Marie-José Clency, born in 1943 in Beau-Bassin-Rose Hill, Mauritius, was not initially destined for music. When she was just 13, she met her future husband, Roger Clency, who was two years her senior. At 16, she became a mother while studying to become a nurse, while her partner aspired to become a musician. After 12 years as a police officer, he finally succeeded. In the 1960s, he joined an orchestra as a drummer and double bass player. It was the conductor who suggested he form a musical duo with his wife. Without having anticipated it, she agreed to follow her husband in this adventure, overcoming her great shyness in the process. Roger writes and composes, and she performs. They performed together for the Mauritian Independence Day show in 1968. Officiating in the sega style, they recorded their first single in 1972, "Tonton Mo Tonton", followed two years later by "La famille Coutou" and "Tango Titir ", on which the couple were joined by Mario Armel's Night Birds. In 1980, Roger and Marie-José Clency scored a hit with the 45-turn single "Mo Coco Toi" and "Tora Tora ". In 1984, the two artists put together the homonymous album Roger Clency et Marie Josée, which included "Tora Tora ". Other landmark albums include 1987's Festival International de la Mer, 1993's Tam Tam and 2011's Réfase Refer. Roger Clency died of cancer on January 13, 2016, but she honored her promise to continue her musical career, celebrating sixty years in the business in 2018. In 2023, she decided to give her last concerts, but at the same time released a new single, "Gagn Di Mal", with her son, Jean-Alain Clency, now also a singer.
