Julien Jacob

Born on May 1, 1960 in Porto-Novo, the capital of Benin, Julien Jacob grew up with a father from Guadeloupe and a mother from Martinique. When he was 4, his parents left his native country for France, and the Marseilles region. Bathed in his parents' listening to jazz, West Indian music and African and Western variety, Julien Jacob honed his musical ear and dreamed of a career in the arts. Fascinated by Louis Armstrong, he joined his first band, Anaphase, at the age of 17, as a singer. Self-taught, he learned guitar, piano and percussion, and became interested in traditional African cultures, Sufi, Hindu and voodoo. After arriving in Paris in 1993, Julien Jacob's style took shape two years later when he moved to Brittany. Here, he recorded his first album, Shanti (2000), and went on to perform internationally. After touring for several years, a second album, Cotonou (2005), was released to critical acclaim. In homage to his homeland, Jacob invents a new language and inserts the crossroads of cultures he has encountered through the use of numerous instruments: sanza, mandole, bass, djembe, drum... Through the Africa he recounts in his songs, and his commitment to non-violence, Julien Jacob seduces audiences and continues to compose over the years, Barham (2008), Sel (2010), Be! (2012), culminating in Talam City, unveiled in 2021, a sixth album marking several decades of commitment to music.

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