Siân Pottok

“That heavenly voice, that groove, that charisma, the clarity of the melodies... Beyond being a ‘10-in-1’ artist, the beautiful Siân Pottok is quite simply a virtuoso.” – ELLE

Author, composer, musician, performer, and photographer, Siân Pottok reveals an interconnected world, a cultural synthesis forged by her Indian, Congolese, Belgian, and Slovakian origins, as well as her American roots. Born in West Palm Beach, she grew up between Belgium and New York.

After studying at the ATLA school and the Nadia-Lili Boulanger Jazz Conservatory in Paris in 2004, Siân began her career performing in Parisian jazz clubs. In 2009, she moved to New York, working odd jobs while performing in clubs in Brooklyn and Manhattan. During this period, she had the opportunity to sing alongside great musicians such as Richard Bona, Mike Stern, Grégoire Maret, and Clarence Penn.

In 2012, Siân traveled to India to work with an NGO (IRDRP) caring for children orphaned by AIDS, where she led cultural workshops focused on music. In 2020 and 2022, she traveled to southern Africa (Zambia, South Africa, Botswana), invited by the Alliance Française network, to carry out cultural and photographic projects with women in precarious situations (single mothers, refugees, victims of violence).  She also collaborates with various humanitarian organizations such as: VDAY (founded by Eve Ensler, author of “The Vagina Monologues”), SOS Children's Villages, and Women Safe & Children.

Learning the cello under the tutelage of Vincent Segal allowed her to meet Ballaké Sissoko and Cyril Atef, and to discover new musical horizons. Her childhood, rocked by the songs of Myriam Makeba, Kadja Nin, Harry Belafonte, and Papa Wemba, provoked in Siân a deep need to return to her African roots. The Kamele Ngoni, a traditional West African harp, with its celestial and spiritual dimension, became both the double of her voice and the backbone of her cultural mix. It was this path that reconnected her to her origins.

Trained by the master Abou Diarra, she embraced this instrument, which sparked a creative impulse within her. Since then, Siân has incorporated electronic sounds into her compositions, creating a musical tapestry that connects all her origins.

Alongside her album, Siân is also part of the Claude Nougaro tribute project “NEW'GARO” alongside Thomas De Pourquery, Sanseverino, Jowee Omicil, Marion Rampal, Gabi Hartmann... which was performed this summer 2024 at Jazz à Vienne, Les Sud d'Arles, and Jazz in Marciac.

If she had to be classified, Siân (pronounced “SHAN”) would be alongside exploratory and hybrid artists such as Björk, Joni Mitchell, Billie Eilish, Yaël Naïm, and Jenny Wilson, who are perpetually seeking reinvention.