Alizée facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alizée
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Alizée at Les Enfoirés in 2013
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| Born |
Alizée Jacotey
21 August 1984 Ajaccio, Corsica, France
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| Occupation | Singer, dancer |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Jérémy Chatelain
(m. 2003; div. 2012)Grégoire Lyonnet
(m. 2016) |
| Children | 2 |
| Musical career | |
| Genres |
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| Instruments | Vocals |
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Alizée Lyonnet (born 21 August 1984), known simply as Alizée, is a French singer and dancer. She is one of the most successful French female artists of the 21st century. She is also the French singer whose music has been most popular outside of France. Her most famous song is "Moi... Lolita" from 2000, which became number one in many countries.
Alizée grew up in Ajaccio, Corsica. She first became famous after winning the TV talent show Graines de star in 1999. She worked with famous artists Mylène Farmer and Laurent Boutonnat. Together, they released several popular albums. Many of her songs have been big hits, including "Moi... Lolita", "L'Alizé", "J'en ai marre!", "Gourmandises", and "La Isla Bonita" (a cover song).
Alizée started her music career in 2000. She has released six studio albums. Her first two albums were written by Mylène Farmer and composed by Laurent Boutonnat. Her first album, Gourmandises, quickly became a huge success. It sold very well in France and other countries. This made Alizée the best-selling French female singer in 2001. Her song "Moi... Lolita" from this album was a hit across Europe and East Asia. It even reached number 9 in the UK Singles Chart, which is rare for a song not in English. Her second album, Mes courants électriques, came out in 2003. After that, Alizée went on tour, performing in 43 concerts in France, Belgium, and Switzerland.
After a break, Alizée released her third album, Psychédélices, in 2007. This album was popular in Latin America and Eastern Europe. For her fourth album, Une enfant du siècle (2010), she worked with independent artists from Paris. She also sang with other artists like Alain Chamfort and Olly Murs. Her fifth album, 5, came out in 2013. In the same year, she won the TV dance contest Danse avec les stars. Her sixth album, Blonde, was released in 2014. It had a more mainstream pop sound but did not sell as well.
Alizée's Early Life and Career
Growing Up and First Steps
Alizée was known as "Lili" to her friends. She loved dancing from a very young age. By the time she was four, she was already very good at it. From 1988 to 2000, she studied at a famous dance and theatre school in Ajaccio.
In 1995, when she was 11, Alizée won a coloring competition. About 7,000 people entered the contest, which was organized by a French airline. Her winning design was painted on the outside of one of their planes! The plane was even named after her. As a prize, Alizée and her family won a trip to the Maldives.
In 1999, she appeared on a TV talent show called Graines de Star. She wanted to join the dance part of the show, but that was only for groups. So, Alizée decided to sing instead. She performed songs by Jennifer Lopez and Axelle Red. She won the "Meilleure Graine" award, which means "most promising young singing star."
First Albums and Global Success
After Alizée won Graines de Star, famous songwriters Mylène Farmer and Laurent Boutonnat noticed her. They were looking for a new young singer. They met Alizée and chose her after she sang for them. They carefully planned her first steps in music, controlling her image and public appearances.
In 2000, they produced her first album, Gourmandises (which means "Delicacies"). This album was a huge hit in France, Belgium, Germany, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. The first song from the album was "Moi... Lolita". This song created the image that Alizée was known for in her early career. She won an M6 award in 2000.
"Moi... Lolita" became her biggest hit. It was successful across Europe and parts of East Asia, reaching number one in many countries. The music video for the song showed Alizée as a simple country teenager visiting a dance club. The song was even used in a movie trailer in the UK. Her debut album, Gourmandises, sold over 788,000 copies in France. It reached "Platinum" status in just three months. In 2001, the album was released worldwide, and Alizée became the best-selling French female singer ever. The album sold over two million copies around the world.
Her second song, "L'Alizé" (2000), also from the same album, was released soon after. It also reached number one in France and became popular internationally. The video for "L'Alizé" showed Alizée dancing among bubbles. This was filmed in a studio in Brussels. The next song from the album was "Gourmandises". Its video showed teenagers having a picnic. The last song from the album was "Parler tout bas", which was about growing up.
New Image and Concert Tours
In 2003, Alizée released her second album, Mes courants électriques ("My Electric Currents"). With this album, she changed her image from a "Lolita" to a more mature teenager. This album was also written by Farmer and Boutonnat and sold 400,000 copies in France.
The first song from this album was "J'en ai marre!" (also known as "Mon bain de mousse" in Japan). Its music video showed Alizée singing inside a glass cage with water splashing on her. Other songs from this album included "J'ai pas vingt ans" ("I'm Not Twenty") and "À contre-courant". The video for "J'ai pas vingt ans" looked like a concert with Alizée dancing with other dancers. "À contre-courant" was filmed in an old coal factory.
After Mes courants électriques was released, Alizée went on a tour across France in 2003. She also performed in Belgium and Switzerland. The tour ended with performances at famous venues in Paris. A live CD and DVD called Alizée en concert were released in 2004. They featured songs and videos from her tour.
A Break and Return to Music
In 2005, after her successful tour, Alizée took a break from music. It was announced that she was pregnant. She gave birth to her daughter, Annily, on April 28, 2005. She decided to focus on her family for a while.
After some time, Alizée signed with a new music label, RCA (Sony BMG), in August 2007. This meant she would no longer work with her old mentors, Mylène Farmer and Laurent Boutonnat.
Meanwhile, her live album Alizée En Concert was re-released in Mexico in 2007. It became very popular there, reaching high spots on the music charts. The album even received a Gold certification in Mexico for selling over 50,000 copies.
New Album and Latin American Success
After a three-year break, Alizée returned in December 2007 with a new album called Psychédélices. This was her first album made without Mylène Farmer. The album had 11 songs and was released by RCA. It included collaborations with several artists.
The first song from the album was "Mademoiselle Juliette", released on September 30, 2007. The music video for this song was released in November 2007. Another song from the album, "Fifty-Sixty", was also released as a single. The lyrics of "Fifty-Sixty" tell a story about a young model. Three music videos were made for this song.
In March 2008, Alizée visited Mexico for the first time to promote her album. She had a very popular autograph session in Mexico City. Over 300 CDs were signed, and she received a Gold certification for Psychédélices – Mexican Tour Edition. She also sang a cover of Madonna's "La Isla Bonita", which became a top ten hit in Mexico.
Because of Alizée's success in Mexico, her old music label, Universal Music, released a collection album called Tout Alizée. This album, only released in Mexico, had 15 songs and a bonus DVD with her music videos.
New Sound and TV Dance Contest
In 2009, Alizée announced she was working on a new album that would sound very different. This album, Une Enfant Du Siècle (A Child of the Century), was released in France on March 29, 2010. The first song from this album was "Les Collines (Never Leave You)".
The album was inspired by the life of Edie Sedgwick, a famous model. Critics had mixed feelings about the album. They liked her new style but some felt she wasn't fully invested in the project. Alizée performed in Israel in 2010, singing a tribute to Serge Gainsbourg.
Between 2012 and 2013, Alizée appeared on French television to announce her new album, 5. The first song from this album was "À cause de l'automne". She worked with famous French artists like Jean-Jacques Goldman on this album. The album was released in March 2013.
In August 2013, Alizée joined the fourth season of Danse avec les stars, the French version of Strictly Come Dancing. She won the competition in November 2013. She also worked with singer Olly Murs on a French version of his song "Dear Darlin'".
Latest Album and Focus on Dance
After her success on Danse avec les stars, Alizée started working on her sixth album. It was called Blonde and was released on June 23, 2014. The first song from the album was "Blonde". The album received mixed reviews and did not sell as well as expected, so a planned tour was cancelled.
In September 2014, Alizée sang on a charity single called "Kiss & Love". She also joined the Danse avec les stars Tour. She voiced a character in the French version of the animated film Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast.
After Danse avec les stars, Alizée became very active as a dancer. She even opened a dance academy in her hometown of Ajaccio with her husband, Grégoire Lyonnet. In October 2017, she announced that she wanted to take a break from her music career to focus on dancing, which she called her "first passion."
Upcoming Concerts
Alizée has announced that she will return to the stage in the summer of 2024. She plans to perform her greatest hits at festivals in cities like Madrid, Nice, La Seyne-sur-Mer, and Toulouse.
Alizée's Personal Life
Alizée is described as a shy person, but she loves performing for audiences. Even though she is famous as a singer, she prefers dancing. She is skilled in many dance styles, including classical dance, jazz, Italian style ballet, tap, and flamenco.
Alizée married fellow French singer Jérémy Chatelain in Las Vegas in 2003. They had a daughter named Annily in 2005. They divorced in early 2012.
During Danse avec les stars in 2013, Alizée met and started dating Grégoire Lyonnet. They got married on June 18, 2016. In 2019, Alizée announced she was expecting her second child. She gave birth to another daughter in November 2019.
Alizée's Music Style
Her Voice and Sound
Alizée has a mezzo-soprano voice. When she started her music career, she described her songs as "soulful pop music." In 2000, she became a global sensation because she was the most successful French female singer in a long time. Alizée is known for mixing electronic sounds with pop music.
When she first started, NRJ Radio called her "The Queen of Europop." In her first album, Alizée used Europop with soft sounds, world music, and classic French songs.
Her second album mainly featured house sounds, instrumental music, and electronic sounds. Her third album showed a change, using very rhythmic world music. The song "Fifty-Sixty" from this album is dedicated to the memory of model Edie Sedgwick. For her fourth album, she changed her musical style again to a new genre called Mainstream, with strong rhythms. Alizée has said that changing her style is an important part of her music.
Alizée's Impact and Awards
Alizée became a pop culture icon right after she started her music career. Media outlets said she was one of the most talked-about female singers of the 21st century. They noted that she became a worldwide success at just 17 years old. She helped lead the rise of Europop after the year 2000 and became its queen.
Her first album, Gourmandises, sold 700,000 copies in only three months in France. By 2001, it had sold 1,000,000 copies in Europe. In early 2001, she won the NRJ Music Awards for "Francophone Revelation" (meaning best new French-speaking artist). She also won an M6 Award in late 2000.
"Moi... Lolita" is one of the best-selling singles in France. Alizée also has two songs in the French Top 100 singles of the 2000s. In 2002, a newspaper called Le Figaro reported that Alizée's music was the top-earning French music of the year.
The music video for "Mademoiselle Juliette", released in 2007, was listed as one of the 150 most important videos of the last 15 years by MTV Latin America.
Alizée is most famous for "Moi... Lolita", which became a global hit. She quickly became very famous and is known as the French singer whose music is most popular outside of France.
Charity Work
Alizée has done a lot of charity work with Les Enfoirés. This is a group of French celebrities who hold fundraising concerts every year. The money from these concerts goes to Les Restaurants du Coeur, an organization that helps feed people in need. Alizée participated in these concerts in 2001, 2002, and from 2008 to 2013.
In 2011, Alizée joined the Collectif Paris-Africa project to help fight hunger in Africa. She recorded the song "Des ricochets" with 60 other artists for a special album.
Works
Discography
Studio albums
- Gourmandises (2000)
- Mes courants électriques (2003)
- Psychédélices (2007)
- Une enfant du siècle (2010)
- 5 (2013)
- Blonde (2014)
Dance
Dance Shows
- Danse avec les stars – season 4 (2013)
- La danse fait son show (2014)
- Danse avec les stars – season 7 / week 8 (2016)
Dance Tours
- Danse avec les stars Tour (2013–2014)
- Danse avec les stars Tour (2014–2015)
- Danse avec les stars Tour (2016)
- Danse avec les stars Tour (2017)
See Also
In Spanish: Alizée para niños
- Société des auteurs, compositeurs et éditeurs de musique
- Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique
- French Top 100 singles of the 2000s
- List of best-selling singles in France
- List of Corsican people
