Anne-Gaëlle Hoarau (born 1990), best known by her stage name Ann O'aro, is a musician and writer from

Réunion Réunion (; ; ; known as before 1848) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France. Part of the Mascarene Islands, it is located approximately east of the isl ...

. She is noted for her contribution to contemporary ''

fonnkèr ''Fonnkèr'' is, in Réunion Creole, a state of mind specific to the people of the French overseas department of Réunion which conveys a deep feeling, a sense of love, happiness, bitterness, emotion, or thought. The term, which comes from the Fr ...

'', a Réunionese genre of

oral poetry Oral poetry is a form of poetry that is composed and transmitted without the aid of writing. The complex relationships between written and spoken literature in some societies can make this definition hard to maintain. Background Oral poetry is ...

Biography

Ann O'aro was born Anne-Gaëlle Hoarau in ,

Lieu-dit ''Lieu-dit'' (; plural: ''lieux-dits'') (literally ''location-said'', "named place") is a French language, French toponymic term for a small geographical area bearing a traditional name. The name usually refers to some characteristic of the plac ...

Saint-Paul, Réunion Saint-Paul () is the second-largest commune in the French overseas department of Réunion. It is located on the extreme west side of the island of Réunion. History Saint-Paul was the capital of the island from its settlement in the early 16t ...

, in 1990. Fleeing an abusive childhood home, she left the island for four years after finishing school and spent time in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

. A musician and dancer since childhood, playing

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

and

flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

, O'aro began writing as well after returning to Tan Rouge. Writing in

Réunion Creole Réunion Creole, or Reunionese Creole (; ), is a French-based creole languages, French-based creole language spoken on Réunion. It is derived mainly from French language, French and includes terms from Malagasy language, Malagasy, Hindi, Port ...

, she produced works of autobiographical poetry, specializing in the

of Réunion known as ''

''. Her work has frequently dealt with violence against women in Réunion, including the

incest Incest ( ) is sexual intercourse, sex between kinship, close relatives, for example a brother, sister, or parent. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by lineag ...

she experienced during her own childhood at the hands of her abusive father, who died by suicide when she was 15. Her poetry is often set to

maloya Maloya is one of the two major music genres of Réunion, usually sung in Réunion Creole, and traditionally accompanied by percussion and a musical bow. Maloya is a new form that has origins in the music of African and Malagasy slaves and Indian ...

music, although she also performs

a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...

or with just

percussive A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

backing. After being discovered by Philippe Conrath, who manages fellow ''fonnkèr'' artists

Danyèl Waro Daniel Hoareau (born 10 May 1955 in Le Tampon (Réunion, France), better known by his stage name Danyèl Waro, is a French musician, singer-songwriter and poet of Maloya. Biography Danyèl Waro is a symbol of the revival of maloya music. Malo ...

and Zanmari Baré, O'aro released a self-titled album in 2018. It received critical acclaim from such publications as ''

Télérama ''Télérama'' is a weekly French language, French cultural and television magazine published in Paris, France. The name is a contraction of its earlier title: ''Télévision-Radio-Cinéma''. Fabienne Pascaud is currently managing editor. Ludovic ...

'', with one critic writing that "''Ann O’Aro'' is the sound of Réunion itself." The

Académie Charles Cros The Académie Charles Cros (Charles Cros Academy) is an organization located in Chézy-sur-Marne, France, that acts as an intermediary between government cultural policy makers and professionals in music and the recording industry. The academy ...

awarded the album its Coup de Coeur Francophone award in 2019. She toured France and Réunion with Danyèl Waro in 2019 and 2020. In 2019, O'aro published a bilingual

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

-Réunion Creole collection of poetic dialogues, titled ''Saplë lo shien - Cantique de la meute''. The following year, she released her second album, ''Longoz''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oaro, Ann 1990 births Musicians from Réunion Singers from Réunion Writers from Réunion Women from Réunion Living people