean origin, Claudy Siar was born in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, France, on November 2, 1964. The son of a nurse mother and a bus driver father, he grew up in Vigneux-sur-Seine in the Essonne region and was placed in a boarding school with winegrowers in Pierrelongue, a village in the Drôme region, during his teenage years. After making his theatrical debut, he was offered a radio career, gradually becoming a specialist in West Indian and African music for stations such as Europe 1 and France Inter, before making his television debut on FR3 in 1988. He then moved on to RFO, M6, TF1, France 2 and RFI. In 2007, he launched the Tropiques FM radio station in the Île-de-France region, with the aim of highlighting the cultural specificities and identities of France's overseas territories. In addition to his media activities, from 1988 to 1994 Claudy Siar headed the first major label devoted to West Indian and African music, producing the very first West Indian and African compilations for NewDeal (Warner). Claudy Siar has also released several albums and compilations, from Rebel in 1991 to Zouker Décalé in 2005, including Génération Consciente in 1992, Tant de Combats à Mener in 1997 and Trouver sa Route in 2000.
