Gaël Faye

Gaël Faye, rapper and writer, returns to the stage at the Zénith de Lille on December 2, 2027. Between rap, chanson and poetry, he unfolds a precise writing nourished by the personal, memory and heritage. Brought to wider public attention by his novel Petit Pays, winner of the Prix Goncourt des lycéens, he has also made a name for himself in music with Lundi Méchant, a platinum-certified album. His latest novel, Jacaranda, winner of the 2024 Prix Renaudot, underscores how storytelling lies at the heart of his work and infuses a flow that is often measured, close to spoken word.

On stage, Gaël Faye cultivates intimacy and delivers his texts with a band where acoustic instruments and a hip-hop aesthetic intersect. Flexible rhythms, clear melodies and sung choruses map out a journey that draws as much on his Central African roots as on French chanson. From whispered confession to collective address, he alternates introspective pieces with unifying moments without losing the thread of the story he tells. A set that invites listening to the words as much as to the movements, and to spend, for the length of an evening, time in a language that dances.