Werenoi, the rapper who sold more records than any other act in France in recent years, died at the age of 31. His record label and producer confirmed the news.
A list put together by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) shows that the singer, whose real name was Jérémy Bana Owona, sold more albums than anyone else in France in 2023 and 2024. This list includes sales in stores, online, and on streaming services.
It was with great sadness that his record company, Believe, learned of Werenoi’s death on Instagram. “Our thoughts are with his family, friends, teammates, and everyone who knew him.”
His manager Babs wrote on X, “Rest in peace my brother, I love you.”
French news sources say Werenoi passed away early Saturday morning (May 17) in a hospital in Paris. No one knows what caused his death.
People in France first heard of Werenoi when he put his song “Guadalajara” on YouTube in 2021. It was watched hundreds of thousand times.
He made a lot of noise in French rap with three albums: Carré in 2023, Pyramide in 2024, and Diamant Noir in 2025.
A number of French singers paid their respects on social media.
Werenoi’s second record had a song by French-Malian pop star Aya Nakamura, who wrote, “Rest in peace my dude.” This is sad news, and I hope your loved ones are strong.
“He made a difference for the quality of his songs, his melodies and his punchlines,” singer Pascal Obispo told the French newspaper Le Parisien. Obispo had played the piano with Werenoi at a show in Paris in 2023.
