Kedjevara

Emerging as a central voice among singers, songwriters, DJs, and producers in Ivory Coast’s coupé-décalé movement, Kedjevara first attracted attention through numerous well-received singles and compilation contributions during the second half of the 2000s. Wider recognition arrived the following decade thanks to the 2015 album The One together with cuts such as “C’est ça l’idée” featuring Chidinma and “Toucher le sol.”

Yao Parfait, born in Adjiban, is the child of the established singer Antoinette Allany. He stepped into the domestic coupé-décalé world in the mid-2000s, tracing his mother’s example. Performing as Kedjevara, he shaped a rhythmic, dance-oriented sound that surfaced in favored recordings like the 2005 single “Sarah” and 2009’s “Tchoukou Tchoukou Dance.” His first album, Le Meteorman, appeared in 2009 and delivered the hit “Bobaraba.” A harder-edged approach defined the 2012 project Nonguan-Nonguan, yet The One in 2015 connected more strongly with listeners. Thereafter Kedjevara turned mainly to standalone releases, issuing tracks such as 2017’s “Potcho Potcho” and the Mix Premier collaboration “Le ciel est bleu.” Among the stronger numbers from those years were “C’est ça l’idée” and “Toucher le sol.”