About
French-Cameroonian vocalist & songwriter from Paris blending multilingual jazz, soul & French chanson
Suzie Telep weaves a musical journey between Paris, Douala, and Chicago through jazz, soul, and multilingual storytelling rooted in migration, belonging, and memory
Suzie Telep is a French-Cameroonian vocalist, songwriter, and composer from Paris, now based in Chicago. Her multicultural upbringing has profoundly shaped her music—a vibrant fusion of jazz, soul/R&B, and gospel, enriched with African and Caribbean rhythms. With a powerful, warm, and groovy voice, Suzie's energetic stage presence creates an immersive sonic experience, celebrating multiculturalism, joy, and self-affirmation. Inspired by legends like Ella Fitzgerald, Dianne Reeves, Angélique Kidjo, and Miriam Makeba, she enchants audiences with her storytelling and unique sound.
Growing up amidst Paris's rich tapestry of cultures, Suzie's passion for music was ignited by "West Side Story," leading her to classical voice lessons. Later, she studied vocal jazz, jazz composition, and arrangement at the Bill Evans Piano Academy in Paris. Her career took a pivotal turn there in 2017 with a performance at Café Universel, marking her entry into the jazz scene. She has since performed at notable Paris jazz venues including 38 Riv and Péniche Marcounet, as well as at Clara, the Epiphany Center for the Arts, the DuSable Museum, and the Alliance Française de Chicago. She also portrayed Aretha Franklin in a 2019 TV documentary on France 2, showcasing her versatility as a performer.
Suzie's live performances blend musical and linguistic exploration, inspiring joy and reflection on societal issues while celebrating diverse identities. She explores the music and poetry of various languages—English, French, Creole, Basaa, and more—enriching her voice with unexpected sounds. A standout performance at the Saint-Barthélemy Jazz & Book festival highlighted her connection with audiences.
Featured in Saint-Barth Weekly as "an outstanding multidimensional artist," Suzie's upcoming EP, Afropean Travel, blends jazz, soul, gospel, and Afro-Caribbean music, reclaiming her ancestors' narratives and exploring her identity as a Black French-Cameroonian woman.
By day, Suzie is a professor of anthropology at the University of Illinois, where she explores language, fashion, music, and identity in the Black diaspora. Her research includes award-winning work on language and identity among the Cameroonian diaspora in Paris, recognized by the Richard Mille – La Francophonie en Débat prize.
VIDEOS
Press
“An outstanding multidimensional artist, a big talent who invites listeners to immerse themselves in her universe of musical and linguistic explorations”
GALLERY
Artist-scholar
Suzie Telep is a jazz singer-songwriter, professor of linguistic and cultural anthropology, and scholar of Black feminist aesthetics at the University of Illinois. Her creative scholarship explores the power of voice, diasporic sound, and multilingual storytelling across Africa, Europe, and the Americas. Bridging performance and research, she engages both the stage and the classroom as interwoven spaces of critical inquiry, cultural memory, and artistic expression.
Through artist talks, performance-lectures, workshops, and interdisciplinary programs, Suzie brings music and scholarship into dynamic dialogue—grounded in her experiences as a French-Cameroonian woman and informed by her training as an anthropologist, linguist, and performer.
More on Suzie’s academic work: University of Illinois profile →Suzie Telep | Department of Anthropology | Illinois