Clarisse Arnou
Presented at MaMA Music & Convention 2022 by the festival and Sacem, Clarisse Arnou becomes the latest recipient of the Keychange Inspiration Award! Clarisse has an extensive and notable career in the French music industry, signing prominent emerging acts, including managing Thylacine, one of the most promising French electro producer. She is further recognised for her work with MEWEM, a gender equity and mentoring programme for women in the music industry.
Photo Credit: Philippe Levy
Clarisse Arnou began her career at 21 in the music industry, as an artist manager. Interested in developing independent ways of managing careers, she started a music company for the internationally recognised world music band Lo’Jo, in order to produce and publish their albums.
In 2011, she took over the record label Yotanka and became its CEO. With her partner and team, she has signed new artists, such as Kid Francescoli, Puts Marie, Elisapie, Muthoni Drummer Queen, Octave Noire, Mesparrow, Palatine, BRNS, Dope Saint Jude, Elisapie... to name a few. The record label kept growing, along with the publishing repertoire of the company.
In 2017, she took on a new artist Thylacine, and became manager of one of the most promising French electro producer.
Recently elected President of the UPFI (union of French independent records labels), Clarisse is also committed to the mentoring program for women in the music industry MEWEM for 3 years.
Christine Lidon, author and composer & Vice President of Sacem, says;
“ The recent appointment of Clarisse Arnou to the position of President of UPFI (Union des Producteurs Phonographiques Français Indépendants) and her impressive career, as a Producer, Publisher, Manager and Co-director at Yotanka, linked with her engagement for gender equality through a programme like MEWEM, are the reason why the French partners, the MaMa Festival and Sacem, are more than delighted to make her the laureate of the Keychange Inspiration Award this year.”