Corneille: The Birth Of Cornelius

I am so excited to be a part of Music Moms, a new review group by Team Mom, offering the latest music and artists NOT singing "Itsy Bitsy Spider".

Oh yea, this is music for us Moms (and Dads!) and though the lyrics are kid friendly, the sound is more in the category of fun chill out, hang out and relax time for us parents, rather than rhyme time for the bambinos!

To kick off the first music selection, Music Moms has chosen the greatest album: The Birth Of Cornelius by Corneille. Corneille is a talented singer/writer/producer with a number of hits in Canada, France and Japan; The Birth Of Cornelius is his first English speaking album. Corneille lists Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder,Michael Jackson and original Motown music as his huge influences and

With a background story of passion, heartache, joy, and identity seeking that you can hear and feel through the amazing rhythms and lyrics, The Birth Of Cornelius is the perfect album to play when you are feeling hanging out, relaxing, chilling with friends, or just taking some alone time out to be introspective, reflective, and thoughtful.

Originally born in Germany, Corneille's family moved to Rwanda when he was seven and tragedy struck when Corneille lost his entire family during the genocide in 1994. All alone and truly fleeing for his life, he escaped first to Kinshasa and then to Germany where he was taken in by family friends. Always feeling out of place and confused about his identity, Corneille found freedom in his music. His passion for music led him to seek feeding his creativity by leaving Germany for Montreal, Canada. After a few years of hard work, Corneille is finally achieving his major goals: to put out an album in America and be signed with Motown Records.

His first American (and English speaking) album reflects the many layers that make up his amazing talent in smooth acoustic-based R&B sounds, sure to please fans of John Legend, Tracy Chapman and Marvin Gaye.

Cornielle on his identity: "I'm African. I have a lot of European in me. And I'm definitely North American, because America's always been that place that exports every symbol of success that we know in the world. I taught myself English because when I got into music, all the artists that I loved came from America.

I'm realizing that the confusion that people have had about my identity has affected my own sense of identity. If you don't get me, how can I get myself? But you know what...it's actually OK to be all those things"

Yes, it is OK to be a melting pot of cultures, ideas, and identities, and when that melting pot meets the creativity of raw talent, you end up with magic.


Would you love to experience the magic of The Birth Of Cornelius? You can win an autographed copy here! Simply leave a comment letting me know your favorite Motown song or artist (Mine is My Girl, by The Temptations.)The giveaway ends on March 24th and if you can't wait that long, you can go buy The Birth Of Cornelius now