Bécane

"Bécane"
Single by Yamê
from the EP Elowi
Released1 June 2023 (2023-06-01) (A Colors Show version)
13 June 2023 (2023-06-13) (single version)
Length3:06
Label
SongwriterEmmanuel Sow
Producers
  • Yamê
  • Pandrezz
  • KronoMuzik
  • Epektase
Yamê singles chronology
"Call of Valhalla"
(2023) 		"Bécane"
(2023)

"Bécane" is a song by French Cameroonian singer Yamê. It was released on 13 June 2023 by DBS Records and Naïve. It is the second single from his debut EP, Elowi. In 2023, with three producers, Yamê created "Bécane". He wanted to mainly sing instead of rap. Yamê made a live performance of the song at the Colors Show on 1 June, which went viral on the internet and topped the Viral 50 chart on Spotify. The song was officially released on 13 June. The song discusses freedom and uses a motorbike to represent freedom.

"Bécane" received acclaim from numerous critics, who praised its melody and the singing of Yamê. In January 2024, Yamê released a music video for "Bécane," which was directed by Mateo Da Silva.

Background and release

Yamê received a bachelor's degree in history in 2020. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Yamê shared his music on TikTok. Through this, he released his first mixtape in September 2020, titled Bantu Mixtape Vol. 1 and later released Bantu Mixtape Vol. 2. He then released his first album, Agent 237, a year later.[1][2] Yamê shifted to more piano and vocals instead of rap in 2022.[2] In 2023, he decided to create another album, dubbed Elowi. Pandrezz, KronoMuzik, and Epektase produced the album due to "type beats" no longer being possible to use. The producers mainly used hip-hop and trap but also had the possibility of using acoustic sounds.[2] Yamê, in an interview with OkayAfrica, said that he wrote "Bécane" without "thinking about the melody"; he was more focused on rapping. After creating the lyrics, he found out he wanted to sing more than rap. Yamê also stated that the chorus was the easiest part to sing, adding that it was the "most fluid."[3]

He added in the interview that he wanted to rap first before singing in the chorus.[4] After sharing the song in TikTok, he met a person working at "A Colors Show", leading to him traveling to Berlin to record the song.[1] He released the song while being featured on the YouTube channel on 1 June 2023[1][5] with a minimalist video containing a single color and a microphone, according to Pan African Music.[2] "Bécane" was released again on 13 June as a single.[6] Elowi was released on 13 October; the song was released as a part of it.[7]

Music and lyrics

"Bécane" is three minutes long and is described as having influences of jazz, soul, and rap.[6][8] The song discusses seeking freedom: Yamê said in an interview with OkayAfrica that, in Paris, it is "very crowded," causing people to use motorbikes to travel. He added that "you can travel at any time," stating, "For me, it’s the motorbike because I could go see my friends freely, go anywhere freely."[3] Yamê then added that the song was generally about a tool that helps "seek freedom". While discussing freedom, Yamê also talks about the stress of computer work while stating that he would take "any risk" to get out of the job. According to Pan African Music, it also praises the "reliability" of German engines while opposing businesses based on rules.[2] "Sur ma bécane, je file droit vers l’horizon" (transl. On my bike, I head straight toward the horizon) expresses a desire for freedom, according to Melo while "Seul sur la route, je fais face à moi-même" (transl. Alone on the road, I face myself) talks about a "yearning" for escape.[9]

Critical reception

According to Générations, Yamê "exploded the counters" with his performance in "A Colors Show" while establishing himself as one of the "most promising artists."[8] Clémence Depresle of Le Petit Bulletin reported a "gentle" instrumental accompanied by a "honeyed voice" that easily changes pitch. Depresle added that "Yamê attend l'arrivée des basses pour exprimer une voix plus affirmée, révélant ses influences rap, qui s'accompagnent d'ailleurs d'une gestuelle plus expressive." (transl. Yamê waits for the bass to come in before expressing a more assertive voice, revealing his rap influences, which are accompanied by more expressive gestures.) Depresle noted that the artist's look during the "A Colors Show" performance was "hard to categorize" with an oversized T-shirt and a fringed jacket with a feather-like effect.[10] Ségo Raffaitin of Radio Nova said that the chorus was "stuck on everyone's mind" and that the song is "undeniably" one of the bangers of 2023. Raffaitin added that the song had a "delightful" melody while mentioning its music video. He said that the song made you want to "hit the road and devour the asphalt on a stylish ride, stating that his high-pitched and raw voice without autotune was a rarity.[11] Guillaume Dubigny of Melo described Yamê's voice as singular while spanning several octaves with "distinctive phrasing amplified by astonishing pitch jumps".[9]

Music video

Development

The music video for Bécane was directed by Mateo De Silva and was released in January 2024. Although Yamê was born in France, he decided to record the video in Cameroon due to the country being his parents' hometown and also wanted to include motorbikes in the video. He stated: "I felt I had to go back and shoot my first successful video in my family’s hometown. Even if I didn’t have much time, it was really cool." He added that he met a "really good" production team which could shoot in Cameroon,[3][4] stating in an interview that shooting in Africa is not "always easy". Yamê described everything as "different" in Africa.[4] After finishing the video, Yamê thanked the city of Douala, the leader of the motorcycle union, and others in an Instagram post.[12]

Synopsis

The beginning of the music video shows Yamê paying tribute to benskinneurs, or motorcycle taxi drivers.[12] At a repair shop, Yamê fixes the lower part of a motorcycle during the first verse while arguing with another person. Yamê storms off when the pre-chorus starts. He walks to his motorcycle, sits on it, and puts on his coat. Then, a group of bikers chase him around his home in Douala[2] in the first chorus. In the bridge, Yamê arrives at a shipping container yard. He walks inside the yard and joins a group of people in a hideout. In the final chorus, Yamê interacts with the group and rides with them. The final scenes show him walk along the container yard and interact with the group.

Viral success and live performance

"Bécane", according to Dubigny, had once entered the Spotify's world viral Top 50 ranking with many shares in TikTok, contributing to the song's popularity.[9] As the song went viral, the performance on "A Colors Show" was one of the highest viewed in the channel, topping Doja Cat and Gunna.[1] Le Petit Bulletin acknowledged the performance as the most-viewed French language video in the channel.[10] As a result of its virality, the song was a part of a TikTok trend.[1] On 26 January 2024, Générations reported that the song had 35.8 million views in its "A Colors Show" performance.[13] In June 2024, OkayAfrica reported that the performance had 70 million views in YouTube.[3] Currently, the song has 68 million streams.[14] As of late 2023, the hastag #Yame on TikTok has 337 million views.[15] Pan African Music reported that Yamê had 900,000 followers on TikTok as of February 2024.[2] After the song went viral, Timbaland messaged Yamê and created a remake of the song.[3] In 2024, the song was also remade by Trinix, a French electronic music group.[16] At the Victoires de la Musique, Yamê won Male Revelation of the Year.[8] Yamê performed the song, along with the rest of the songs in Elowi, at the 2024 Les Francos de Montréal; according to magazine Atuvu, he "set the room on fire" while singing the song.[12]

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from Apple Music (Malaysia).[17]

  • Yamê - vocals, songwriting
  • Epektase - composing
  • Pandrezz - composing

Charts

Chart performance for "Bécane"
Chart (2023–2024) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[18] 11
Canada Hot 100 (Canadian Hot 100)[19] 94
France (SNEP)[20] 5
Luxembourg (Billboard)[21] 10
Portugal (AFP)[22] 58
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] 27
Turkey (Radiomonitor Türkiye)[24] 6

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
France (SNEP)[25] Diamond 333,333‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Yamê, révélation masculine de l'année, enflamme Strasbourg" [Yamê, Male Revelation of the Year, Ignites Strasbourg]. Top Music (in French). Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Volle, Hortense (21 February 2024). "Yamê : A tête et voix haute" [Yamê takes the world by storm]. Pan African Music. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e Esene, Shalom (25 June 2024). "Yamê on His Sound, Success of "Bécane" and Filming the Music Video in Cameroon". OkayAfrica. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  4. ^ a b c Yamê on His Hit Song, Bécane, and How His Cameroonian Parents Influenced His Music Career (Video). OkayAfrica. 26 June 2024 – via YouTube.
  5. ^ "Bécane - A COLORS SHOW - Single". Apple Music (US). 1 June 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Bécane - Single". Apple Music (US). 13 June 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  7. ^ "ELOWI". Apple Music (US). 13 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  8. ^ a b c Gilles-Bourgeois, William (4 July 2025). "A la croisée des continents" [At the crossroads of continents]. Ahraminfo. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  9. ^ a b c Dubigny, Guillaume. "Bécane". Melo. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  10. ^ a b "Yamê : "J'ai envie d'aborder des sujets personnels et touchants, avec simplicité"" [Yamê: "I want to tackle personal and moving subjects, with simplicity"]. Petit Bulletin Lyon (in French). Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  11. ^ Raffaitin, Ségo. "Yamê, "Un piano, des chicots, t'as capté"" [Yamê, "A piano, some teeth, you get it"]. Radio Nova (in French). Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  12. ^ a b c Fouda, Natacha (28 January 2024). "« Bécane » : Yamê tourne le clip vidéo au Cameroun" ["Bécane": Yamê shoots the music video in Cameroon]. Newstories Africa (in French). Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  13. ^ Binet, Stéphanie (26 January 2024). "Yamê dévoile (enfin) un clip pour "Bécane"". Générations. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  14. ^ "Yamê". Goodlive Artists. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  15. ^ Dangien, Simon (12 December 2023). "L'ascension folle de Yamê qui part à la conquête du monde entier" [The meteoric rise of Yamê as he sets out to conquer the entire world]. Konbini. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
  16. ^ Seck, Nago (13 August 2023). "Yamê". Afrisson (in French). Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  17. ^ "Bécane". Apple Music (MY). 13 October 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  18. ^ "Yamê – Bécane" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  19. ^ "Billboard Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  20. ^ "Yamê – Bécane" (in French). Le classement de singles.
  21. ^ "Luxembourg Songs: Week of January 13, 2024". Billboard. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  22. ^ "Yamê – Bécane". AFP Top 100 Singles.
  23. ^ "Yamê – Bécane". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  24. ^ @RadiomonitorTR (9 February 2024). "Radiomonitor Türkiye Uluslararası Listesi Dinlenme Adedi bazında...!! 6. Hafta Top10" [Radiomonitor Turkey International Chart based on number of listens...!!! Week 6 Top10] (Tweet). Retrieved 24 August 2024 – via X (formerly Twitter).
  25. ^ "French single certifications – Yamê – Bécane" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.