Pat Kalla
A pocketful of soul, a piece of Africa, a kola nut and tales to share: Pat Kalla turns every stage into a celebration. With Le Bal de Pat Kalla and the album De l'air dans les mots, the Super Mojo leader gets children and grown-ups dancing, from punk-style Steve Waring to Brassens in makossa rhythm.
Biography
Pat Kalla, born Patrice Kalla, is a singer, storyteller and songwriter born in Lyon, to a politically engaged Cameroonian musician father and a French mother with literary roots. From childhood he soaked up African music — makossa, Afrobeat, highlife — while falling for spoken word, soul, rap and the art of storytelling inherited from his grandmother. In 2009 he created the show Conte & Soul, a fusion of soul and spoken storytelling that won the ADAMI Mino Prize in 2011, followed by La Légende d'Eboa King in 2014.
In 2016 he founded Pat Kalla & Le Super Mojo and became lead MC of the Voilaaa Sound System collective. With Super Mojo he released Jongler (2018, Favorite Recordings, artistic direction by Bruno “Patchworks”), Hymne à la vie (2021, Heavenly Sweetness, artistic direction by Guts) and Belle Terre (2023). Sung in French, his music builds a bridge across Africa and its diaspora: soul, funk, Afrobeat, makossa and cumbia answer each other with infectious energy.
In 2024 Pat Kalla released his first album for children, De l'air dans les mots (Irfan label), featuring prestigious guests such as Steve Waring and Djeuhdjoah and flavours from Réunion, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean — an album crowned by the Grand Prix of the Académie Charles Cros in 2025. On stage the album becomes a children's concert, and Le Bal de Pat Kalla (Jaspir Prod) breaks the rules of the kids' ball: songs chosen by the children are transformed live — Afro, funk, rock or metal — for a family show touring in 2026.
On video — official clips and live performances
Bal de Pat Kalla · Official 2026 teaser (Association Jaspir)
Baobab sans papier, from De l'air dans les mots · Live session (Association Jaspir)
Baobab sans papier · Studio Trois programme, France 3 Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Milestones
ADAMI Mino Prize in 2011 for Conte & Soul; albums Jongler (2018), Hymne à la vie (2021) and Belle Terre (2023) with Le Super Mojo; MC of Voilaaa Sound System since 2016 (albums On te l'avait dit, Des Promesses, Voiciii, C'est tout); contributor on Nova Lyon from 2016 to 2019; De l'air dans les mots (2024), Grand Prix of the Académie Charles Cros 2025; the children's ball has played Festival Momix, the Festival du Parc Floral in Paris and Les Subsistances in Lyon.
Show formats
- Children's ball
- Children's concert “De l'air dans les mots”
- Concert with Le Super Mojo
- Musical storytelling
Pro Kit & contact
Booking: Jaspir Prod — Le Bal de Pat Kalla and the “De l'air dans les mots” concert are toured by Jaspir Prod (prod.jaspir.com).