SEMIFINAL #1 – Syli d’Or 19th

MARISOL | Latin urbain, RNB (Pérou)

A refugee immigrant from Peru who grew up in Montréal’s hip-hop and dance scene, MARISOL spent years studying his local and international idols before picking up a MIDI keyboard for the first time in 2017. Self-taught, he learned to produce and write his own songs, developing a unique artistic voice. His music is a vibrant fusion of Latin percussion, 1970s jazz samples, hip-hop textures and melodies sung in multiple languages — a cultural richness expressed through danceable grooves and warm atmospheres that transcend genre. He made his first steps on the music scene under the alias Guapo, with the rap group CLOUD N9NE. Since their hiatus in mid-2022, MARISOL has fully embraced his solo path, exploring the musical styles that shaped him — from R&B to reggaeton, afrobeats and electronic music. A multidisciplinary artist, he is building a personal universe that is at once intimate, eclectic and deeply rooted in his origins.

Bastin Band | Raï fusion (Algérie)

Driven by the blazing energy of raï and the timeless elegance of Algerian music, Bastin Band crafts a resolutely modern sound where the Maghreb meets the grooves of the world. Their universe, at the crossroads of funk, soul and traditional rhythms, creates a vibrant fusion that unites dance, emotion and identity. Through a deeply inhabited voice, heavy with nostalgia and power, the group brings to life stories of displacement, celebration and freedom. Desert-scented guitars, deep bass lines, hybrid percussion and bright brass weave a sonic mosaic that transports as much as it unites. On stage, Bastin Band radiates a magnetic presence — raw, warm and generous energy. Every song becomes a journey, a bridge stretched between the Mediterranean and international stages, between ancestral heritage and cosmopolitan modernity.

Lydol | Slam (Cameroun)

A multi-faceted artist born of the breath of words and the stage, Lydol has established herself as one of the most singular and daring voices in contemporary music. A slam poet, singer, performer and artivist, she draws from African oral traditions, spoken word, song, theatre and dance to create a hybrid, deeply emotional stage language. The first slam poet to reach the finals of the Prix Découvertes RFI, she has helped reposition slam as a fully-fledged musical art form on African and international stages. Her artistic universe is driven by a spirit of openness: making slam a total art, where poetry takes physical form, where the voice becomes an instrument, and where the stage becomes a space for collective healing. This vision fuels her flagship projects, including her two albums Slamthérapie and Hybride, as well as her EPs Fragile and Elixir, which combine afro-urban rhythms, intimate melodies and powerful texts on identity, resilience, love and the struggles of women. Recognized for her standout performances on L’Afrique a un Incroyable Talent, at the Grand Prix International URTI, the Cameroonian Ballon d’Or, and on stages across South Africa, France, the USA, Senegal, Canada, Tanzania and Guinea, Lydol is an artist who is both widely beloved and uncompromisingly demanding.