Biography
TIWAYO STEPS OUT OF THE SHADOWS WITH “OUTSIDER”: RAW SOUL REVELATION PRODUCED BY GRAMMY WINNER ADRIAN QUESADA (BLACK PUMAS).
Nicknamed “The Young Old” for a voice that carries timeless weight, Paris-born soul singer and songwriter Tiwayo returns with Outsider, a powerful new album produced by Grammy winner Adrián Quesada of the Black Pumas. Set for release worldwide on April 10, 2026, Outsider marks the triumphant comeback of a free spirit who has busked and traveled across the world, absorbing the blues, soul, and gospel roots that continue to shape his music. It was during these travels that Tiwayo’s signature name came to be. On a road trip to Memphis, a local, older Cajun bluesman heard him sing and was struck by the contrast between his youthful face and gravelly, soulful voice. Amused and impressed, the bluesman called him “The Young Old.” Back in France, Tiwayo took the initials T.Y.O. and transformed them into the single, evocative word Tiwayo, which has stayed with him ever since.
(Who is Tiwayo? Have you heard of him before? Where does that voice come from?)
France may be famous for fine wines, electronic music, and buttery croissants—but not exactly for producing some of the deepest soul records. Tiwayo is here to change that.
With Outsider, he delivers a rare and radiant soul gem, cracking the limits of cultural expectations and proving that true soul knows no borders.
Celebrated by musical luminaries including Norah Jones, Marcus Miller, Tony Visconti, and Don Was, Tiwayo built a reputation opening stages for Curtis Harding, Cody Chesnutt, and Marcus Miller. After two acclaimed albums Desert Dream (on Yotanka Records) and The Gypsy Soul of Tiwayo (on Blue Note Records, produced by Mark Neill, the Grammy-winning architect behind The Black Keys’ Brothers), Tiwayo had nearly vanished from the scene before Adrian Quesada heard his demos and pulled him back into the spotlight. Their paths crossed at France’s Les Eurockéennes festival, leading Tiwayo from Paris to Austin and into Adrian’s legendary Electric Deluxe Studio. There, he and Quesada forged a raw, genre-bending take on soul, with contributions from Black Pumas members and other leading lights of the retro-soul scene.
Tiwayo doesn’t play by the genre’s rules. He stands apart: a Frenchman in Texas, a soul singer with a bluesman’s heart, a traveler who never quite belongs anywhere. In a world of polished revivals, Tiwayo embraces being the outsider — an anti-hero of soul who proves that the raw and unvarnished carry the deepest power.
Upcoming
Tour
Latest
Videos
I've got to travel alone
Blue perfection
Wait
Shelter me|Live at Time and Place Studio
Soldier of love
Avril 2023
Daughter of the stars
Mars 2023
Lost in the sun
Septembre 2023
Tiwayo - Lost in the Sun | Live at Time and Place
FEVRIER 2023
UP FOR SOUL
« Up For Soul » est un morceau uptempo très groovy, né d’une immersion d’une journée dans l’univers de Sly Stone et Johnny Guitar Watson. Tiwayo explique : « Les paroles jouent avec ma réalité quotidienne en tant que musicien. Elles parlent des hauts et des bas, de la stimulation constante, de la nature fragile de ce travail, le tout enveloppé dans des clichés soul des années 70 qui collent vraiment bien. » Le groupe est très soudé, et un superbe arrangement de cordes de Sly5th Avenue ajoute une nouvelle dimension au morceau, rappelant les meilleures B.O du style de la Blaxsploitation.
Ces sons de jungle qui parsèment la chanson ? Ils proviennent directement de la démo, retravaillée avec Quesada à la fin. Tiwayo explique : « J’ai toujours eu l’impression que c’était une scène dans la jungle, une métaphore pour les artistes qui tentent de survivre dans un monde difficile, parfois impitoyable, mais toujours vivant ».Avec « Outsider », Tiwayo s’impose comme l’une des voix les plus distinctives de la soul moderne. Cet album marque le retour d’une âme voyageuse, au parcours aussi riche, qu’atypique, qui commence dans les couloirs du métro parisien, voyage à travers le monde, et finit par trouver refuge dans le Sud des Etats-Unis, là où la Soul et le Blues sont rois.
Listen on :
Tracklist
Notes
Paru le 28 avril 2023
ALL TRACKS COMPOSED, RECORDED AND PRODUCED
by Tiwayo at Time and Place Studio
DRUMS AND PERCUSSIONS RECORDED by Olivier Lude at QDS Studios, Paris – except “Daughter of the Stars”
and “Lost in the Sun”
MIX by Tiwayo at Time and Place Studio
MASTERING by Manu Schlindwein
LEAD VOCAL, GUITAR, BASS: Tiwayo
BACKGROUND VOCALS:
Gladys Germany, Annaelle Solet, Tiwayo
DRUMS: Erwan Morisse except “Daughter of the Stars” and “Lost in the Sun” by Tiwayo
KEYS: Eli Frot
EXECUTIVE PRODUCTION & MANAGEMENT : Seydou N’Diaye
LABEL : Yotanka Records
PUBLISHING : MarchalMusicP
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