After the spreading of taarab from the Sultan's palace to Zanzibari weddings and other community events, the first famous female singer of
taarab was
Siti bint Saad. The 1960s saw a group called the
Black Star Musical Club from
Tanga modernize the genre, bringing it to audiences farther afield, especially
Burundi and
Kenya. More recently, modern taarab bands like
East African Melody have emerged, as have related backbiting songs for women, called
mipasho. Taarab music is a fusion of Swahili poetry sung in rhythmic poetic style, performed by male or female singers and taarab ensembles comprising numerous musicians. Taarab forms a part of the social life of the Swahili people along the coastal areas, especially in Zanzibar, Tanga and even further in
Mombasa and
Malindi along the Kenya coast. Wherever the Swahili-speaking people travelled, Taraab moved with them. It has penetrated as far inland as
Uganda,
Rwanda and
Burundi in East Africa, where taarab groups compete in popularity with other kinds of popular musical groups. In the early 21st century a taarab revolution has been taking place and much debate continues about the music which has been changed by the East African
Melody phenomenon. Melody, as they are known by their mostly female fans, play modern taarab, which is 'taarab to dance to' and features direct lyrics, bypassing the lyrical subtlety of the older songs, where the meaning of the lyrics is only alluded to, and never directly inferred. ==See also==