Magic System facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Magic System
Magic System during the opening ceremony of the 15th Anoumabo Urban Music Festival, in April 2023.
Background information
Origin	Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Genres	Zouglou, Coupé-décalé
Years active	1996–present
Labels	EMI (2003–2013) Virgin Records (2002–2006) Rec. 118 (2016–2017) Warner Music (2013–2020) Universal Music (since 2021)
Members	A'Salfo Manadja Tino Goudé
Past members	Didier "Pépito" Deigna

Magic System is a popular music group from Abidjan, Ivory Coast. They started in 1996 and are known for their fun, energetic music styles called zouglou and coupé-décalé. The group began with a group of friends. Today, the main members are A'Salfo, Goude, Tino, and Manadja.

Their music often has a party feel. Some of their biggest songs include "Premier Gaou" (2002), "Bouger Bouger" (2005), and "Magic in the Air" (2014). In 2024, their song "Akwaba" became the official song for the La Coupe d'Afrique des Nations soccer tournament. Magic System is also known for their exciting live shows.

Meet the Members

A'Salfo: The Leader

Salif Traoré, known as A'Salfo, is a key member of Magic System. He is a talented artist and songwriter. A'Salfo is also a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. This means he helps promote peace and understanding around the world. He also started the Anoumabo Music Festival.

A'Salfo loved music from a young age. His older brother, who played guitar, inspired him. In the late 1990s, he helped create Magic System. Their song "Premier Gaou" made them famous and changed their career.

The Story of Magic System

Early Days and First Songs

Magic System started in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. The group originally had many members, but the main four "magicians" are A'Salfo (Salif Traoré), Goude, Tino (Étienne Boué Bi), and Manadja (Adama Fany). These members were inspired by the zouglou music style. Zouglou is a way for young people to talk about problems in society through music and dance.

From 1996, the four main members performed at local parties. In 1997, they released their first album, Papitou. The song "Momo" from this album was not very successful. But they kept going!

Finding Success

Two years later, they released their second album, Premier Gaou, in Ivory Coast. It became very popular there. However, it was hard to get their music distributed in France. No record labels were interested at first.

A journalist named Ephrem Youkpo believed in their music. He helped pay for the album. When big record companies said no, he found a way to release Premier Gaou in January 2000. Later in 2000, Magic System opened for the Congolese rap group Bisso Na Bisso.

In 2001, their third album, Poisson d'avril, had mixed success. But in 2002, a new version of "Premier Gaou" by Bob Sinclar became a huge hit in France. This helped Magic System become well-known to a wider audience. After this, they released more albums like Un Gaou à Paris (2003) and Cessa kié la vérité (2005).

Later Albums and Big Hits

On April 2, 2012, Magic System released their first "best-of" album, D'Abidjan à Paris. It included a new song called "Tango Tango". On May 19, 2014, they released Africainement Vôtre. This album featured the massive hit song "Magic in the Air". This song was produced by RedOne and featured Chawki. The music video for "Magic in the Air" has been watched hundreds of millions of times!

On May 1, 2016, something sad happened. Didier Bonaventure Deigna, who was the group's drummer and sang backup, drowned while trying to save someone.

On June 16, 2017, Magic System released a new album called Ya Foye. In 2018, "Magic in the Air" became the unofficial anthem for the French national football team during the 2018 FIFA World Cup. It was played in the stadium every time the French team scored a goal!

At the end of 2020, the group joined a new record label, Universal Music Africa. They released a new album called Envolée zougloutique on June 21, 2021. In June 2025, Magic System released a new song called "Vida Loca".

Music They've Made

Studio Albums

Hit Singles

"—" means the song did not appear on the charts.

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