David Donatien
Introducing David Donatien
David Donatien, Grammy-winning producer, captivates global audiences with his extraordinary talent.
David is celebrated for his mesmerizing arrangements. His unique style blends his caribean folk music roots, black music and pop to create unforgettable organic tracks, oriented towards texture and modernity.
He values human collaboration, seamlessly weaves the talents and creativity of artists into his productions, breathing life into each note and harmonizing the collective spirit of the music.
His career as producer
After 15 years as a sideman for many different artists in France, David met Yael Naim in 2004. They started collaborating and developping a band together. They founded the production company Mouselephant.
The album Yael Naim was released in France on the 22nd of October, 2007. It was subsequently released in 18 countries thanks to the success of the song New Soul: used by Apple to advertise its MacBook Air computer, the song appeared in most of the international charts, including the Billboard Hot 100, where it went straight into the top 10. That same year, Yael Naim won the Victoire de la Musique award for Best World Music Album, and embarked on a two-year tour with David Donatien, playing over 200 concerts around the world.
In 2009, he took part in the tribute project to the industrial music group Coil, This Immortal Coil, on the album The Dark Age of Love.
In 2010, he reunited with Bernard Lavilliers, with whom he had been a sideman, and produced the track Sourire en coin, which appeared on the album Causes perdues et Musiques Tropicales (Victoire de la Musique award for Best Album).
He co-produced Yael Naim's album She was a boy (Victoire de la Musique award for Best Female Artist 2011), released on 15 November 2010, on which he composed the song Go to the river. A two-year tour followed the album's release, taking in Europe, the United States, Japan and South America.
In 2013, he produced the song Le jour se lève for Mayra Andrade.
Together with Yael Naim, they produced Older, released in March 2015 (Victoire de la Musique award for Best Female Artist - 2016).
In 2019, he produced the album Celia by Beninese singer Angelique Kidjo, a tribute to Cuban artist Celia Cruz, which in 2020 won the Grammy award for best world music album. In 2021, they repeated the experience with the production of the track One Africa on the album Mother Nature, which won the Grammy award for best global music album.
Main PRODUCING Collaborations
Brad Mehldau
Meshell N’Degeocello
Tony Allen
Russel Elevado
Zigaboo the Modeliste (The Meters)
Sons of Kemets
Camille
Yael Naim
Angelique Kidjo
Awards and distinctions
2008: Victoire de la musique for World Music Album of the Year for Yael Naim
2009: "Créateurs sans frontières" Cultures France Trophy (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
2011: Grand prix for Sacem export repertoire
2012: Victoire de la musique for Female Artist for She was a boy by Yael Naim
2012: Globe de cristal
2013: Chevalier de l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres
2016: Victoire de la musique for Best Female Artist for "Older" by Yael Naim
2020: Grammy award for Best World Music Album for "Celia" by Angelique Kidjo
2021: Grammy award for best global music album for "Mother nature" by Angelique Kidjo
2022: Medal of the city of Fort-de-France
with Daniel Roméo and Zigaboo
with Angelique Kidjo
with Tony Allen
with Angelique Kidjo at the Grammys ceremony
with Russel Elevado