Barcella

Barcella, a magnetic performer and composer, channels the enduring chansons of Jacques Brel, Edith Piaf, and Léo Ferré alongside the verbal dexterity and cadence of French hip-hop, serving as a vital force in sustaining the tradition of slam poetry in France. Mathieu Ladeveze came into the world in Reims in 1981 and began composing verses at the age of ten; after finishing a teacher-training program at the IUFM, he launched recurring public workshops devoted to slam. Appearing under his mother’s Italian surname, he cultivated acclaim across festival stages and competition circuits, and following support slots for Coeur de Pirate, Francis Cabrel, and Anis, he unveiled his first album, La Boîte à Musique, in 2010, with Charabia arriving two years later.