Raffi

About Raffi

Raffi Cavoukian is a Canadian children's folk singer and songwriter known professionally as Raffi. His 1976 debut album "Singable Songs for the Very Young" sold over 1.3 million copies worldwide. He is best known for signature songs including "Baby Beluga" and "Bananaphone," which earned a Juno Award and Grammy nomination in 1994. A Member of the Order of Canada since 1983, he was promoted to Companion in 2025.

In this interview

• Discusses his autobiography "Raffi the Life of a Children's Troubadour"
• Says he was 51 years old at time of interview
• Notes he had been making music for children for 23 years
• Describes how his music calms children and makes life easier for parents

“I've been doing this work over 23 years now, and I just really love making music for children and families.”— Raffi, in this interview

Since this interview

Raffi continued his children's music career and advocacy work, founding the Raffi Foundation for Child Honouring in 2010. He released "Nursery Rhymes For Kinder Times" in 2022 and "Penny Penguin" with The Good Lovelies in 2024. In 2025, he was promoted to Companion within the Order of Canada.