Yoa


Yoanna Bolzli, professionally known as Yoa, is a French-Swiss singer-songwriter and actress.
After starting her career in theater, she ventured into music and released her first EP Attentes on October 22, 2021. She released her second EP Chansons tristes on November 25, 2022, followed by a reissue on July 15, 2023, featuring three new tracks. Her latest EP Nulle was released on June 14, 2024.
Yoa released her first studio album La Favorite on January 31, 2025. At the 40th Victoires de la Musique ceremony in 2025, she won the Breakthrough Live Performance award.

Biography

Yoa was born as Yoanna Bolzli on December 24, 1998, in Paris to a Swiss Jurassian father and a Cameroonian mother.
She began playing piano at age 7. After studying English, arts, and literature, she started her artistic career in theater. She co-wrote and produced a play titled "Régime soupe aux choux: mode d'emploi" with Léa Goldstein, which they performed from March 2020 to August 2022.
She signed with Panenka Music label and released her second EP Chansons tristes in late 2022. In 2022, she was selected for Les Inouïs du Printemps de Bourges and Le Chantier des Francofolies. She appeared on Georgio's album Années sauvages, released under the same label. After releasing a new single Matcha Queen in early 2024, she released her new EP "Nulle" on June 14, 2024. Her first album La Favorite, containing 15 tracks, was released on January 31, 2025. That same year, she won the Breakthrough Live Performance award at the Victoires de la Musique and was nominated in the Female Breakthrough category. Following a French tour and a performance at the Olympia on April 15, 2025, Yoa is scheduled to perform at Salle Pleyel in Paris on January 29 and 30, 2026.

Theater

Activism

On July 15, 2025, the artist canceled her performance at the Francofolies de Spa festival due to singer Amir's presence on the lineup. She explained her decision by stating that her social, political, and humanist convictions prevented her from sharing a stage with an artist who does not acknowledge the ongoing situation in Palestine and who has participated in events supporting the Israeli military. She thanked those who informed her about the situation. In response, Amir's record label Parlophone issued a statement condemning what they described as antisemitic hate speech.

Discography

Studio albums
  • ''La Favorite''