Petite Noir – Life Is Beautiful

Yannick Ilunga AKA Petite Noir doesn’t mince words when he outlines the message woven into his debut album La Vie Est Belle / Life Is Beautiful: “STAY POSITIVE.” Yannick is half-Congolese, half-Angolan and was raised in South Africa. His musical background ranges from metal to nu-disco. He’s since developed into a confident, singer and songwriter with a wide palette reflecting all the cultural dimensions of his life. Earlier 2015’s EP The King of Anxiety blended raw angular energy, bright African rhythms, and subtle R&B into his alt guitar sound, and now La Vie Est Belle / Life Is Beautiful takes that sound to louder, more defiant places. It’s what Ilunga calls “Noirwave,” which is more of a concept than a specific sound. Inspired by innovators like Mos Def and Kanye and legends like Fela Kuti and Tabu Ley, Noirwave encompasses a “new African aesthetic,” plain and simple.