Nolwenn Leroy
Encyclopedia
Nolwenn Leroy, is a French
singer and songwriter, discovered by the French television reality show Star Academy
. She is best known for her two Number One singles "Cassé
" and "Nolwenn Ohwo!".
, with her, when she was four years old. After living in Paris
, Lille
, and Guingamp
, her mother Murielle Leroy and her younger sister settled with Leroy's grandparents in Saint-Yorre
. Her mother had been divorced from her father, professional footballer Jean-Luc Le Magueresse, in 1992.
She studied at the "Collège des Célestins" in Vichy
. When Leroy was eleven, her music teacher noticed her musical talents and encouraged her to learn the violin
. At the age of thirteen she won "Les écoles du désert", a contest sponsored by the Cora supermarket chain
, consequently travelling with a humanitarian mission from Gao
to Timbuktu
, Mali
; she later claimed this had a profound influence on her.
In July 1998, she was awarded a scholarship by the Vichy Rotary Club to travel to Cincinnati, Ohio
, as an exchange student. While there, she also attended the performing arts Hamilton High School
. Returning to France, and speaking fluent English, she began classical singing classes at the Vichy
music conservatory. From 2001 she studied law at the University of Clermont-Ferrand
, for a potential alternative career to music.
, was released in March 2003 and sold more than 400,000 copies by November that year. In 2006, Universal Music claimed that more than 700,000 copies had been sold, but no official certification of this has been made by the Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique
. Four songs from the album, "Cassé
", "Une Femme cachée", "Suivre une étoile" and "Inévitablement" were released as singles. From December 2003, songs from the album were performed on Leroy's tours of France, Belgium and Switzerland.
, was produced by Laurent Voulzy
. Five singles were released from the album. "Nolwenn Ohwo!", written by Alain Souchon
and Voulzy, topped the French music charts.lescharts.com>"Nolwenn Ohwo! - Chart performance" The second single was the title track, "Histoire Naturelle". Music videos were made for both songs; the video for "Histoire Naturelle" expressed the main theme of the album with Leroy being portrayed as natural history museum exhibits. Of the other single releases, "Mon Ange" was distributed digitally while "J'aimais tant l'aimer" and "Reste Encore" were promotional-only. Songs from Histoires Naturelles
and Nolwenn were performed on Leroy's second tour entitled "Histoires Naturelles Tour", which started in September 2006. Leroy's first live album was subsequently released in late October 2007.
, with contributions from Jonatha Brooke
, Michelle Featherstone
, Mike Errico
and Rupert Hine
. It was arranged and produced by Lassen, and recorded in Sweden
and the Faroe Islands
. It had a more acoustic
feel than Histoires Naturelles
, and gave the opportunity for Leroy to compose music for the first time. The album was released in December 2009. A tour entitled "Le Cheshire Cat & Vous" to promote the record was held in 2010.
songs such as "Mná na h-Éireann", and contemporary songs such as Christophe Miossec's "Brest" were included on the album. Most of the songs related to Brittany
, the singer's birthplace, four sung in Breton
. Leroy collaborated with Jon Kelly
for the musical arrangements. The album topped the French album charts for 7 weeks.
Mozart and Dutch and French singers were tested; only Mozart and Leroy's music were specified. The U.S. study was completed in February 2008, but no substantial results appear to be published.
* French Download Charts and Belgium Ultratip
- Shows that the single did not chart or was not released as it was a promotional single
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
singer and songwriter, discovered by the French television reality show Star Academy
Star Academy France
Star Academy was a French reality television show produced by the Dutch company Endemol, based on the Spanish format called Operación Triunfo. It consists of a contest of young singers. It spawned an equally successful show in Quebec called Star Académie. It was broadcast on TF1...
. She is best known for her two Number One singles "Cassé
Cassé
"Cassé" is Nolwenn Leroy's debut single from her eponymous album, Nolwenn. It was released in 2003 in France, Belgium and Switzerland and achieved a great success in these countries, topping the French and Belgian charts.-Lyrics, music and video:...
" and "Nolwenn Ohwo!".
Biography
Leroy's parents left Saint-RenanSaint-Renan
Saint-Renan is a commune in the Finistère department in Bretagne in northwestern France.-Population:Inhabitants of Saint-Renan are called Renanais.-References:** -External links:* *...
, with her, when she was four years old. After living in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
, and Guingamp
Guingamp
Guingamp is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France.-Population:Inhabitants of Guingamp are called guingampais.-Breton language:...
, her mother Murielle Leroy and her younger sister settled with Leroy's grandparents in Saint-Yorre
Saint-Yorre
Saint-Yorre is a commune in the Allier department in central France.-Population:-References:*...
. Her mother had been divorced from her father, professional footballer Jean-Luc Le Magueresse, in 1992.
She studied at the "Collège des Célestins" in Vichy
Vichy
Vichy is a commune in the department of Allier in Auvergne in central France. It belongs to the historic province of Bourbonnais.It is known as a spa and resort town and was the de facto capital of Vichy France during the World War II Nazi German occupation from 1940 to 1944.The town's inhabitants...
. When Leroy was eleven, her music teacher noticed her musical talents and encouraged her to learn the violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
. At the age of thirteen she won "Les écoles du désert", a contest sponsored by the Cora supermarket chain
Cora (hypermarket)
Cora is a retail group based in Belgium which owns several supermarket and hypermarket chains internationally. Formed in 1974, the corporation's brands include Match, Profi, Truffaut, Ecomax, Animalis, Sovena and Houra, as well as Cora-branded hypermarkets....
, consequently travelling with a humanitarian mission from Gao
Gao
Gao is a town in eastern Mali on the River Niger lying ESE of Timbuktu. Situated on the left bank of the river at the junction with the Tilemsi valley, it is the capital of the Gao Region and had a population of 86,663 in 2009....
to Timbuktu
Timbuktu
Timbuktu , formerly also spelled Timbuctoo, is a town in the West African nation of Mali situated north of the River Niger on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. The town is the capital of the Timbuktu Region, one of the eight administrative regions of Mali...
, Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
; she later claimed this had a profound influence on her.
In July 1998, she was awarded a scholarship by the Vichy Rotary Club to travel to Cincinnati, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, as an exchange student. While there, she also attended the performing arts Hamilton High School
Hamilton High School
Hamilton High School may refer to:* Alexander Hamilton High School in Los Angeles, California* Alexander Hamilton Jr./Sr. High School in Elmsford, New York* Alexander Hamilton High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin...
. Returning to France, and speaking fluent English, she began classical singing classes at the Vichy
Vichy
Vichy is a commune in the department of Allier in Auvergne in central France. It belongs to the historic province of Bourbonnais.It is known as a spa and resort town and was the de facto capital of Vichy France during the World War II Nazi German occupation from 1940 to 1944.The town's inhabitants...
music conservatory. From 2001 she studied law at the University of Clermont-Ferrand
University of Clermont-Ferrand
The University of Clermont-Ferrand was officially founded in 1896, by merging of two existing faculties and a medical school. In 1976, due to political issues, the University split between University Clermont-Ferrand I - University of Auvergne and University Clermont-Ferrand II - Blaise Pascal...
, for a potential alternative career to music.
Star Academy
Having watched the first series of Star Academy in 2001, Leroy was impressed by Armande Altaï, one of the show's judges, and decided to try to join Altaï's singing classes. In 2002, after applying, and being selected, for the second season of the show, the French public voted and made her the overall winner, ahead of her fellow finalist, Houcine.Nolwenn (2003)
Leroy's first album, NolwennNolwenn (album)
Nolwenn is the debut album of the second season winner of Star Academy France, Nolwenn Leroy. It was released during March 2003 in France where it became Nolwenn's first #1 album....
, was released in March 2003 and sold more than 400,000 copies by November that year. In 2006, Universal Music claimed that more than 700,000 copies had been sold, but no official certification of this has been made by the Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique
Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique
The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry...
. Four songs from the album, "Cassé
Cassé
"Cassé" is Nolwenn Leroy's debut single from her eponymous album, Nolwenn. It was released in 2003 in France, Belgium and Switzerland and achieved a great success in these countries, topping the French and Belgian charts.-Lyrics, music and video:...
", "Une Femme cachée", "Suivre une étoile" and "Inévitablement" were released as singles. From December 2003, songs from the album were performed on Leroy's tours of France, Belgium and Switzerland.
Histoires Naturelles (2005)
Leroy's second album, Histoires NaturellesHistoires Naturelles
Histoires Naturelles is Nolwenn Leroy's second album. It was released on the 5th December 2005 in France. Most of the songs were written by the French singer Laurent Voulzy and Nolwenn Leroy herself. The title track was written by Yasmin Shah and Arnaud Rosenthal,and "Mélusine" by Yasmin Shah...
, was produced by Laurent Voulzy
Laurent Voulzy
Laurent Voulzy is a French singer and composer.-Biography:Voulzy originally led the English-pop-influenced Le Temple de Vénus before joining Pascal Danel as guitarist from 1969 to 1974...
. Five singles were released from the album. "Nolwenn Ohwo!", written by Alain Souchon
Alain Souchon
Alain Souchon is a French singer, songwriter and actor. He has released 15 albums and has played roles in seven films.-Profile:...
and Voulzy, topped the French music charts.lescharts.com>"Nolwenn Ohwo! - Chart performance" The second single was the title track, "Histoire Naturelle". Music videos were made for both songs; the video for "Histoire Naturelle" expressed the main theme of the album with Leroy being portrayed as natural history museum exhibits. Of the other single releases, "Mon Ange" was distributed digitally while "J'aimais tant l'aimer" and "Reste Encore" were promotional-only. Songs from Histoires Naturelles
Histoires Naturelles
Histoires Naturelles is Nolwenn Leroy's second album. It was released on the 5th December 2005 in France. Most of the songs were written by the French singer Laurent Voulzy and Nolwenn Leroy herself. The title track was written by Yasmin Shah and Arnaud Rosenthal,and "Mélusine" by Yasmin Shah...
and Nolwenn were performed on Leroy's second tour entitled "Histoires Naturelles Tour", which started in September 2006. Leroy's first live album was subsequently released in late October 2007.
Le Cheshire Cat & Moi (2009)
Le Cheshire Cat & Moi was a project that began in 2007, co-written by Leroy and Teitur LassenTeitur Lassen
Teitur is a Faroese singer-songwriter. On 3 March 2007, he was awarded Best Male Singer at the Danish Music Awards.The word teitur is Old Norse and means happy. In Modern Faroese, it is archaic but used as a male given name....
, with contributions from Jonatha Brooke
Jonatha Brooke
Jonatha Brooke is an American folk rock singer-songwriter and guitarist from Illinois.Her music merges elements of folk, rock and pop, often with poignant lyrics and complex harmonies...
, Michelle Featherstone
Michelle Featherstone
Michelle Featherstone is a British American singer-songwriter. Born in Chester, England, and raised in Cambridge, England, Featherstone now resides in Hollywood, California. She began studying piano and composing original music at the age of nine...
, Mike Errico
Mike Errico
Mike Errico is an American singer-songwriter, composer, producer and music supervisor whose acclaimed releases include Wander Away, Songs from Lift, Pictures of the Big Vacation, Tonight I Drink You All, Skimming and All In.-Bio:...
and Rupert Hine
Rupert Hine
Rupert Neville Hine is an English musician, songwriter and prolific record producer, having produced albums for artists including Kevin Ayers, Tina Turner, Howard Jones, Saga, The Fixx, Bob Geldof, Thompson Twins, Stevie Nicks, Chris de Burgh, Suzanne Vega, Rush, Underworld, Duncan Sheik, and ...
. It was arranged and produced by Lassen, and recorded in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and the Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...
. It had a more acoustic
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
feel than Histoires Naturelles
Histoires Naturelles
Histoires Naturelles is Nolwenn Leroy's second album. It was released on the 5th December 2005 in France. Most of the songs were written by the French singer Laurent Voulzy and Nolwenn Leroy herself. The title track was written by Yasmin Shah and Arnaud Rosenthal,and "Mélusine" by Yasmin Shah...
, and gave the opportunity for Leroy to compose music for the first time. The album was released in December 2009. A tour entitled "Le Cheshire Cat & Vous" to promote the record was held in 2010.
Bretonne (2010)
Leroy released a fourth studio album, Bretonne, on 6 December 2010. Cover versions of traditional celticCeltic music
Celtic music is a term utilised by artists, record companies, music stores and music magazines to describe a broad grouping of musical genres that evolved out of the folk musical traditions of the Celtic people of Western Europe...
songs such as "Mná na h-Éireann", and contemporary songs such as Christophe Miossec's "Brest" were included on the album. Most of the songs related to Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
, the singer's birthplace, four sung in Breton
Breton language
Breton is a Celtic language spoken in Brittany , France. Breton is a Brythonic language, descended from the Celtic British language brought from Great Britain to Armorica by migrating Britons during the Early Middle Ages. Like the other Brythonic languages, Welsh and Cornish, it is classified as...
. Leroy collaborated with Jon Kelly
Jon Kelly
Jon Kelly is a British music producer who has produced albums and singles for Chris Rea, The Damned, Kate Bush, Pele , The Beautiful South, Prefab Sprout, Deacon Blue, Heather Nova, The Levellers, Fish, Lynsey De Paul and Nolwenn Leroy.-References:...
for the musical arrangements. The album topped the French album charts for 7 weeks.
Research
Leroy's music was studied for its neurological impact in geriatric populations. Researchers found that Leroy's recordings might have a more beneficial effect than other music, noting that: "the music of Nolwenn Leroy was found to be significantly superior to other music tested". To describe the phenomenon they coined the term the Nolwenn Effect, saying: "the music of Nolwenn Leroy appears to have a different effect on brain-based modulation of gait and stance than other music tested to date".Mozart and Dutch and French singers were tested; only Mozart and Leroy's music were specified. The U.S. study was completed in February 2008, but no substantial results appear to be published.
Albums
| Year | Title | Chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR | BEL | SWI | ||
| 2003 | Nolwenn Nolwenn (album) Nolwenn is the debut album of the second season winner of Star Academy France, Nolwenn Leroy. It was released during March 2003 in France where it became Nolwenn's first #1 album.... |
1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2005 | Histoires Naturelles Histoires Naturelles Histoires Naturelles is Nolwenn Leroy's second album. It was released on the 5th December 2005 in France. Most of the songs were written by the French singer Laurent Voulzy and Nolwenn Leroy herself. The title track was written by Yasmin Shah and Arnaud Rosenthal,and "Mélusine" by Yasmin Shah... |
3 | 7 | 44 |
| 2009 | Le Cheshire Cat et Moi | 26 | 32 | - |
| 2010 | Bretonne | 1 | 1 | 20 |
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR | BEL | SWI | |||
| 2003 | "Cassé Cassé "Cassé" is Nolwenn Leroy's debut single from her eponymous album, Nolwenn. It was released in 2003 in France, Belgium and Switzerland and achieved a great success in these countries, topping the French and Belgian charts.-Lyrics, music and video:... " |
1 | 1 | 4 | Nolwenn Nolwenn (album) Nolwenn is the debut album of the second season winner of Star Academy France, Nolwenn Leroy. It was released during March 2003 in France where it became Nolwenn's first #1 album.... |
| "Une Femme Cachée" | 40 | 23 | 78 | ||
| "Suivre Une Etoile" | 12 | 24 | 44 | ||
| 2004 | "Inévitablement" | 31 | 26 | - | |
| 2006 | "Nolwenn Ohwo!" | 1 | 3 | 29 | Histoires Naturelles Histoires Naturelles Histoires Naturelles is Nolwenn Leroy's second album. It was released on the 5th December 2005 in France. Most of the songs were written by the French singer Laurent Voulzy and Nolwenn Leroy herself. The title track was written by Yasmin Shah and Arnaud Rosenthal,and "Mélusine" by Yasmin Shah... |
| "Histoire Naturelle" | 30 | 39 | - | ||
| "Mon Ange" | 14* | 6* | - | ||
| 2007 | "J'aimais Tant L'Aimer" | - | - | - | |
| "Reste Encore" | - | - | - | ||
| 2009 | "Faut-il, Faut-il Pas ?" | - | 6* | - | Le Cheshire Cat et Moi |
| 2010 | "Suite Sudarmoricaine" | - | 26* | - | Bretonne |
| "La Jument de Michao" | 34* | 13 | - | ||
| "Tri Martolod" | 48* | 29 | - | ||
| "Brest" | - | - | - | ||
* French Download Charts and Belgium Ultratip
- Shows that the single did not chart or was not released as it was a promotional single
External links
- Official Nolwenn Leroy website
- Unofficial Nolwenn Leroy website
- Nolwenn Leroy biography, from Radio France InternationaleRadio France InternationaleRadio France Internationale was created in 1975 as part of Radio France by the Government of France, and replaced the Poste Colonial , Paris Mondial , Radio Paris , RTF Radio Paris and ORTF Radio Paris...
- Nolwenn Leroy fan forum
- Nolwenn Leroy: online radio