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Matthieu Tota (; born 26 September 1985), artistically known as Matt Pokora and later M. Pokora (), is a French
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ( ...
and R&B singer. In 2016, he became a coach for ''The Voice Kids France'' and '' The Voice: la plus belle voix''.


Early life

Matthieu Tota is the son of professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugb ...
André Tota and Brigitte. His parents divorced in 1998 when he was 13 years old. As a child, he studied in an elementary school in Hohberg, and later at Collège Paul-Émile Victor in
Mundolsheim Mundolsheim is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. See also * Communes of the Bas-Rhin department The following is a list of the 514 communes of the Bas-Rhin department of France. The communes coopera ...
, and Lycée Aristide Briand in
Schiltigheim Schiltigheim (, , and sometimes by non-local speakers of French; Alsatian: ''Schelige'' ; ) is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. The inhabitants are called ''Schilikois'' in French and ''Scheligemer'' ...
near
Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label= Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label= Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the ...
. When he was younger, football was his first ambition and he wanted to become a professional player. However, he later opted for music. Matthieu Tota explained the origin of his stage name Matt Pokora in an interview during the documentary ''Mise à jour'' broadcast on 26 August 2010 on
NRJ 12 NRJ 12 is a French private public-state general-interest television channel belonging to the NRJ Group, created on 31 March 2005 on DTT. The channel is available on DTT, cable, satellite and ADSL. History of the channel Originally called NRJ T ...
TV channel. He said he was searching for an artistic name and happened to be talking to his grandmother of Polish origin and the importance of humility came up. He asked her "how do we say 'humility' in Polish", and she said "pokora". Tota immediately decided to adopt the word as his stage name. He earned some public attention as a member of French R&B group Mic Unity. He is also referred to the "French prince of
crunk Crunk is a subgenre of hip hop music that emerged in the early 1990s and gained mainstream success during the mid 2000s. Crunk is often up-tempo and one of Southern hip hop's more dance and club oriented subgenres. An archetypal crunk track fre ...
music".


In Popstars and Linkup

In the fall of 2003, he participated in the third season of '' Popstars'', a French talent reality television show broadcast on M6. The concept of the program was to present possible candidates the winners of which would take part in the formation of a boy band or girl band. He was a crowd and jury favourite, and became a member of a boy band called
Linkup Linkup was a French boy band, created by the third season of the popular French reality show ''Popstars'', called "Popstars - the Duel" aired on RTL Group TV channel M6 (also known as Métropole 6) in fall 2003. It consisted of Matthieu, Lionel ...
formed with Lionel and Otis, two other winners in 2003 Popstars. The female winners were formed into another group
Diadems The Diadems was one of the bands created by the 3rd French season of the popular reality show " Popstars", called "Popstars - the Duel" aired on RTL Group TV channel Métropole 6 (better known as M6) in fall 2003. This all-girls band "lost" the ...
formed of Marylore, Angel, Pookie, Ophélie and Alexandra. In the final showdown, the boy band including Matthieu Tota won the series over the girl band Diadems, who ended up runners-up. Their first Linkup single "Mon Étoile" was very successful topping French charts, and the debut album ''Notre Étoile'' was moderately successful. However the second single release "Une seconde d'éternité" was much less successful despite good sales. The band tried again their hand in a collaboration with the British boy band
Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ...
making a bilingual English/French version with Blue based on the latter's song " Bubblin'". The bilingual English/French Blue/Linkup version was entitled "You & Me Bubblin". Soon afterwards, Linkup disbanded due to poor performance of sales on releases.


Solo career


M. Pokora (2004/2005)

In 2004, soon after the break-up of Linkup, Matthieu started working preparing for a solo career collaborating with the producers
Kore & Skalp Kore & Skalp are two DJs and producers who have worked together since 1997. Among others, they have made mixtapes, concerts and Scratch performances. And they have produced music for many underground groups, e.g. Eloquence, Costello and la Scred ...
. Under the stage name Matt Pokora, he released his first eponymous solo album originally entitled ''Matt Pokora''. In 2005, he was forced to change his chosen name after a lawsuit from French R&B singer
Matt Houston ''Matt Houston'' was an American crime drama television series starring Lee Horsley as the title character, a wealthy oilman who decides to hold a side job as a private investigator. Created by Lawrence Gordon and produced by Aaron Spelling, ...
. As a result, he changed his
stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...
to M. Pokora and re-released the album as ''M. Pokora''. The debut single from ''M. Pokora'' was very successful. Called " Showbiz (The Battle)", it was a Top 10 hit in France, and also charted in Belgium and Switzerland. The second single ''
Elle me contrôle "Elle me contrôle" is a song by French singer M. Pokora written and composed by Georges Padey, Kore & Skalp, Matt Pokora, Da Team and Sweety. It was released as the second single from his first eponymous album in late spring 2005. Rapper Sweety ...
'' featuring Sweety reached #6 in France and Pokora received two
NRJ Music Awards An NRJ Music Award (commonly abbreviated as an NMA) is an award presented by the French radio station NRJ to honor the best in the French and worldwide music industry. The awards ceremony, created in 2000 by NRJ in partnership with the televisi ...
for the single. Yet a third successful single was released called "Pas sans toi". The album released on
Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a t ...
was certified gold. He also started collaborating with Hakim Ghorab who became his long-time choreographer and took part in many of his music videos. He also developed a close collaboration with music video director Karim Ouaret who directed most of his successful videos.


Player (2006/2007)

In January 2006, his second album ''
Player Player may refer to: Role or adjective * Player (game), a participant in a game or sport ** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games ** Athlete, a player in sports ** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who is ...
'' was released topping the French chart. For producing the new album, he collaborated with Belgian producers Bionix, Rachid Mir and Christian Dessart and artists
Red Rat Wallace Wilson (born 17 January 1978), better known by the stage name Red Rat, is a Jamaican dancehall reggae recording and performing artist.Kellman, AndyRed Rat Biography, Allmusic, retrieved 2011-02-15 He is known for his up-beat music, com ...
and Zoxea and geared toward the younger and feminine fan brackets. He also enjoyed great popularity with gay audiences. The first single from his second album was the very successful "De retour" featuring Tyron Carter. That was followed with single "Oh la la la (Sexy Miss)" with Red Rat. During a concert organized by
NRJ Radio NRJ (NRJ is an acronym read as Nouvelle Radio Jeune, or ''énergie'' in French, pronounced , literally "energy") is a private French radio station created by Jean-Paul Baudecroux and Max Guazzini in June 1981, and was widely popularized than ...
in France, he met Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin and Martin asked M. Pokora to make a collaboration on Martin's hit " It's Alright". The result was a bilingual French/English Ricky Martin/M. Pokora release also entitled "It's Alright" that sold more than 100,000 copies. Finally, a last single from the ''Player'' album followed called "Mal de guerre", which was a relative success. M. Pokora released ''Player'' in a second edition in March 2006 with the bonus track added of the duet with
Ricky Martin Enrique Martín Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography spanning ...
. To promote the album and capitalize on its success, M. Pokora engaged in a tour of more than 30 French venues under the title ''Player Tour'' that culminated in a big sold-out concert at
Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy Palais () may refer to: * Dance hall, popularly a ''palais de danse'', in the 1950s and 1960s in the UK * ''Palais'', French for palace ** Grand Palais, the Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées ** Petit Palais, an art museum in Paris * Palais River ...
. At the end of the tour, a DVD containing materials from the shows was marketed under the name ''Player Tour Live''. The DVD also included a photo book and memories from the tour. Pokora also created his own label M2theP Entertainment, signing his protégé, the rapper Tyron Carter. In addition to being featured on "De retour", Tyron Carter released "Ne me dis pas" that featured M. Pokora, a Top 30 hit, followed by an album ''Mon hold-up''.


MP3 (2008/2009)

After end of the ''Player Tour'', Pokora left Universal and signed with EMI France. Also desiring a more international profile, he went to New York and created contacts most importantly with producers
Ryan Leslie Anthony Ryan Leslie (born September 25, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and entrepreneur from Washington, D.C. He has produced singles for a number of prominent artists in a variety of genres, ranging from R&B, hip hop ...
and J. R. Rotem. The result was his third album ''
MP3 MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany, with support from other digital scientists in the United States and elsewhere. Origin ...
'' that was released on 24 March 2008, containing 14 tracks, including 12 in English. The title of the album was a play on his name Matt Pokora (MP) and the number 3 (his third album) but also referring to the popular gadget
MP3 MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany, with support from other digital scientists in the United States and elsewhere. Origin ...
, the audio format for consumer audio storage. Pokora promoted the launching of the album with a prerelease of single " Dangerous" featuring American hip hop artist
Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...
and Sebastian, Timbaland's brother and the timing of the release was picked to coincide with the NRJ Music Awards of 2008. The album reached #7 with estimated physical sales of 200,000 copies and additional downloads of 151,000. The album was certified gold. The album also did well internationally charting in Finland, Germany, Mexico, Belgium and in his homeland Poland where he won the Polish ''Eska Music Awards'' as the "International hip hop Artist of the Year". After the success of "Dangerous", Pokora released a second single "They Talk Sh#t About Me" that features the young English rapper
Natalia Kills Natalia Noemi "Teddy" Sinclair (née Cappuccini; born 15 August 1986), is an English singer, songwriter and actress. She has recorded music under various aliases, most famously as Natalia Kills and Verbalicious. She is currently the lead vocali ...
credited on the release by her stage name Verse. The single unlike "Dangerous" (that had reached #1) was not played heavily on French radio because of English-language content and managed to reach only #24. A third release from ''MP3'', namely "Catch Me If You Can" was made with the music video featuring Julie Ricci. She is known for her appearances on ''Top Model'' in 2007 on M6 and in ''Secret Story'' in its 4th season on TF1. The single failed to make it to the French charts, but was successful in Poland reaching #11. The follow up "Through The Eyes" was also a relative success in Poland reaching #31 in the Polish charts. To coincide with ''MP3'' release, M. Pokora launched his ''Catch Me Tour 2008'' ending with a concert in
Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy Palais () may refer to: * Dance hall, popularly a ''palais de danse'', in the 1950s and 1960s in the UK * ''Palais'', French for palace ** Grand Palais, the Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées ** Petit Palais, an art museum in Paris * Palais River ...
on 18 November 2008. He also toured Belgium (6 December), Switzerland (13 December) ending with a final concert in Lyon, France on 14 December 2008.


Mise À Jour / Updated (2010/2011)

Fourth studio album titled Mise à jour was released on 23 August 2010. The lead single " Juste une photo de toi" was released on 7 June 2010 and was a big hit reaching #4 in the French Albums Chart. It includes collaborations with Wayne Beckford, Gee Futuristic, X-Plosive, Astro Boyz, Tarz, STX and Bionix. Simultaneously a ''Mis à jour Édition Deluxe'' was released that in addition to the original 15 tracks of ''Mis à jour'' also contained seven new tracks exclusive for the Deluxe edition (including six in English). The first single from the album was "Juste une photo de toi" released concurrently with the launching of the album. On 22 January 2011, during the NRJ Music Awards, the song was chosen as "Song of the Year" in addition to M. Pokora being chosen "French Male Artist of the Year". To consolidate his international drive started with the ''MP3'' album, he announced that an English version was under preparation. Finally the English version titled ''Updated'' was launched on 14 March 2011, containing 11 songs, mostly adaptations of the French-language hits on ''Mise à jour''. Six of the titles were already known by the French public through the August 2010 ''Mise à jour Édition Deluxe'' release. For promotion of the album, he organized a mini tour and a series of open-air concerts rather than concerts in halls. In November 2010, a follow-up single "Mirage" was released accompanied with a new music video. The single received a great number of downloads, but not enough physical sales to reach the top of the charts and the single made only up to #64 despite the top position in downloads. In January 2011, "Oblivion" an English-language version of "Mirage" was released with same arrangement but with new English lyrics for the international markets. The single was an opener for the release of ''Updated'', destined for non-French markets of ''Mis à jour'' songs, but was made available for French markets as well. In March 2011, M. Pokora announced a tour of 15 French cities, venues in Belgium and a final show in the Olympia. As a prelude, he also appeared in French, Belgian and Swiss clubs with dates from April to June 2011. He also launched in March 2011 ''Mise à jour Version 2.0'' that included extra materials including the
Jean-Jacques Goldman Jean-Jacques Goldman (; born 11 October 1951) is a French singer-songwriter and music record producer. He is hugely popular in the French-speaking world. Since the death of Johnny Hallyday in 2017 he has been the highest grossing living French ...
,
Carole Fredericks Carole Denise Fredericks (June 5, 1952 – June 7, 2001) was an American singer best known for her work in French music. She was the younger sister of Taj Mahal. Between 1990 and 1996 she was in the trio Fredericks Goldman Jones alongside ...
and Michael Jones classic " À nos actes manqués" which was destined to be his new single. It immediately became the number one physical single sales and reached the Top 10. The album ''Mise à jour Version 2.0'' was made available on 18 April 2011, containing 17 titles including 14 form the original, the Jean-Jacques Goldman cover single three English-language titles from ''Updated'' and a new French track "Si on échangeait les rôles", the French version of ''Updated''s "Finally Found Ya".


À la poursuite du bonheur (2012/2013)

The fifth studio album ''À la poursuite du bonheur'' by French singer M. Pokora, was released on 20 March. The album's leading single "Juste un instant" was released on 30 January 2012 and reached number eighteen on the French singles chart. The album entered the French albums chart at number two. The second single from the album was "On est là" released in April 2012. In order to promote the album, M. Pokora embarked in a national tour in May 2012. The third single from the album was announced in the end of May; "Merci d'être" was officially released on 2 July 2012. The album is set to be re-issued on 19 November 2012; the new edition is set to include five new tracks, including the Jean-Jacques Goldman cover "Envole-moi" with singer Tal.


Robin Hood (2013/2014)


R.E.D. (2015/2016)

M. Pokora's sixth studio album, '' R.E.D. / Rythmes Extrêmement Dangereux'' was released in France in February 2015.


My Way (2016)

M. Pokora's seventh studio album, ''
My Way "My Way" is a song popularized in 1969 by Frank Sinatra set to the music of the French song "Comme d'habitude" composed by Jacques Revaux with lyrics by Gilles Thibaut and Claude François and first performed in 1967 by Claude François. Its E ...
'' was released in France on 21 October 2016, topping the French Album Charts in its initial week of release.


Pyramide (2019)

M. Pokora's eighth studio album, '' Pyramide'' was released in France on 12 April 2019. The album reached the top of the French Charts upon its release.


Epicentre (2022)

M. Pokora's ninth studio album, ''
Epicentre The epicenter, epicentre () or epicentrum in seismology is the point on the Earth's surface directly above a hypocenter or focus, the point where an earthquake or an underground explosion originates. Surface damage Before the instrumental pe ...
'' was released in France on 4 November 2022.


Acting career

In 2011 Pokora voiced Duncan Rosenblatt, the main character of '' Firebreather'', in the French dub of the
Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, ...
movie.


Robin des Bois (2013)

M. Pokora appeared in the lead role of
Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is dep ...
in the French musical comedy '' Robin des Bois'' (full title ''Robin des Bois: Ne renoncez jamais'') that premiered on 26 September 2013 in
Palais des congrès de Paris The Palais des congrès de Paris is a concert venue, convention centre and shopping mall at the Porte Maillot in the 17th arrondissement of Paris, France. The venue was built by French architect Guillaume Gillet, and was inaugurated in 1974. Near ...
with performances in that venue extending to 10 November 2013. The act then toured all over France. The musical, a Gilbert Coullier, Roberto Ciurleo and RDB-P presentation, with musical mise en scène by Michel Laprise and text and music by Patrice Guirao and Lionel Florence is tipped as the musical event of 2013 in France. The soundtrack for the musical was released on
Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of not ...
/ EMI on 22 March 2013 and entered the SNEP official French Albums Chart in its first week of release eventually reaching number 3 and also reaching number 4 in the Belgian (Wallonia) francophone Singles Chart. It was released in two versions, the standard edition and the digipack limited edition. Two tracks from the album as performed by M. Pokora have been released as singles. The first was "Le jour qui se rêve", a solo performance by Pokora, and "À nous", a hit performed by M. Pokora (Robin des Bois),
Nyco Lilliu Nicolas "Nyco" Lilliu (born 1987) is a French singer of mixed French-Italian origin. His father is from Terralba, Sardinia and his mother from Brittany. He is the younger brother of French rock singer Pierrick Lilliu. Biography Lilliu was bo ...
as Frère Tuck (
Friar Tuck Friar Tuck is one of the legendary Merry Men, the band of heroic outlaws in the folklore of Robin Hood. History The figure of the jovial friar was common in the May Games festivals of England and Scotland during the 15th through 17th centur ...
) and Marc Antoine as Petit Jean (
Little John Little John is a companion of Robin Hood who serves as his chief lieutenant and second-in-command of the Merry Men. He is one of only a handful of consistently named characters who relate to Robin Hood and one of the two oldest Merry Men, al ...
).


Personal life

M. Pokora was troubled by the divorce of his parents and remained greatly attached to his mother after the divorce. He lived with her in Strasbourg before renting an apartment in Paris. His autobiographical song "Sur ma route" co-written by
Jack Robinson Jack Robinson may refer to: Sportspeople * Jack Robinson (catcher) (1880–1921), American baseball player * Jack Robinson (footballer, born 1870) (1870–1931), England, Derby County and Southampton football goalkeeper * Jack Robinson (footballer ...
, M. Pokora and Jordan Houyez from his album ''MP3'' is about his experiences as a child in a broken home. He keeps contact with his father, who actively supports him. He is an avid football fan and dreamed of a professional football career very early on. He is a big supporter of the French football club
Olympique de Marseille Olympique de Marseille (, ; oc, Olimpic de Marselha, ), also known simply as Marseille or by the abbreviation OM (, ), is a French professional men's football club based in Marseille, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. Founded in 1899, the club p ...
, and takes part in many football events. M. Pokora has been friends for many years with his personal choreographer Hakim Ghorab and his wife Aline and is godfather to their daughter Lola. He is also a friend of footballer
Djibril Cissé Djibril Cissé (; born 12 August 1981) is a French former professional footballer who played as a forward. He started his career at AC Arles in 1989, at the age of eight. After seven years at the club, he had a six-month spell at Nîmes Oly ...
and is godfather to one of his sons. He added a tattoo reading X as a tribute to him, because Cissé makes the X sign with his hands every time he scores. Cissé carries a similar X tattoo himself. Pokora has been in a relationship with
Christina Milian Christine Marie Flores (born September 26, 1981), better known as Christina Milian (), is an American actress and singer. Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, but raised in Maryland, she signed a contract with Murder Inc. Records at the age of 19 ...
since August 2017. In January 2020, Milian gave birth to their son. In December 2020, a French magazine reported they were married, and that they were expecting a second child. In April 2021, they welcomed their second son.


Charities and public awareness

From the start, and over many years, M. Pokora has been a great supporter of charity causes particularly
HIV/AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...
and children charities. In 2004, he took part in the charity single "Chanter qu'on les aime", in support of ''Association Mondiale des Amis de l'Enfance'' (AMADE). In 2005, he was in "Protège-toi", an AIDS charity single for ''Collectif Protection Rapprochée''. In the same year, he was in "Et puis la terre...", a charity single for the
tsunami A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater exp ...
victims under the name ''Artistes Solidaritie Ici pour Eux'' (A.S.I.E.) with a great number of French artists. In 2006, he sang in "L'Or de nos vies", a charity single from ''Fight Aids''. In 2007, he took part in two renditions: "Je fais de toi mon essentiel" by Emmanuel Moire and "S'aimer est interdit" by Anne-Laure Girbal both featured on the charity album "Le Roi Soleil – De Monaco à Versailles (LIVE) – Fight Aids". In 2010, he appeared in ''Collectif Kilomaitre'' charity single "Un Respect mutuel", with many other hip hop and urban artists. He was associated with AIDES project and in 2010 sang a solo cover of
Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. Chapman is best known for her hit singles "Fast Car" and " Give Me One Reason". Chapman was signed to Elektra Records by Bob Krasnow in 1987. The following year she released ...
's " Talking About a Revolution", on the charity album ''
Message A message is a discrete unit of communication intended by the source for consumption by some recipient or group of recipients. A message may be delivered by various means, including courier, telegraphy, carrier pigeon and electronic bus. A ...
'' ( AIDES)" Pokora is a member of the
Les Enfoirés Les Enfoirés (, 'The Tossers' or 'The Bastards') is the name given to the singers and performers in the yearly charity concert for the Restaurants du Cœur The Restaurants du Cœur (literally ''Restaurants of the Heart'' but meaning ''Restau ...
charity ensemble since 2012. ; Tattoos M Pokora is very famous for his body
tattoos A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing ...
including: * "POKORA" meaning humility in Polish (also the artist's adopted artistic name) inscribed on his right arm in capital letters * "Only God Can Judge Me" on the right arm in English *
Chinese calligraphy Chinese calligraphy is the writing of Chinese characters as an art form, combining purely visual art and interpretation of the literary meaning. This type of expression has been widely practiced in China and has been generally held in high este ...
signifying "Creativity", "Peace" and "Patience" surrounded by a dragon on his left shoulder * The letter M signifying his name (Matthieu) surrounded by colorful flames on his left arm * A tattoo on the calf symbolizing dancing * An Arabic saying on his neck: قل الخير والا فاصمت, roughly 'Say good things or keep silent'] * "Ambition" on his lower back in Chinese calligraphy surrounded by chains and two wings. * Letter X on his right wrist signifying brotherhood/friendship, as a tribute to his close friend
Djibril Cissé Djibril Cissé (; born 12 August 1981) is a French former professional footballer who played as a forward. He started his career at AC Arles in 1989, at the age of eight. After seven years at the club, he had a six-month spell at Nîmes Oly ...
, a footballer who makes the X sign with his arms every time he scores in a soccer game. * A star between his left thumb and forefinger * Star-flower near his left ear


In popular culture

* M. Pokora took part three times in French television game and adventure competition series '' Fort Boyard (TV series), Fort Boyard'' in 2005, 2006 and 2009 winning with his team 3690, 28230 and 3000 euros respectively, all donated to charities. * In 2006, he performed "Elle me contrôle" in the TV show ''La chanson de l'année'' alongside other notable artists * In 2006, his song "Get Down On It" appeared on the soundtrack of ''
Asterix and the Vikings ''Asterix and the Vikings'' (released in French as ''Astérix et les Vikings'' and Danish as ''Asterix og Vikingerne'') is a 2006 Danish animated adventure film based on the French comic book series ''Asterix'', written by Stefan Fjeldmark and ...
'' * In 2006, he took part in the French version of ''Muppets TV'' (broadcast on 31 December 2006) * In 2007, he took part in Symphonic show special organized by
Sidaction Sidaction is a major French public event that started in 1994 in France for raising awareness and collecting charitable funds for AIDS. It donates important sums to various AIDS charities, HIV/AIDS research, institutions specializing in medical c ...
, a French AIDS charity * In 2008,
Sony Ericsson Sony Mobile Communications Inc. ( ja, ソニーモバイルコミュニケーションズ株式会社) was a multinational telecommunications company founded on October 1, 2001, as a joint venture between Sony Group Corporation and Ericsson. ...
and EMI Music France his label offered in exclusivity the downloading of 7 songs from the ''MP3'' album through the W380i as a promotional and sponsoring campaign. * In April 2008, M. Pokora also gave an interview to French gay publication ''
Têtu ( French for "stubborn") is the main LGBTQIA magazine published in France. It was subtitled in French ( en, the magazine of gays and lesbians) until 2007, and reaffirmed itself as a men's magazine since then. As of December, 2012, its certif ...
'' also appearing on its cover. * He took part in "L'Or de nos vies", a charity song recorded for "Fight AIDS Monaco", an association of
Princess Stéphanie of Monaco Princess Stephanie Marie Elisabeth of Monaco (born 1 February 1965) is the youngest child of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and American actress Grace Kelly. She is the younger sister of Albert II, Prince of Monaco, and Caroline, Princess of Han ...
* He also took part with a song in the album ''Message'' made available starting January 2010 with contribution from many artists including
Christophe Willem Christophe Frédéric Durier (; born 3 August 1983), better known by his stage name Christophe Willem (), is a French singer and the winner of the fourth edition of ''Nouvelle Star'' (French version of '' Pop Idol'') in 2006. Early life Christ ...
, Jennifer,
Anggun Anggun Cipta Sasmi (; born 29 April 1974), better known as Anggun C. Sasmi or more often mononymously as Anggun, is an Indonesian-born French singer-songwriter and television personality. Born in Jakarta, she began performing at the age of sev ...
, Sliimy, Natasha St Pier, Daniel Powter, Lara Fabian. M. Pokora's contribution included " Talking About a Revolution", a cover of a
Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. Chapman is best known for her hit singles "Fast Car" and " Give Me One Reason". Chapman was signed to Elektra Records by Bob Krasnow in 1987. The following year she released ...
hit. * In 2011, he performed on ''Le show Johnny'' hosted by Johnny Hallyday * Enjoying great popularity with children, M. Pokora has taken part in many broadcasts concentrated on kids, including a special on him on 25 May 2011 on '' L'École des fans'' presented by Philippe Risoli where children Gabin, Alicia, Romane, Yamin, Axel and Inès aged 5 to 7 years sang covers of his songs.L'école des fans – M Pokora
(in French) He also interpreted his cover hit " À nos actes manqués" on the show. He was also co-sponsor with Hélène Ségara et
Jean-Luc Reichmann Jean-Luc Stéphane Reichmann (born 2 November 1960 in Fontainebleau) is a French radio and television host. He started a career on radio in 1989, then became TV presenter in 1995 and tried a career as actor since 2008. He is now particularly know ...
of the second edition of TF1's show ''
Le grand show des enfants Le grand show des enfants (meaning The great show of children in French) is a French television show broadcast live on French television channel TF1 and presented by Liane Foly1. During the live show, the viewers hear a number of important song by ...
'' broadcast on 30 April 2011. ; Winning ''Danse avec les stars'' * On 19 March 2011 he won
season 1 Season One may refer to: Albums * ''Season One'' (Suburban Legends album), 2004 * ''Season One'' (All Sons & Daughters album), 2012 * ''Season One'' (Saukrates album), 2012 See also * * * Season 2 (disambiguation) * Season 4 (disambiguati ...
inaugural series of '' Danse avec les stars'' (the French version of ''
Dancing with the Stars ''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the form ...
'') with his partner
Katrina Patchett Katrina Patchett (born 12 December 1986) is a professional ballroom dancer from Perth, Western Australia. Early life She has been dancing since the age of three and competing since the age of seven. She was brought up in her mother (Julie Patch ...
getting 62% of the votes against 38% to runner-up Sofia Essaïdi. This table shows the route of M.Pokora and Katrina Patchett in Danse Avec Les Stars. In the final, the Freestyle wasn't rated.


Discography


Albums

; As part of
Linkup Linkup was a French boy band, created by the third season of the popular French reality show ''Popstars'', called "Popstars - the Duel" aired on RTL Group TV channel M6 (also known as Métropole 6) in fall 2003. It consisted of Matthieu, Lionel ...
* 2003: ''Notre étoile''
(as a member of
Linkup Linkup was a French boy band, created by the third season of the popular French reality show ''Popstars'', called "Popstars - the Duel" aired on RTL Group TV channel M6 (also known as Métropole 6) in fall 2003. It consisted of Matthieu, Lionel ...
)
; Solo * 2004: '' M. Pokora'' * 2006: ''
Player Player may refer to: Role or adjective * Player (game), a participant in a game or sport ** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games ** Athlete, a player in sports ** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who is ...
'' * 2008: ''
MP3 MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany, with support from other digital scientists in the United States and elsewhere. Origin ...
'' * 2010 / 2011: '' Mise à jour'' /
'' Updated'' / '' Mise à jour Version 2.0'' * 2012: ''
À la poursuite du bonheur ''À la poursuite du bonheur'' (meaning In pursuit of happiness) is the fifth studio album by French singer M. Pokora, released on March 19, 2012. The album sees Matt working with previous producers such as The Bionix, GEE Futurisc, but with a ra ...
'' * 2013: '' À la poursuite du bonheur Tour – Live à Bercy'' * 2015: '' R.E.D.'' * 2016: ''
My Way "My Way" is a song popularized in 1969 by Frank Sinatra set to the music of the French song "Comme d'habitude" composed by Jacques Revaux with lyrics by Gilles Thibaut and Claude François and first performed in 1967 by Claude François. Its E ...
'' * 2019: '' Pyramide'' * 2022: ''
Epicentre The epicenter, epicentre () or epicentrum in seismology is the point on the Earth's surface directly above a hypocenter or focus, the point where an earthquake or an underground explosion originates. Surface damage Before the instrumental pe ...
'' ; Special releases * 2013: ''À la poursuite du bonheur'' / ''Mise à jour'' (re-release)


DVDs

* 2005 "Un an avec M. Pokora" (One year with M. Pokora) * 2006 "Player Tour" * 2007 "100% VIP" (with Alexandra Gas) * 2012 "A La Poursuite Du Bonheur Tour" * 2015 "M.Pokora 10 ans de Carrière Symphonic Show "


Filmography


Tours

* 2006/2007 ''Player Tour'' * 2008/2009 ''Catch Me Tour'' * 2010/2011 ''Mise a jour Tour'' * 2012 ''À la poursuite du bonheur – Tour 2012'' * 2015 R.E.D Tour * 2017 My way Tour * 2019/2020 Pyramide Tour


Books

* 2006: ''M. Pokora – La révolution R&B'' * 2006: ''Et je me souviens'', Editions K&B * 2008: ''M. Pokora vu par'', Éditions Broché * 2013: "De Mathhieu à Robin des Bois", Editions Dider Carpentier, by Cédric NAIMI * 2014: "M.Pokora, La véritable histoire", by Jérémy Lapage


References


External links


Official website
(in French)
M Pokora's official YouTube channel
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pokora, M. 1985 births Living people 21st-century French singers Popstars winners Musicians from Strasbourg French people of Polish descent Danse avec les stars winners French rappers English-language singers from France Universal Music Group artists 21st-century French dancers 21st-century French male singers Crunk musicians