Michel Pinheiro

Cosme Michel Odjougbele Pinheiro was born on September 25, 1975 in Pobé, Benin, where he came into contact with music through the choir as a child and teenager. He soon set his sights on a career in the arts, joining the group Blackstyle at the age of 17, where he played guitar. He traveled to Côte d'Ivoire and developed his musical practice in Abidjan, where he met Tiken Jah Fakoly in the studio through Mamadou Doumbia. He joined the latter's group, Les Djelys, and gradually began to develop his own compositions. In 1999, he released his first album, Espoir, on which, in addition to approaches linked to his native culture, influences from salsa and West Indian music can be heard. Although he occupies a very special musical register, Pinheiro sets himself apart and, alongside his concert appearances, follows this up with a second album in 2006, entitled Agoh. This album featured some of the most emblematic tracks of his career, such as "Santiago" and "S.O.S. enfants soldats", a song with a touching lyrical commitment. After two further solo albums, Bénin (2009) and Hommage à Mamadou Doumbia (2010), in 2012 he decided to stop performing with Tiken Jah Fakoly and set up his own group, the African Salsa Orchestra, with whom he released the album African Salsa Orchestra (2017) and performed internationally, including in Paris the same year.