Gaël Faye

Gaël Faye takes over the Théâtre Antique in Arles on July 17, 2026 with a live show where rap and chanson answer each other, driven by precise, narrative writing often close to spoken word. Born in Bujumbura and arriving in France in the 1990s, he first honed his pen as part of Milk Coffee & Sugar before striking out solo with Pili Pili sur un croissant au beurre, then Rythmes & botanique and Lundi méchant. The music draws on rhythms from East Africa, urban colors, and a way of telling stories of exile, memory and the intimate without unnecessary effects.

On stage, Faye plays as part of a collective: drums, keyboards, guitars and bass lay down a flexible foundation where the voice remains front and center. The set alternates energetic tracks and more contemplative pieces, sliding from sung choruses to spoken passages, with arrangements that give the lyrics room to breathe. His writing, nourished by his experience as a novelist, sharpens images and the cadence of words, creating a direct connection with the audience. In Arles, he unfolds a programme that naturally links musical boundaries, revisits his essentials and frames his stories of uprooting, of cities passed through and of lives being rebuilt.