Mylène Farmer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mylène Farmer | ||
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| Background information | ||
| Born | 12 September 1961 | |
| Origin | Pierrefonds, Quebec, Canada | |
| Genre(s) | Pop | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, actress | |
| Years active | 1984–present | |
| Label(s) | Polydor Records | |
Mylène Farmer (September 12, 1961), born Mylène Jeanne Gautier,[1] is a Canadian-born French singer and songwriter. She has sold more than 20 million CDs.
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[edit] Biography
Mylène Farmer was born in Pierrefonds, Quebec Canada, a suburb (now borough) of Montreal, to parents from France. Her family returned to France when she was eight.
She chose her stage name Farmer in homage to Frances Farmer.
Mylène is considered the most successful and provocative female French recording artist of all time, and the only the artist since Celine Dion to have each of her studio albums sell over a million copies in France. She is also very popular in fellow French-speaking countries Belgium, Switzerland and Luxembourg, as well as Russia, Ukraine, Greece, and parts of Germany and Eastern Europe. Mylène's refusal to record in English leaves her virtually unknown outside of continental Europe.
Mylène's creative partner and collaborator since 1983 has been Laurent Boutonnat, with whom she's recorded nearly all of her music, designed her concert shows, and filmed many of her music videos.
Her best-known songs are "Désenchantée", "Pourvu qu'elles soient douces", "Libertine", "Les mots", "Rêver", "California", "Ainsi soit je", "L'Instant X", "Je t'aime mélancolie", "C'est une belle journée", "XXL", and "Sans contrefaçon".
[edit] Debut
She made her professional recording debut in 1984 with the song "Maman a tort", followed in 1986 by her first album, Cendres de Lune, which included the hits "Libertine" and "Tristana". The album became an instant smash.
[edit] The French Madonna & Ainsi soit Je...
Farmer gained fame with songs featuring ambiguous and/or shocking lyrics, and somewhat explicit music videos: "Maman a tort" was about the love of a young girl for her female nurse in hospital. "Pourvu qu'elles soient douces" was about a man with an obsession for the buttocks of his lover, with hints of sodomy; the video, set in the 18th century, featured a caning. "Libertine" is said to feature the first nude appearance by a singer on a major music video. "Que mon cœur lâche" was about love with condoms in the age of AIDS; the video for the song features a scene in which God tells Jesus he won't send him to Earth as the last time was a disaster.
Much of Mylène's fame and success can be attritubed to her elaborate and theatrical music videos which often span 8 minutes or longer. Indeed, her concerts and videos are often compared to those of Michael Jackson and Madonna ("Pourvu qu'elles soient douces" lasts 17 minutes, while "California" was directed by Abel Ferrara and cost $700000).
During this time Farmer released her second album "Ainsi soit Je...", which produced the her first #1 hit, "Pourvu qu'elles soient douces". At the time of its release the album was the highest selling record ever by a female recording artist in France, to date it has shifted more than 1,800,000 copies. Farmer also embarked on her first tour of European arenas and concert halls which completely sold out and spawned the live album "En Concert".
[edit] L'Autre & Désenchantée"
By 1991 Mylène was a fullblown star with the sales and press to match, but it wasn't until the release of her third album, "L'Autre", and lead single "Désenchantée" that she became a household name and legend in French culture. "Désenchantée" is considered by most to be among the most important songs ever released in France, striking a universal chord with the political and social dissatisfactions of many of the citizens of France. The single hit #1 and is listed by Guiness Book of Records to be the top selling single ever by a female recording artist in France with nearly 1,400,000 units sold. Likewise, its parent album topped the charts for 19 weeks and went on to sell over 2,000,000 copies.
[edit] Leaving France
After her huge success as a recording artist, Farmer, with collaborator Laurent Boutonnat filmed her first major motion picture, Giorgino. Unfortunately, the film was a critical and commercial failure, only recouping 1, 100th of its budget. Around this same time a crazed fan broke into the Polygram offices in Paris and held a receptionist at gunpoint demanding he be able to meet and talk with Farmer. Tragically, he ended up killing the receptionist and himself. Though she refuses to talk about the incident, it clearly changed her life. Immediately after this Mylène would leave France for good, opting to live in California instead, where she could live in complete privacy as a noncelebrity. For the rest of her career Mylène would keep her personal life & relationships as secretive as possible, and to this day despite being perhaps the most famous woman in France, she is also among the most mysterious.
[edit] Anamorphosis
During her time in California, Mylène began writing her fourth studio album "Anamorphosee" which marked a complete change of pace for the french pop queen. The album had a very American, and very rock sound that would divide Mylène's fanbase. The album was launched by "XXL" which became her third number single, though did reach the sales many expected, instead tumbling down the charts fairly quickly. The album also debuted at #1 but sold sluggishly compared to her previous 2 records. With 5 singles and a tour, the album would eventually sell over 1,400,000 units and now stands as the favourite album for most fans.
[edit] Innamoramento
Farmer returned to the spotlight again in 1999 with her 5th studio album Innamoramento. This was a more subtle affair than the previous album, and the lead single "L'Âme-Stram-Gram", accompanied by a Chinese-themed video, topped the chart. The tour that followed, called the Mylenium Tour, was an enormous success from Paris to Moscow. Again, Farmer had a million seller.
[edit] Alizée
In 2000, Mylène and Laurent Boutonnat had assembled a number of songs and video ideas they felt appropriate for a younger, newer star. They immediately began the hunt to break a new female singer into the French pop charts - hence they found Alizée. Together Farmer & Boutonnat wrote & produced Alizee's albums Gourmandises and Mes courants électriques. Her hit "Moi...Lolita" reached the top of the charts all around the world, including Russia, Spain, Taiwan, Mexico, Italy, and Korea, and Alizée became the most successful French singer that year.
Alizée's image was closely guarded and crafted by Farmer and Boutonnat; she was allowed to do few interviews at no more than twenty minutes per interviewer, and only a limited number of promotional appearances. In 2005 Alizée parted ways with the duo to strike it on her own, her third album is expected later this year. Alizée's record sales ultimately generated more than 10 million Euros for Mylene.
[edit] Les mots
In 2000, she recorded the song "L'Histoire d'une fée c'est..." for the animated film Rugrats in Paris: The Movie.
One year later, her first greatest hits was released: Les mots, which included a duet with Seal. This compilation remains the best selling compilation in France.
[edit] Avant que l'ombre...
In 2005, Farmer returned with a new single, Fuck Them All, which reached number two, and a new album Avant que l'ombre..., which hit number one and sold over half a million copies. She refused all requests for interview, and accepted only one television performance for this album, informing that what she had to say was in her songs.
She returned to the stage in January 2006 for 13 dates in Paris-Bercy, with the final date being January 29. Mylène stated that she could not tour the country due to the complex sets built for the performances. She has released a new live album, with a new concert DVD, Avant Que L'Ombre... a Bercy, in December 2006.
In 2006, Farmer released a video for "L'Amour n'est rien...", wherein she performs a showy striptease.
She has recorded a single with Moby, "Slipping Away (Crier la vie)", which was released in September 2006, and became her fourth number one single in France.
[edit] Filmography
- Giorgino (1994) - portrayed Catherine
[edit] Discography
[edit] References
[edit] Bibliography
- Lisa-Loup et le Conteur (2003) - Mylène Farmer - Anne Carrière Ed. - ISBN 2843372216 - A tale written and illustrated by Mylène Farmer
- Avant que l'ombre à Bercy - Paris 2006 (2006) - Mylène Farmer - Anne Carrière Ed. - ISBN 2843374332
