Michel Armengot (born 16 September 1962), more commonly known as Art Mengo, is a French singer and songwriter. Although he was born in the
Occitan Occitan may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain.
* Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France.
* Occitan language, spoken in parts o ...
city of
Toulouse
Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...
in France, he is of Spanish descent.
Early life
Mengo was born approximately 70% deaf. Despite this handicap, his mother gave him a keyboard, which set him on his future career. When he was a teenager, corrective surgery on his ears helped him regain his hearing. Music, however, was not Mengo's first career plan: after completing his ''
baccalauréat
The ''baccalauréat'' (; ), often known in France colloquially as the ''bac'', is a French national academic qualification that students can obtain at the completion of their secondary education (at the end of the ''lycée'') by meeting certain ...
'', Mengo studied chemistry and physics at university.
Career
During his university years, Mengo played piano at a local bar during the evenings. Mengo had purchased an 8 track recorder, which influenced his move into the music industry. With Mengo writing the music, and his brother-in-law Patrice Guirao producing lyrics, a considerable inventory of music was created.
This work got Mengo a record contract in 1988. Shortly thereafter he released his first single, "'", which was a hit on the French
Top 50
In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top ...
. His music quickly became popular, and by 1992 he was asked to write a song for French superstar
Johnny Hallyday
Jean-Philippe Léo Smet (; 15 June 1943 – 5 December 2017), better known by his stage name Johnny Hallyday, was a French rock and roll and Pop music, pop singer and actor, credited with having brought rock and roll to France.
During a career ...
, "". In 1993, he wrote an entire album for German singer
Ute Lemper
Ute Gertrud Lemper (; born 4 July 1963) is a German singer and actress. Her roles in musicals include playing Sally Bowles in the original Paris production of ''Cabaret'', for which she won the 1987 Molière Award for Best Newcomer, and Vel ...
. He performed the song "" with Ute on this album.
Discography
Studio albums
* (1990, CBS)
* (1992, Columbia)
* (1995, Columbia)
* (1998, Columbia)
* (2003, Polydor)
* (2006, Polydor)
* (2012, 9311861)
Live albums
* Live Au Mandala (1998, Columbia)
Compilation
* (2001, Columbia) 1990–1998
References
External links
*
Official website(archived)
1962 births
Living people
French male singers
French people of Spanish descent
French male singer-songwriters
French singer-songwriters
Musicians from Toulouse
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