Quick Facts
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Biography
Yannick Ilunga (born August 25, 1990), better known by his stage name Petite Noir, is a Belgian-South African singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer from Cape Town, Western Cape. Noir was one half of Popskarr with record producer and DJ Terrence Pearce, and a member of the music collective Capital of Cool. He is currently signed to Double Six Records. His debut extended play The King of Anxiety was released in January 2015 and his debut studio album La vie est belle / Life Is Beautiful was released in September of the same year.
Career
2009–12: Popskarr
Petite Noir began his musical career in 2009 with record producer Terrence Pearce as the music duo Popskarr. They have released various singles from 2009 to 2012 and have not released any material together since. Noir's debut solo single "Till We Ghosts" was released in 2012 and was later included on his 2015 debut extended play The King of Anxiety. Also in 2012, Noir released the non-album single "Disappear".
2013–14: Early solo career
In May 2013, English hip hop recording artist released a Petite Noir remix of his song "Blackout". Noir released another non-album single called "Noirse" in 2013. In November 2013, a remix of "Noirse" was included on the compilation album Saint Heron. In 2014, Noir released a track called "Chess", which would later be included in both his debut extended play The King of Anxiety and his debut studio album La vie est belle / Life Is Beautiful.
2015–present: The King of Anxiety and La vie est belle / Life Is Beautiful
On January 19, 2015, Petite Noir released his debut extended play The King of Anxiety. Pitchfork Media praised the EP as "seamless, subtle and lithe and luminously sexy". It was supported by two singles, "Till We Ghosts" and "Chess".
On September 11, 2015, he released his debut studio album, La vie est belle / Life Is Beautiful It scored a 79 on aggregate review website Metacritic. It was supported by four singles, "Chess", "Down", "Best", and "MDR". In 2015 and 2016, Noir performed live with artists Mac Demarco, Vince Staples, Kendrick Lamar, Killer Mike, and El-P, among others.
In September 2016, Noir was featured on American hip hop recording artist Danny Brown's fourth studio album Atrocity Exhibition on track "Rolling Stone". It was officially released on September 27, but played on Zane Lowe's Beats 1 radio show on September 15.
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| La vie est belle / Life Is Beautiful |
|
EPs
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| The King of Anxiety |
|
Singles
As lead artist
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Till We Ghosts" | 2012 | The King of Anxiety |
| "Disappear" | none-album singles | |
| "Noirse" | 2013 | |
| "Chess" | 2014 | The King of Anxiety |
| "Chess" | La vie est belle / Life Is Beautiful | |
| "Down" | 2015 | |
| "Best" | ||
| "MDR" |
With Terrence Pearce, as Popskarr
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "The Light" (featuring Spoek Mathambo) | 2009 | none-album singles |
| "Tonight" | ||
| "Obsession" (featuring Gazelle) | 2010 | |
| "The Rise" | ||
| "The Finish Line" | ||
| "Empathy" | 2011 | |
| "Fighter" | 2012 |
Guest appearances
| Title | Year | Artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Blackout" (Petite Noir Remix) | 2013 | N/A | N/A |
| "Noirse" (Pional Remix) | Saint Heron | ||
| "Lost in London" | 2015 | The Shoes | Chemicals |
| "Capture" | Baloji, Muanza | 64 Bits and Malachite | |
| "Night Time" (Petite Noir Remix) | The fin. | Night Time | |
| "Rolling Stone" | 2016 | Danny Brown | Atrocity Exhibition |