Anne Gaëlle Hoarau

Born on September 25, 1990 in La Réunion, Anne-Gaëlle Hoarau was introduced to music and dance at an early age, before leaving her island for Paris and Quebec. Back in her birthplace, she felt the urge to express herself through words, and began writing lyrics and songs. Renowned as Ann O'aro, she began setting her writing to the island's maloya rhythm before being noticed by Philippe Conrath, manager of style icon Danyèl Waro. A debut album was released in 2018, Ann O'aro, on which she sets her themes around violence against women against a backdrop of traditional tunes. The album was a popular success, winning the Coup de cœur francophone award from the Académie Charles-Cros in 2019, and prompting the singer to pursue her artistic career. After a book, Saplë lo shien - Cantique de la meute, published in 2019, she returned to the music scene the following year with the album Longoz (2020). Ann O'aro then took the opportunity to diversify her approach to music in the company of Bino Waro (percussion) and Teddy Doris (trombone), incorporating influences from zouk and jazz. Sung in Creole, her music tackles many social issues, such as alcoholism and decolonization, to critical acclaim. These first two albums enabled the singer to perform on other continents and in France, including in Nantes, Saint-Brieuc and Dijon.