“Farmers”, a title by the Auvergne group Wazoo, anthem of the agricultural crisis

“We do not fear work, for worse, for better, the earth is at the bottom of our hearts”, says the song which is a hit on dams and on social networks.

A song by the Auvergne group Wazoo, covered on the dams by farmers, has established itself on social networks in recent days, becoming the anthem symbol of this agricultural crisis. Thursday February 1, the piece simply named “Farmers”was ranked fourth among the most popular songs on TikTok, along with Aya Nakamura.

“We do not fear work, for worse, for better, the land is at the bottom of our hearts. Because we are farmers”sings the folk group Wazoo, from Clermont-Ferrand, in this ode to the peasant world which opened its sixth album in 2019.

“The song is covered on Tik Tok and even Instagram. Farmers film themselves on the dams using it to illustrate their videos”, explained singer Jeff Chalaffre to AFP. The clip, which features young farmers from Haute-Loire, already had 3.5 million views on YouTube before the movement, he said. “We notice that 50% of the views on our channel are young people between 18 and 35 years old, therefore younger than the generation with which we started”he congratulates himself.

“Rural music”

The “farmers’ flag-bearer” group demands “rural music” Who “has always been (his) niche” : “As rap sings its context, urban music, we sing the countryside which is our context”, underlines the singer. But beyond this unexpected success, “the feeling that dominates is compassion, we are taken aback by what is happening and inevitably united, because agriculture is the last rampart of a France that forms a society”he said.

“We are not surprised by the sling (…) L“Farmers came to see us at concerts to talk to us about their income, about the Egalim law which was not applied”, he says. Wazoo, who is celebrating 25 years on stage, is also preparing to release a new album still full of promise for the rural world since it is entitled A well-headed calf does not need hay.