Stream Petite Noir's Debut Album 'La Vie Est Belle / Life Is Beautiful'
Petite Noir's debut album 'La Vie Est Belle / Life Is Beautiful' is streaming a week early via NPR First Listen.
<p><em>Photo Credit: Travys Owen</em></p><p><strong>Yannick Ilunga</strong>– the Cape Town-raised, Congolese-Angolan Noirwave founder known as <strong><a href="http://www.okayafrica.com/tag/petite-noir/" target="_blank">Petite Noir</a></strong>– is gearing up to release his 11-track debut album, <em>La Vie Est Belle / Life Is Beautiful</em>, next Friday, September 11, on <strong>Domino Records</strong>. So far he's shared the singles "<a href="http://www.okayafrica.com/news/petite-noir-down-lubumbashi-drc-music-video/" target="_blank">Down</a>," "<a href="http://www.okayafrica.com/news/petite-noir-best-video/" target="_blank">Best</a>," and most recently the love song "<a href="http://www.okayafrica.com/news/petite-noir-mdr-stream/" target="_blank">MDR</a>." As of tonight, the album is streaming in full via the <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/inside/2009/08/npr_media_player_update.html" target="_blank">now-embeddable</a> <strong><a href="http://www.npr.org/2015/09/02/436304494/first-listen-petite-noir-la-vie-est-belle-life-is-beautiful" target="_blank">NPR First Listen</a></strong>.</p><p><em>La Vie Est Belle / Life Is Beautiful</em> is the follow-up to <em><a href="http://www.okayafrica.com/news/petite-noir-the-king-of-anxiety-ep-yasiin-bey/" target="_blank">The King of Anxiety</a></em>, a 5-track EP out in January that included "Come Inside," "<a href="http://www.okayafrica.com/news/petite-noir-chess-music-video/" target="_blank">Chess</a>," "Shadows," "<a href="http://www.okayafrica.com/news/petite-noir-the-fall-video/" target="_blank">The Fall</a>" and the early Noirwave staple "Till We Ghosts." The record, which takes its name from a Congolese film of the same name, looks to expand on Petite Noir’s concept of ‘Noirwave’ — a forward-thinking African aesthetic influenced by the likes of<strong> Fela Kuti</strong>, <strong>Tabu Ley Rochereau</strong> and <strong>Yasiin Bey</strong> (who he has <a href="http://www.okayafrica.com/news/petite-noir-yasiin-bey-mos-def-till-we-ghosts-the-king-of-anxiety/" target="_blank">previously collaborated with</a>). “It’s just the story their music tells and the sense of freedom,” Ilunga says in a press release. “It’s about seeing the positive in dark times.”</p><p><div class="preroll-video"></div><ora-player></ora-player></p><p>The album is available for pre-order through <a href="http://www.dominorecordco.us/usa/albums/22-06-15/la-vie-est-belle--life-is-beautiful/" target="_blank">Domino Records</a> and <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/la-vie-est-belle-life-is-beautiful/id1007667337?app=itunes&ign-mpt=uo%3D4" target="_blank">iTunes</a>. Listen below.</p><p><iframe frameborder="0" height="290" scrolling="no" src="http://www.npr.org/player/embed/436304494/436362584" width="100%"></iframe></p><p><strong><em>La Vie Est Belle / Life Is Beautiful</em> Tracklisting</strong></p><p>01. Intro Noirwave</p><p>02. Best</p><p>03. Freedom</p><p>04. Seventeen (Stay)</p><p>05. Just Breathe</p><p>06. La Vie Est Belle / Life Is Beautiful</p><p>07. MDR</p><p>08. Colour</p><p>09. Down</p><p>10. Inside</p><p>11. Chess</p><p><strong>PETITE NOIR TOUR DATES</strong></p><p>Tues September 15 || London, UK || Lexington</p><p>Wed September 16 || Glasgow, UK || Stereo</p><p><div class="dfp_atf-slot" data-not-loaded="true"></div><script type="text/javascript">
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</script></p><p>Thu September 17 || Manchester, UK || Deaf Institute</p><p>Sat September 19 || Nurnburg, Festival, Germany || Melt!</p><p>Mon September 21 || Paris, France || Badaboum</p><p>Tues September 22 || Brussels, Belgium || Botanique/Witloofbar</p><p>Thu September 24 || Amsterdam, Netherlands || Melkweg</p><p>Fri September 25 || Hamburg, Festival, Germany || Reeperbahn Festival</p>
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