Tsiliva, born Christophe Tsiliva Diddiot, is a Malagasy musician who performs Kilalaky, a traditional genre of music from the southwestern interior of Madagascar. The son of a pastor, he was born on 25 July 1982 and raised in the western coastal town of Ambovombe Androy, near Morondava. As a child he enjoyed playing music and composing songs. Upon reaching secondary school, he formed or joined many local groups, including Cabalero Music, Tsirangoty, Diddiot Pro, Calypso, Mentalis Music and Fouad music, with whom he both performed and composed music. After graduating high school and earning his baccalaureat in management and communications, he played bass for the group Dadah de Fort Dauphin, later joining the groups Terana and Terakaly as a percussionist. With Terakaly, he performed for the first time at a major music festival, the Donia music festival at Nosy Be.
