Interview: Yabou

After releasing his successful debut single "Miss you", the rising r&b/soul artist Yabou shares some details about his musical identity, crew and personal influences.

I am curious as you bring a different mood to the usual German scene - the tendency here often is to hide away from the genuine, soft and just romantic side of feelings. You do exactly the opposite - showing vulnerability and tenderness, this is why I have to ask about your roots?

I’m from Stuttgart (born and raised). During my youth I also spent a lot of time in France, where a big part of my family lives. I guess you could say I’m a little remix (French, German, Algerian). It was very cool and helpful to grow up with multiple cultures around me and it definitely inspired and shaped me as a person and as an artist.

How did you enter the local scene? Who are you working with?

I was always more of an introvert type of person and when it came to my art I liked to stay behind closed doors and just create. I didn’t show my stuff to many people so I guess I was never really into „entering the local scene“ here. I just did music and got to know really cool and creative people over the years. 95% of the artists/producers I’m working with are from overseas tho.

I’m really happy to work with super talented folks like Obed Padilla, Aaron Gousse, Justus West or Kaiya Crawford. I’m also super grateful to have Mixing- and Mastering Engineers like Gökhan Güler and Hans-Philipp Graf (HP Mastering) who make sure that the tracks are coming out clean.

How was your track received here and are there specific communities or places (clubs/cities/countries) you would like to be more known at in particular? Why?

I am really overwhelmed by all the love and props that I’ve got for "Miss You". It’s cool when a random stranger tells you that your music touched them. This is all I want from my art - expressing and sharing my deepest emotions with my listeners, connecting with them on a spiritual level and making them feel something every time they play my stuff. I don’t really have a specific place in mind, but I would love to play some shows with my people in LA and London.

So far how did you get your most valuable inspirations in producing music and what made it all come together exactly at this time? Did you have some experience before this and what was it like?

To be honest, I guess listening to a lot of late 90’s/early 2000’s American and french hip hop/r&b/soul as a child gave me a solid foundation. The 2010-2015 SoundCloud days also were a big influence, as well as people like Frank Ocean, Steve Lacy and Xavier Omar (SPZRKT).

I started producing in my early youth just as a hobby. I made tons of beats with the little knowledge I had, sang to them and taught myself everything from there on (shoutout YouTube). It took me some years to really focus on music, create my own sound and get comfortable with my voice. Over the time, everything fell into place. I just felt that this was the perfect timing to make the next step.

What's your focus at the moment and for the upcoming months? Is there a specific project you are keen to talk about?

My focus is on the next projects that are planned. All I can say is that there’s much more to come very soon. Stay tuned, folks!