Pierre-Mathieu Vilmet (; born September 7, 1964), professionally known as Pierpoljak (), is a French reggae and pop singer.
Biography
Pierre Vilmet was born in Paris and grew up in the Parisian suburbs, first in
Savigny-sur-Orge
Savigny-sur-Orge (, literally ''Savigny upon Orge'') is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 19.1 km (11.9 mi) from the center of Paris in the département
In the administrative divisions of France, ...
and then in
Colombes
Colombes () is a Communes of France, commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France, from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris. In 2019, Colombes was the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 53rd largest city in France. ...
. At the end of the 1970s, he played drums with the punk group ''Samu 92'', who nicknamed him "Pierrot le Fou".
In 1978, he went to London to meet his favorite groups, like
Sham 69
Sham 69 are an English punk rock band that formed in Hersham in Surrey in 1975. They changed their musical direction after seeing the Sex Pistols play live in early 1976. They were one of the most successful punk bands in the United Kingdom, ac ...
or
Skrewdriver
Skrewdriver were an English punk rock band formed by Ian Stuart Donaldson in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, in 1976. Originally a punk band, Skrewdriver changed into a white power skinhead rock band after reuniting in the 1980s. Their original ...
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...
. In 1995, after several prison stretches, then based in the department of
Nièvre
Nièvre () is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, central-east France. Named after the river Nièvre, it had a population of 204,452 in 2019.Barclay record label noticed him and produced his first album, entitled ''Pierpoljak''.
One year later, in the Barclay premises, Clive Hunt offered him a stay in
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
so as to record a remix of the song ''La Music'', released on his first album. Pierre's second album, entitled ''Jamaican Rides'', was released in 1996.
Pierre, nicknamed Pékah at the time, again chose the option of the studios at the beginning of 1997, so as to record his third opus, ''Kingston Karma''. This album was a success and sold more than 350 000 copies.
His fourth solo album, ''Je fais c'que j'veux'', was released in 2000 and was awarded with a double-gold. He won Victoires de la Musique in 2001 thanks to his song ''Maman''.
During his concerts, many incidents were reported due to the singer's and the musicians' violence.
The fall
In 2001, Pierpoljak fell ill. Following an intensive consumption of different substances such as
cannabis
''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...
, tobacco,
ecstasy
Ecstasy most often refers to:
* Ecstasy (emotion), a trance or trance-like state in which a person transcends normal consciousness
* Religious ecstasy, a state of consciousness, visions or absolute euphoria
* Ecstasy (philosophy), to be or stand o ...
or
cocaine
Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...
, a first
pneumothorax
A pneumothorax is collection of air in the pleural space between the lung and the chest wall. Symptoms typically include sudden onset of sharp, one-sided chest pain and dyspnea, shortness of breath. In a minority of cases, a one-way valve is ...
appeared in his left lung. After a stay at the hospital, he went to
New Caledonia
New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...
for a festival. Soon after his arrival, he was arrested by the local police for having assaulted a stewardess during the flight. During his return to France, he contracted a new pneumothorax. In total, he had four stays at the hospital and underwent two operations.
Then, he decided to leave for the
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...
and
Cape Verde
Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country and archipelagic state of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about . These islands ...
aboard his sailboat, before crossing the Atlantic Ocean to reach
Martinique
Martinique ( ; or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: or ) is an island in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It was previously known as Iguanacaera which translates to iguana island in Carib language, Kariʼn ...
. This trip lasted nearly three years.
Comeback
Back in France, Pierpoljak began to compose his fifth solo album, ''Stim urban'', which was released during the summer of 2003. In March 2006, his sixth solo album, ''Je blesserai personne'', was released; during the composition of this album, Pierpoljak was helped by the Jamaican musician
Elephant Man
Joseph Carey Merrick (5 August 1862 – 11 April 1890) was an English man known for his severe physical deformities. He was first exhibited at a freak show under the stage name "The Elephant Man", and then went to live at the London Hospital, ...
.
The following year, he released (under the pseudonym Pékah) ''Tuff Gong Blues'', an album recorded in 2000, simultaneously with ''Je fais c'que j'veux''. This album was composed by the Jamaican singer Doniki and his musicians. Soon after its release, ''Tuff Gong Blues'' was banned due to copyright issues with the lyricist and the musicians of the album, but also because of publication rights issues with the Barclay record label.
Pierpoljak's eighth solo album, ''Légendaire Sérénade'', was released at the beginning of 2010. The following year, in September 2011, a best-of of Pierpoljak's works was released by
Universal Music
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum ...
.
Pierpoljak released the album, entitled ''Général Indigo'', on March 2, 2015, followed by ''Chapeau de Paille'' in 2017.
Discography
Albums
*1 – ''
Pierpoljak
Pierre-Mathieu Vilmet (; born September 7, 1964), professionally known as Pierpoljak (), is a French reggae and pop singer.
Biography
Pierre Vilmet was born in Paris and grew up in the Parisian suburbs, first in Savigny-sur-Orge and then in Colo ...