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Hi,
I’m YAO.
I take the floor, I weigh my words, I lend my voice.
I give the floor too, I pass it on, and I keep my word.
Six verbs that make me who I am.
My voice carries (being a baritone helps); and for almost 25 years now, it’s been carrying me.
Welcome to my world.
In short… (because I know you scroll fast)
In 2013, on the album Perles et paraboles, I wrote:
Et si nos rêves nous apparaissent si loin,
J’irai trouver une luciole pour me tracer le chemin,
vers la lune et les étoiles, y faire fortune,
comme un gamin l’aurait fait.
“And if our dreams seem so far away, I’ll go find a firefly to light my way, to the moon and the stars, to make my fortune, the way a kid would.”
I found it, my firefly.
And before I knew it, childhood dreams and simple ideas had turned into milestones:
- opening for Oxmo Puccino, Élage Diouf, Grand Corps Malade, Theodora, Booba, La Fouine and Bisso Na Bisso;
- my songs, performed with the National Arts Centre Orchestra;
- a Senate 150th Anniversary Medal… and the list goes on.
Enough to make you believe in fairy tales.
And here, I put the pieces back together, Kintsugi style.
About
The short version
An urban poet with a baritone voice, YAO weaves worlds where soul, funk, alternative hip-hop and slam poetry intertwine. Driven by a vocal presence of rare intensity and vivid, image-rich writing in the tradition of MC Solaar, Oxmo Puccino and Abd Al Malik, he turns every stage into an immersive experience. A recipient of the Senate 150th Anniversary Medal, the SPACQ Édith-Butler Prize and several Trille Or Awards, including Solo Artist (2019) and Show of the Year for Kintsugi (2023), he has performed that show more than 150 times in 10 countries across three continents. He has opened for Grand Corps Malade (National Arts Centre, 2025) and Oxmo Puccino (Alhambra, Geneva, 2026). With Acte I · Déterrer. (November 6, 2026), he opens a new chapter.
Longer bio, press photos and press kit“I have many strings to my bow.
They’re all vocal.”
Six facets, one thread: the spoken word.
My shows are in French. My workshops and speaking engagements, in French or in English.
Photo: Vincent Assie (Changez d’air, 2026)
01Singer-songwriter
Take the floor.
On stage, I take the floor and only hand it back at the encore. I sing, I slam, I tell stories: soul, funk and alternative hip-hop, tied together by a baritone voice and a pen. Since 2009: 350+ shows in 11 provinces and territories and 14 countries.
Photo: Curtis Perry
02Lyricist · slam poet
Weigh my words.
Down to the syllable: that’s the job. I write songs, slams and custom pieces: anthems, commemorative works, poems for events. Groups, schools and cities often trust me with their words. I give them back with a rhyme thrown in.
Photo: Sébastien Lavallée (2024)
03Actor
Lend my voice.
And the rest: to a character, I also lend my shoulders, my walk, my memory. Theatre was my first love; today I act on camera as much as on stage. Represented by Agence Le Milieu.
Photo: Vickie MD Photographie
04Speaker · workshop leader
Give the floor.
On stage, I take the floor; in a workshop, I hand over the mic. Writing, slam and public speaking, in English or in French: 130+ contracts for workshops and speaking engagements since 2021. My goal: whoever walked in saying “I’ve got nothing to say” walks out with a verse.
Photo: Vickie MD Photographie
05Host
Pass it on.
At 17, I was already passing the mic to passers-by on TV. Since then: morning radio, galas, conventions, panels. I keep the first word and the last; in between, the night is yours. And nobody checks their watch.
Photo: Vickie MD Photographie
06Entrepreneur
Keep my word.
I only have one, and it’s my stock in trade: might as well keep it. Since my first business in high school, I’ve built a record label, a studio and a team. I sign my lyrics, my contracts, and artists. Small but mighty.
My why
Do you know the difference between hearing and listening?
A speech, you hear.
A song, you listen to.
The nuance: one, you think about; the other, you feel.
The proof: we’ve all listened to a song in a language we didn’t understand. It still spoke to us.
I’ve consciously chosen to walk, as best I can, the fine line of that nuance. Tightrope walker that I am.
I believe that if artists are the first to be muzzled, it’s because they have bite. In a coup, those who deal in figures of speech are silenced; those who deal in figures are spared. I know a thing or two about that: I’ve dealt in both.
The artist is a reflection of society, and very often, the mirror we need. When artists allow themselves to be exactly that, they disturb.
We recognize a generation by its songs, a civilization by its frescoes. Memory is a faculty that forgets; art keeps the ledger.
Better still: art is universal, free of preconceptions. A good film is a good film, whoever directed it. A beautiful painting is a beautiful painting, wherever the hand that painted it comes from. A good dish is a good dish, whatever culture it comes from: they don’t call it culinary art for nothing.
Nothing is more human: art works through emotion, and we can all find ourselves in it.
I’ve always said it: art is a beautiful tool for social change.
That’s why I perform in French, wherever I am. The music does the translating.
Because a speech, you hear; around a song, we hear each other.
Awards and honours
14 awards and honours •
The facts
Where I’ve performed
My music shows, date by date: venues, festivals, schools, galas, in person or online. By year or by country.
See the full list (in French)
Let’s work together.
A show, a commissioned piece, a role, a speaking engagement, a workshop, an evening to host? Write to me, or knock on the right door.