Born in Chicago to Haitian parents, Malou was raised in New York, growing up with brother and rock phenomenon Jean Beauvoir (The Ramones, Kiss). She moved to Paris at 15 to attend the American University and pursue her artistic passions. Juggling both art and business while earning an MBA and a senior position in the high-tech industry, by the end of the 1990s she devoted herself exclusively to singing and acting, securing engagements in venues around the world — from Dubai to Rio, Beirut, London, and Paris, where she performed for two years as lead singer at the renowned Paradis Latin. She currently splits her time between Brussels and New York, continuing to travel around the world.

 

Beauvoir’s acting career has included roles in Stephen Frears’ Oscar-winning The Queen, Élisabeth Rappeneau’s Paul et ses Femmes, in which she plays Agnes, a jazz singer (Beauvoir wrote the song she performs in the film), Christian Carion’s Farewell, and the hit TV series Perception. 

 

Malou has enjoyed a diverse recording career ranging from featured Universal France artist (Datafolk) to collaborations with hip hop, dance and house artists. A chance encounter with jazz drummer Tristan Maillot eventually led to jazz studies with Anita Wardell (Best Jazz Vocalist, British Jazz Awards), and a discovery of the beauty and freedom inherent in singing jazz. Auspiciously, she was heard in Paris by French jazz producer and bassist Jean Chaudron, leading to her first jazz recording: An Evening at The Swan (2006) with the Jean Chaudron Trio — a mélange of diverse styles, cultures and musical influences coalescing through the warmth and sensuality of Malou’s voice. Next came Live at The Lionel Hampton (2008) with Chaudron’s quintet, a soulful and eclectic memento of a week’s residence at the famed Paris jazz club. Meeting Belgian pianist Ivan Paduart in Brussels led to Live at The Music Village (2012), and the launch of “Malou Invites”— a monthly engagement at the Belgian club, exploring diverse styles of music and collaborating with different guests.

 

Back in New York, Beauvoir performed at such legendary venues as Minton’s Playhouse and Smalls, sharing the stage with musicians including Benny Wallace, Donald Vega, Danny Mixon, Terrell Stafford and Hernan Riley. Is This Love (2016), recorded at Avatar studios (arranged by Andy Ezrin, with Bobby Mann, Ben Wittman, David Finck, Brian Pareschi and three-time Grammy nominee Donny McCaslin) rose to the top 50 on the JazzWeek charts within a few weeks. That same year she appeared on pianist Greg Murphy’s Summer Breeze, offering a cover of “Sophisticated Lady” and co-writing “A Reason to Smile.”

 

Malou has also supported and performed for the Fonkoze Foundation — Haiti’s leading microfinance institution, empowering Haitian women, as well as other foundations supporting musical programs for children, such as BackCountry Jazz. She is currently working on creating a foundation in Haiti to increase awareness of the cultural heritage of Vaudou, and promote education and development in rural regions.

 

 

Following a performance alongside Cecile McLorin-Salvant at the Jazz Magazine Festival in Paris in 2017, Malou made her first appearance at the Port-au-Prince jazz festival in Haiti, introducing a new Haitian folkloric project. This work culminated in her 2018 recording Spiritwalker — an homage to traditional Haitian spirits and folklore. “I’ve always taken comfort in the guidance and visions they offered me,” she says of the spirits, who have been with her since childhood. “The spiritual aspect has always infused my music, but is now more evident, representing the essence of my sound, and is fundamental to all that I do.”