Whatfor is the name of the band created by the second season of the popular French
reality-TV
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
show ''
Popstars
''Popstars'' is an international reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Realit ...
'' aired on
RTL Group
RTL Group (for "Radio Television Luxembourg") is a Luxembourg-based international media conglomerate, with another corporate centre in Cologne, Germany. The company operates 68 television channels and 31 radio stations in Germany, France and ...
TV channel ''
M6'' in fall 2002. The group consisted of Cyril and Erika (from
Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
), Nicolas (from
Toulon
Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...
) and Monia (from the
Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
suburbs).
Their first hit "Plus haut" (Higher) reached rank #1 in the French charts and so did their first and only album called ''Popstars''. Their musical style was a mix of modern
dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded danc ...
,
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'' (G ...
, and
R&B, with a clear late 1970s
disco
Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
/
funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
touch that is mainly because the mastermind behind this album,
Philippe Saisse
Philippe Saisse is a French jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, record producer, and arranger.
Career
He was born in Marseille and raised in Paris. After studying at the Conservatoire de Paris he won a scholarship to the Berklee College of Mus ...
, was the one behind the most successful albums of some great artists of that era like
Chic
Chic (; ), meaning "stylish" or "smart", is an element of fashion. It was originally a French word. Pronounced Chick.
Etymology
''Chic'' is a French word, established in English since at least the 1870s. Early references in English dictiona ...
and
Chaka Khan
Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan (), is an American singer. Her career has spanned more than five decades, beginning in the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus. Known as the " Qu ...
.
But the success story ended as their second single called "L'amour n'a pas de loi!" ("Love knows no law!"), a cover of Swedish singer
Carola's song "A Kiss Goodbye" (from her album ''My Show'') was a flop.
The group disbanded in 2003. Erika and Cyril founded a band together (Everton), and Nicolas tried a solo career, but none of their attempts were successful.
However, Nicolas went back to being a comedian which garnered him some fame.
Discography
Album
* ''What For'' (2002)
Singles
* "Plus haut" (2002)
* "L'amour n'a pas de loi!" (2003)
References
French musical groups
{{France-band-stub