Sages comme des sauvages

Born in Brussels in the early 2010s, Sages comme des sauvages was initially built around the duo of Ava Carrère and Ismaël Colombani, before expanding their on-stage lineup with Émilie Alenda and, since 2019, Osvaldo Hernandez. Sages comme des sauvages blends French chanson, maloya, folk, calypso, Brazilian music and Greek rebetiko into an acoustic, rhythm-driven repertoire nourished by very different backgrounds: Ava Carrère, who is Franco‑American, grew up between France and Greece and later participated in Berlin’s alternative scene, while Ismaël Colombani, with Corsican and Brussels roots, moved from violin to experimental music. The band first emerged with Largue la peau, then continued with Luxe misère in 2020 — featuring, among others, Danyèl Waro — and with Maison maquis in 2024, an album marked by new exchanges between chanson, popular traditions and collaborations with musicians they met on tour. Supported by FAIR in 2018, Sages comme des sauvages has since performed across chanson venues, world-music stages and general festivals, maintaining a consistent taste for crossings of languages, timbres and rhythms.