Isabelle Marie Anne de Truchis de Varennes (born 18 April 1964), better known by her stage name Zazie, is a French singer-songwriter and former fashion model. Her greatest hits include " Je suis un homme", " À ma place" and "

Speed In everyday use and in kinematics, the speed (commonly referred to as ''v'') of an object is the magnitude Magnitude may refer to: Mathematics *Euclidean vector, a quantity defined by both its magnitude and its direction *Magnitude (ma ...

". She co-produces all her albums and is noted for her playful use of language.

Biography

Early life

Isabelle de Truchis de Varennes was born in Boulogne-Billancourt, France. She was nicknamed "Zazie" in reference to the title character of the

Raymond Queneau Raymond Queneau (; 21 February 1903 – 25 October 1976) was a French novelist, poet, critic, editor and co-founder and president of Oulipo ('' Ouvroir de littérature potentielle''), notable for his wit and cynical humour. Biography Queneau w ...

novel '' Zazie dans le métro''. Her mother was a music teacher and her father, Hervé de Truchis de Varennes, was an architect. At home, they listened to

Georges Brassens Georges Charles Brassens (; 22 October 1921 – 29 October 1981) was a French singer-songwriter and poet. As an iconic figure in France, he achieved fame through his elegant songs with their harmonically complex music for voice and guitar and a ...

, Jacques Brel and Barbara, as well as classical music. Inspired, Zazie began learning to play the violin at the age of ten, later teaching herself to play the piano and guitar. After high school, Zazie began studying to become a psychotherapist; however, her classic beauty and nearly six-foot stature caught the attention of modelling agents, and she abandoned her schooling to become a fashion model.

1992: Initial Forays into Music and Je, Tu, Ils

In 1990, Zazie began her musical career. She signed a contract with

Phonogram Phonogram may refer to: * A sound recording – see Geneva Phonograms Convention * ''Phonogram'' (comics), a comic book by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie * Phonogram (linguistics), a grapheme which represents a phoneme or a combination of phone ...

in 1991. In 1992, she released ''Je, tu, ils'', her first album recorded in the studios of Peter Gabriel. She collaborated for the first time with

Pascal Obispo Pascal Michel Obispo (; born 8 January 1965) is a French singer-songwriter. Biography Pascal Obispo, son of Max Obispo (a former Bordeaux Girondins football player of Basque origin) and Nicole Guérin (originally from Angers), was born on 8 J ...

on the song "Un, deux, trois, soleil". She wrote almost all the tracks of the album and participated in the composition. The album had minor success, and the single "Sucré salé" was ranked No. 46 on the Top 50 (French SNEP Singles Chart). The following year, Zazie was awarded 'Best New Female Pop Artist of the Year' (''révélation variétés féminine de l'année'') at the

Victoires de la musique Victoires de la Musique (; en, Victories of Music) is an annual French award ceremony where the Victoire accolade is delivered by the French Ministry of Culture to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry. The classical and jazz ...

. The other two singles from the albums were much less successful, but the singer's career was launched. Her record label agreed to sign for a second album. From ''Je, tu, ils'' Zazie distinguished herself as a songwriter by crafting songs notable for their wit,

alliteration Alliteration is the conspicuous repetition of initial consonant sounds of nearby words in a phrase, often used as a literary device. A familiar example is "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers". Alliteration is used poetically in various ...

, homophonies and

double entendres A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, of which one is typically obvious, whereas the other often conveys a message that would be too socially a ...

From 1995: Success

In 1995, she released her second album ''Zen'', which was co-written by and co-produced with Vincent-Marie Bouvot. The album produced the singles "Zen" and "Homme sweet homme". Her 1996 single "Un point c'est toi" from the same album was discussed on Canada's MuchMusic TV program ''

Too Much 4 Much ''Too Much 4 Much'' is a Canadian television series, which aired on MuchMusic. The series, which aired at 12:00am Eastern time,"New Much boss will tackle issues". ''Montreal Gazette'', February 27, 1993. played controversial videos which had, for ...

'' due to its controversial content. Ultimately, the discussion panel deemed the video okay for audiences. In the video, a group of four smitten women, including Zazie, follow a pair of men down to a lake. There, the two men strip off their clothes and swim in the water. Zazie fantasizes about undressing one of the men and kissing him. However, her fantasies are spoiled as the two men kiss each other. In 1997,

and Zazie released the single "Les meilleurs ennemis". Her 1998 album ''Made in Love'' was co-produced by Ali Staton, Pierre Jaconelli, and herself. The album photos were taken by fashion designer

Jean-Baptiste Mondino Jean-Baptiste Mondino (born Aubervilliers, France on 21 July 1949) is a French fashion photographer and music video director. He has directed music videos for Madonna, David Bowie, Sting, Björk, Don Henley, Neneh Cherry, Axel Bauer and Les Rita ...

. The songs "Ça fait mal et ça fait rien", "Tous des anges", and "Tout le monde" were released as singles. This album was followed by a live album, ''Made in Live'', the next year. In 1999 she also wrote a song for

Jane Birkin Jane Mallory Birkin, OBE (born 14 December 1946) is an English-French singer and actress. She attained international fame and notability for her decade-long musical and romantic partnership with Serge Gainsbourg. She also had a prolific career ...

. In 2001, Zazie teamed up with

Axel Bauer Axel Bauer (born 7 April 1961) is a French singer, composer, guitarist, and actor, born in Paris. A figure of the French rock scene, he was discovered in 1983 with the song "Cargo". Several times awarded a gold record, he has sold three million re ...

on the single "À ma place". It was her most successful single in France, reaching number four on the French charts. Zazie once again addressed homosexuality on her 2002 single "Adam et Yves" from her 2001 album ''La Zizanie''. This album was produced solely by Pierre Jaconelli. Other singles included "Rue de la paix" and "Danse avec les loops". In 2003, she released another live album, ''Ze Live''. Her 2004 album ''Rodéo'' was co-produced with Jean-Pierre Pilot and Philippe Paradis. The video for the single "Excuse-moi" features Zazie playing the role of an Indian woman who leaves her cheating husband. She followed this album up with a live album, '' Rodéo Tour'' in 2006. Her sixth album, ''Totem,'' was released in February 2007. Like her previous album, it was co-produced with Jean-Pierre Pilot and Philippe Paradis. The "Totem Tour" began on 1 July. Also in 2007, she wrote several songs for

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 ...

's album, ''Inventaire''. In June 2010, Zazie released a new single "Avant l'amour" (Before Love). Avant l'amour was the first single from the album "Za7ie"; it reached No. 54 on the French SNEP radio airplay chart. "Za7ie" was constructed as a concept project of 49 songs, split into seven theme albums of seven songs each. A shorter version with 14 songs was released in September 2010, with the 49 song project released as a box set in November of the same year. Zazie announced eighth album, "Cyclo", which is scheduled for release in spring 2013. The album was produced by Olivier Coursier of AaRON and mixed by

Tony Hoffer Tony Hoffer is an American record producer, songwriter, and music mixer. Career Hoffer is credited for his work on multiple platinum-selling albums including The Kooks, The Thrills, Beck, Supergrass, Turin Brakes and Air. His records have bee ...

. In 2015, she released her ninth album "Encore heureux". On May 24, 2018, Zazie released a single "Speed". Her tenth studio album, "Essenciel" was released on September 7, 2018. On October 5, the SNEP announces that the disc is certified gold. On February 15, 2019 "Essenciel" was certified platinum for more than 100,000 copies sold. on February 15, 2019. Her new tour "Essenciel Tour" began in March 2019.

Other activities

Zazie co-composed the music of the 1997 film '' Ma vie en rose''. Zazie made her acting debut in the 1998 film by Didier Le Pêcheur "J'aimerais pas crever un dimanche" (Don't Let Me Die on a Sunday)., In 2007, Zazie wrote and co-composed seven of the fifteen tracks of

's first album, '' Inventaire'', while also providing backing vocals in the tracks she wrote. In 2009, she participated in '' Rendez-vous en terre inconnue''. Zazie started coaching on the French version of ''

The Voice The Voice may refer to: Fictional entities * The Voice or Presence, a fictional representation of God in DC Comics * The Voice (''Dune''), a fictional ability in the ''Dune'' universe * The Voice, a character in the American TV series ''Cleo ...

'' in 2015 and one of her team, Lilian Renaud, won that 4th season. She again coached in 2016, 2017 and 2021 for All Stars format.

Philanthropy

Zazie has been 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 1997.

Awards and Nominations

{, class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" , - ! scope="col" , Award ! scope="col" , Year ! scope="col" , Nominee(s) ! scope="col" , Category ! scope="col" , Result ! scope="col" class="unsortable", , - !scope="row" rowspan=21,

Victoires de la Musique Victoires de la Musique (; en, Victories of Music) is an annual French award ceremony where the Victoire accolade is delivered by the French Ministry of Culture to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry. The classical and jazz ...

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...

, rowspan=2, Herself , Female Revelation of the Year , , , - , rowspan=2, 1996 , Female Artist of the Year , , rowspan=2, , - , "Larsen" , rowspan=2, Music Video of the Year , , - , rowspan=2,

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

, "Un point c'est toi" , , rowspan=2, , - , rowspan=2, Herself , rowspan=2, Female Artist of the Year , , - , rowspan=2,

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

, , , - , "Les meilleurs ennemis" , rowspan=2, Music Video of the Year , , - , rowspan=2, 1999 , "Ça fait mal et ça fait rien" , , rowspan=2, , - , ''

Made in Love ''Made in Love'' is a 1998 album recorded by French pop singer Zazie. It was her third studio album and was released on 11 May 1998. It achieved success in francophone countries, although it was not as successful as Zazie's next albums. It provi ...

'' , Pop/Rock Album of the Year , , - , rowspan=3, 2002 , Herself , Female Group or Artist of the Year , , rowspan=3, , - , '' La Zizanie'' , Song/Variety Album of the Year , , - , " À ma place" , Original Song of the Year , , - , rowspan=2, 2006 , Herself , Female Group or Artist of the Year , , rowspan=2, , - , ''Rodeo Tour'' , Musical Show, Tour or Concert of the Year , , - , 2007 , '' Rodéo Tour'' , Music DVD of the Year , , , - , rowspan=5,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, Herself , Female Group or Artist of the Year , , rowspan=5, , - , ''

Totem A totem (from oj, ᑑᑌᒼ, italics=no or '' doodem'') is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as a family, clan, lineage, or tribe, such as in the Anishinaabe clan system. While ''the ...

'' , Song/Variety Album of the Year , , - , rowspan=2, " Je suis un homme" , Original Song of the Year , , - , Music Video of the Year , , - , ''Totem Tour'' , Musical Show, Tour or Concert of the Year , , - , 2009 , "J'étais là" , Music Video of the Year , ,

Discography

Studio albums

{, class="wikitable" , - ! Year ! style="width:150px;", Album ! style="text-align:center; width:40px;", FR
! style="text-align:center; width:40px;", BE
(Fl) ! style="text-align:center; width:40px;", BE
(Wa)
! style="text-align:center; width:40px;", SWI
! Sales
, - , style="text-align:center;", 1992 , ''Je, Tu, Ils'' , style="text-align:center;", 173 , style="text-align:center;", – , style="text-align:center;", – , style="text-align:center;", – , , - , style="text-align:center;", 1995 , ''

Zen Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...

'' , style="text-align:center;", 8 , style="text-align:center;", – , style="text-align:center;", 15 , style="text-align:center;", – ,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

: Gold (300,000+) , - , style="text-align:center;", 1998 , ''

'' , style="text-align:center;", 3 , style="text-align:center;", – , style="text-align:center;", 17 , style="text-align:center;", – , France: Gold (345,000) , - , style="text-align:center;", 2001 , '' La Zizanie'' , style="text-align:center;", 1 , style="text-align:center;", – , style="text-align:center;", 1 , style="text-align:center;", 28 , France: Platinum (447,600) , - , style="text-align:center;", 2004 , '' Rodéo'' , style="text-align:center;", 2 , style="text-align:center;", – , style="text-align:center;", 2 , style="text-align:center;", 45 , France: Platinum (315,600) , - , style="text-align:center;", 2007 , ''

'' , style="text-align:center;", 1 , style="text-align:center;", – , style="text-align:center;", 1 , style="text-align:center;", 10 , France: Platinum (400,000) , - , style="text-align:center;", 2010 , '' Za7ie'' , style="text-align:center;", 1 , style="text-align:center;", – , style="text-align:center;", 1 , style="text-align:center;", 28 , France: Platinum (120,000) , - , style="text-align:center;", 2013 , ''Cyclo'' , style="text-align:center;", 3 , style="text-align:center;", 70 , style="text-align:center;", 3 , style="text-align:center;", 22 , France: Gold (60,000) , - , style="text-align:center;", 2015 , ''Encore Heureux'' , style="text-align:center;", 4 , style="text-align:center;", 196 , style="text-align:center;", 2 , style="text-align:center;", 12 , France: Gold (55,000) , - , style="text-align:center;", 2018 , ''Essenciel'' , style="text-align:center;", 2 , style="text-align:center;", 176 , style="text-align:center;", 2 , style="text-align:center;", 8 , France: Platinum (100,000) , - , style="text-align:center;", 2022 , ''Aile-P'' , style="text-align:center;", 15 , style="text-align:center;", — , style="text-align:center;", 12 , style="text-align:center;", 45 ,

Live albums

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! Sales , - , style="text-align:center;", 1999 , ''Made in Live'' , style="text-align:center;", 30 , style="text-align:center;", 39 , style="text-align:center;", – ,

: Silver (75,000) , - , style="text-align:center;", 2003 , ''Ze Live!!'' , style="text-align:center;", 3 , style="text-align:center;", 6 , style="text-align:center;", 47 ,

: Gold (120,000) , - , style="text-align:center;", 2006 , ''Rodéo Tour'' , style="text-align:center;", 12 , style="text-align:center;", 7 , style="text-align:center;", 79 ,

: 26,000

Compilation albums

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! Sales , - , style="text-align:center;", 2008 , '' Zest of'' , style="text-align:center;", 1¹ , style="text-align:center;", 1 , style="text-align:center;", 39 ,

: 152,650+ , - , style="text-align:center;", 2015 , ''Les 50 plus belles chansons'' , style="text-align:center;", 18
, style="text-align:center;", – , style="text-align:center;", – , , - , style="text-align:center;", 2016 , ''L'intégraRe'' , style="text-align:center;", 139
, style="text-align:center;", – , style="text-align:center;", – , ¹ Reached No. 1 on the French compilations chart.

Extended plays

{, class="wikitable" , - ! Year ! style="width:150px;", Album ! style="text-align:center; width:40px;", BE
(Wa)
, - , style="text-align:center;", 2022 , ''L'EP'' , style="text-align:center;", 107

Singles

{, class="wikitable" , - !Year !Single !width="40", FR !width="40", BE
Top !width="40", BE
Tip ! style="width:150px;", Album , - , rowspan="3", 1992 , "Sucré, salé" , style="text-align:center;", 46 , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , rowspan="3", ''Je, Tu, Ils'' , - , "Je, tu, ils"^A , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , - , "Un petit peu amoureux"^A , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , - , rowspan="2", 1995 , "Larsen" , style="text-align:center;", 38 , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , rowspan="4", ''

'' , - , "Zen" , style="text-align:center;", 23 , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , - , rowspan="2", 1996 , "Un point c'est toi" , style="text-align:center;", 24 , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , - , "Homme sweet homme" , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , - , 1997 , "Les meilleurs ennemis"
(with

) , style="text-align:center;", 39 , style="text-align:center;", 20 , style="text-align:center;", - , ''Superflu''
( Obispo album) , - , rowspan="5", 1998 , "Tous des anges" , style="text-align:center;", 87 , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , rowspan="5", ''

'' , - , "Ça fait mal et ca fait rien" , style="text-align:center;", 75 , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , - , "Tout le monde" , style="text-align:center;", 23 , style="text-align:center;", 34 , style="text-align:center;", - , - , "Made in Love"^A , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , - , "Chanson d'ami"^A , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , - , 1999 , "Cyber"^A , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , ''Made in Live'' , - , rowspan="2", 2001 , " À ma place"
(with

) , style="text-align:center;", 4 , style="text-align:center;", 1 , style="text-align:center;", - , ''Personne n'est parfait''
( Bauer album) , - , "Rue de la paix" , style="text-align:center;", 11 , style="text-align:center;", 11 , style="text-align:center;", - , rowspan="4", '' La Zizanie'' , - , rowspan="2", 2002 , "Adam et Yves" , style="text-align:center;", 22 , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", 2 , - , "Sur toi"^A , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , - , 2003 , "Danse avec les loops" , style="text-align:center;", 53 , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", 7 , - , rowspan="4", 2004 , "Rodéo"^A , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , rowspan="4", '' Rodéo'' , - , "Toc, Toc, Toc"^A , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , - , "Excuse-moi"^A , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , - , "Oui"^A , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , - , rowspan="3", 2007 , "Des rails" , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", 25 , style="text-align:center;", - , rowspan="4", ''

'' , - , " Je suis un homme" , style="text-align:center;", 7 , style="text-align:center;", 7 , style="text-align:center;", - , - , "J'étais là"^A , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", 23 , - , rowspan="2", 2008 , "Flower power" , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , - , "FM Air" , style="text-align:center;", 8 , style="text-align:center;", 19 , style="text-align:center;", - , , '' Zest of Zazie'' , - , rowspan="2", 2010 , "Avant l'amour" , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", 8 , style="text-align:center;", - , rowspan="3", '' Za7ie'' , - , "Etre et avoir" , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , - , rowspan="2", 2011 , "Chanson d'amour" , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , - , "Me taire te plaire"
(with Mademoiselle K) , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , , ''Jouer dehors'' , - , rowspan="3", 2013 , "Les contraires" , style="text-align:center;", 34 , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , rowspan="3", ''Cyclo'' , - , "20 ans" , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", 48 , - , "Temps plus vieux" , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , - , rowspan="2", 2015 , "Discold" , style="text-align:center;", 42 , style="text-align:center;", 30 , style="text-align:center;", - , rowspan="3", ''Encore Heureux'' , - , "Pise" , style="text-align:center;", 87 , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , - , 2016 , "Faut pas s'y fier" , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , - , rowspan="2", 2018 , "Speed" , style="text-align:center;", 2 , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , rowspan="3", ''Essenciel'' , - , "L'Essenciel" , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , - , 2019 , "Nos âmes sont" , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , - , 2022 , "Let it shine" , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , rowspan="3", ''TBA'' ^A Promotional release only.

Other charted songs

{, class="wikitable" , - !Year !Song !width="40", FR !width="40", BE
Top !width="40", BE
Tip ! style="width:300px;", Album , - , rowspan="2", 2015 , , style="text-align:center;", 102 , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", - , rowspan="2", ''Encore Heureux'' , - , "Encore heureux" , style="text-align:center;", 122 , style="text-align:center;", - , style="text-align:center;", -

Awards

: ** ''Musical show, tour or concert of the year'' (2006) ** ''Female group or artist of the year'' (2002) ** ''Female artist of the year'' (1998) ** ''Music video of the year'': ''Larsen'', directed by Philippe Andre; (1996) ** ''Popular music Female révélation of the year'' (1993) *

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 televisio ...

: ** ''Best French language song'' (2002) with

for ''À ma place'' Altogether she has six awards.

Personal life

Zazie and her former partner, Fabien Cahen, have a daughter, Lola, who was born on 16 August 2002.

References

External links

Official site

Biography of Zazie
from

Radio France Internationale Radio France Internationale, usually referred to as RFI, is the state-owned international radio broadcaster of France. With 37.2 million listeners in 2014, it is one of the most-listened-to international radio stations in the world, along with ...

Zazie's UK Label
{{Authority control 1964 births Living people People from Boulogne-Billancourt French women singer-songwriters French singer-songwriters Mercury Records artists French female models