Tamara Marthe (born 28 November 1985), better known as Shy'm , is a
French singer
The following is a list of noted French singers.
A
* Abyale
*Adé (singer)
*Salvatore Adamo (often known as ''Adamo'')
*Isabelle Adjani
*Aketo (band: Sniper)
*Akhenaton (band: IAM)
*Frank Alamo
*Alizée
*Alma
*Amanda Lear
*Amine
* Anaïs
...
. She released her first album, ''
Mes fantaisies'', in 2006 and has since released six more albums. She had three
Platinum albums, including her number-one 2012 album, ''
Caméléon''. In 2012, 2013 and 2015 she received the
NRJ Music Award for Francophone Female Artist of the Year.
Early life
Tamara Marthe was born on 28 November 1985 in
Trappes (a
suburb west of
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...
), France to a
Metropolitan French mother and a father from
Martinique
Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: or ) is an island and an Overseas department and region, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of ...
, in a family oriented to music and creative arts. A fan of
Red Hot Chili Peppers and
Beyoncé, she nevertheless grew up to the sound of
zouk—a French Caribbean music genre—and
R&B. From an early age, she became interested in dancing and singing. She began taking lessons in dancing and she earned the nickname "Spicy Tam" as a result of the effort she put in it.
In academics, she obtained a baccalaureat at the age of seventeen. Along with her studies, she had been making demo recordings of herself while avoiding public scrutiny. Later, she went to Paris, where she sent the recordings to record companies. It was at this time that Lebanese-Canadian rapper
K.Maro discovered her. Marthe acquired the stage name Shy'm and began her journey to stardom. Her pseudonym is a
portmanteau, derived from "shy" and "Martinique". She says she is shy, but much less so than before when the mere idea of being on stage paralysed her with fright. But her passion has allowed her to overcome her shyness and she now takes "pleasure in putting herself in the crowd".
Career
Rapper K.Maro agreed to feature her in the song "Histoire de luv" from his album. The song was recorded in
Montréal. After that, she released her own album, ''
Mes fantaisies''. It was written, composed and produced by K.Maro.
Shy'm explored various themes for the album, such as recurring love and
intermarriage
Mixed marriage or intermarriage may refer to:
* Exogamy, the act of marrying outside of one's own social group (the opposite of endogamy)
** Interracial marriage, between people of different races
*** Miscegenation, a pejorative term for inter ...
and its success. The first single, "Femme de couleur", peaked at number 5 on the French singles chart. In 2007, she made a guest appearance on the popular French game show, ''
Fort Boyard''.
Shy'm's musical style is a mix of
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. Her first album, ''Mes fantaisies'', has a prominent R&B sound, with pop,
soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun '':wikt:soul, soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The ea ...
and
hip hop influences. Her second album, ''
Reflets'', has a pop and R&B sound, though it has
dance-pop influences. Her third album, ''
Prendre l'air'', deviates towards a more
synthpop-inspired sound, with her fourth album, ''
Caméléon'', having a deeper exploration of this sound through
dance.
; winning ''Danse avec les stars''
In 2011, Shy'm won the second season of ''
Danse avec les stars'' – the French version of ''
Dancing with the Stars''. She was partnered with professional dancer Maxime Dereymez. On November 19, 2011, they won the competition.
In 2012, she joined the
Les Enfoirés charity ensemble.
Awards
*2012
NRJ Music Awards – Francophone Female Artist of the Year
*2013 NRJ Music Awards – Francophone Female Artist of the Year
*2015 NRJ Music Awards – Francophone Female Artist of the Year
Discography
*''
Mes Fantaisies'' (2006)
*''
Reflets'' (2008)
*''
Prendre l'air'' (2010)
*''
Caméléon'' (2012)
*''Solitaire'' (2014)
*''À nos dix ans'' (2015)
*''H.E.R.O.S.'' (2017)
*''Agapé'' (2019)
Tours
*''Shimi Tour'' (2011–2013)
*''Paradoxale Tour'' (2015)
*''Concerts Exceptionnels'' (2018)
*''Agapé Tour'' (2019)
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shy'm
1985 births
Living people
People from Trappes
French people of Martiniquais descent
French contemporary R&B singers
Black French musicians
Danse avec les stars winners
Warner Music France artists
21st-century French singers
21st-century French women singers