OffBeat cover star Robin Barnes will release a new single, “Eh Ma Belle,” on Friday, February 27. The track features zydeco artists Rockin’ Dopsie Jr. and Dwayne Dopsie and serves as the first preview of Barnes’ upcoming album, Louisiana Love, due out in early May.

“Eh Ma Belle,” a phrase drawn from Barnes’ family lexicon meaning “hey my beautiful,” is rooted firmly in zydeco tradition, pairing accordion, washboard, guitar and driving rhythm with contributions from two prominent figures in the genre. The collaboration places the song within zydeco’s ongoing lineage while maintaining Barnes’ contemporary New Orleans sound.

“I learned from a young age that in my world everyone and their momma did music,” Barnes told OffBeat in 2021. “It was never something where you even had the capacity to think about being competitive. You had to constantly think about how you can do your best. It sounds cliché, but you don’t want to be the next anybody, you want to be the first somebody.”

The Dopsie brothers have continued to make their mark on Louisiana music history. In 2024, known as a milestone year for the Dopsies, the brothers, sons of venerable zydeco pioneer Rockin’ Dopsie, Sr. (1932-1993), released multiple zydeco projects, even garnering a GRAMMY nod for Regional Roots music.

Louisiana Love was developed as a response to questions of cultural preservation and inheritance, drawing from Robin Barnes family history and Louisiana musical traditions. The album incorporates influences ranging from zydeco and Creole French expression to New Orleans jazz, funk, and Mardi Gras Indian rhythms, framing the project as a reflection on continuity, memory and cultural stewardship.