COLORSxSTUDIOS

Where does your artist name, Yamê, come from?

My dad’s a musician and he used the word ‘yamê’ a lot in his lyrics. When I decided to pursue a career in music and was trying to pick an artist name, I asked my dad to tell me what  ‘yamê’ means. It’s a word from the Cameroonian language and the Mbo tribe, which I’m descended from. To put it simply, yamê is like a spiritual energy or chakra that is shared by everyone. It connects us all despite our religious differences.

What is your first musical memory?

The first instrument I ever played was the piano. I was around 6-years-old, living in Douala—a coastal city in the southwest of Cameroon—and I thought it was easy: All I had to do to make a sound was press the keys! Soon after, I started taking proper piano classes. I can still remember the first song I tried to write when I was a kid. I even think I can still play it. My dad sang it, and I was so proud of what I’d created.

You launched your professional music career during the global pandemic, right? 

During the first lockdown in Paris, I lived in a house with multiple other people. I would work from home and spend the rest of the day playing video games, enjoying the sun, or the company of my flatmates. I realized I didn’t enjoy my job, and that the effort  I was putting into it wasn’t being sufficiently remunerated. I decided that, even if my boss agreed to give me a raise, I wanted to quit and pursue music professionally. I was given two years of severance pay, which I used to fund my music and projects. A year and a half after I left the company I blew up on TikTok.

How would you describe your musical style?

I always struggle to define my music, because I feel like it’s split between two categories. Some of my tracks are really aligned with the French rap scene, whereas others draw on soul, blues, and jazz influences I’ve picked up by attending jam sessions in Paris. I think that creating and releasing more will help both me and my audience define what my style is.

What about your latest album, ‘Agent 237’, which came out in 2021? 

At first it was a tribute to Agent 007, aka James Bond, because I’ve always really loved those movies, and the gadgets in them in particular. When my family moved back to France, my dad told me that I would have to integrate and learn how to speak like the people around me. He told me that it was going to be difficult, that I would have to work hard to assimilate, and that people were going to be waiting for me to make a mistake due to the complex history between France and Cameroon. ‘Agent 237’ is a reference to how, at first, I felt like a spy in France. I was taking in intel and making my own path with the tools I had, the main one being music.

As well as James Bond gadgets, you’re really into video games and new technologies. How does this interest feed into your music? 

When I’m waiting for a game to load I play piano, or write. There are also a lot of gaming references in my music, especially in the metaphors I use. Eventually, I’d like to release a big gaming project in collaboration with some of my friends.

Tell us about the song you performed for COLORS. 

The song is called ‘Bécane’, which means motorbikes. I love riding and am currently on my eighth or ninth motorbike! I prefer traveling with them to cars, because Parisian streets are extremely crowded. To me, bikes are freedom on two wheels. They enable you to drive far away if you want to. When I take my motorbike out I feel free. No matter what dangers lie ahead, you should always chase freedom, whatever that means for you.

If you could send one message to your fans right now what would it be? 

The most important thing is to surround yourself with good people, and to remember that the human part of any project is so important. You need to have a strong team around you, because it’s going to be hard. There’s a lot of predators and obstacles out there, but the right people can stop you from going down the wrong path.