Yawo is a Togolese multi-instrumentalist and singer, a man of peace whose chords are equally harmonious. Over the past thirty years, he has been voicing the soft power of the dove, the importance of living together in harmony, and it’s very refreshing. Drawing on Afrobeat, Afro-funk and reggae, his original music has been spreading his gentle aura since the 2024 launch of his highly praised album Take Out the Fences.

The ’90s were pivotal for Yawo. In 1993, he stepped out onto the world stage while touring internationally with Up With People, a non-profit organization promoting the idea of a better, more peaceful world through song and dance, leading Yawo to fully embrace the principles of positive thinking, equality and multiculturalism. In his own way, he’s carrying on the legacy of the father of Afrobeat, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, to whom he dedicated a richly arranged song that carries his name and in which you can feel Yawo’s deep admiration. They would have most certainly been friends…

Down with fences, barbed wire and pointless conflicts! His cry can be heard from Lomé to Montreal… Club Balattou welcomed him in the summer of 2024 to hear his acoustic echoes in a perfect setting. This artist, who first learned music by experimenting, delivers a fully rounded sound. What he desires most is to spread his music’s inner power and his Ewe cultural values, embraced by three million Togolese who share a common language and an independent, somewhat apolitical outlook. All these dimensions emanate from this free-spirited artist, who sings in English, French and his native language, also called Ewe.

From Yawo, you can expect no less than great electric bass, as on “Dream King,” crystal-clear classical guitar, as on “Land of Strangers,” and an approach to music as a means to happiness.