Corneille (singer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Corneille
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Corneille performing in 2019
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Cornelius Nyungura |
| Born | 24 March 1977 Freiburg im Breisgau, West Germany |
| Origin | Rwanda |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Years active | 1993–present |
Cornelius Nyungura, known as Corneille, is a Canadian R&B singer. He was born on March 24, 1977. Corneille was born in West Germany. His parents were from Rwanda. He grew up mostly in Rwanda. Later, in 1997, he moved to Quebec, Canada.
He sings in both French and English. His music is inspired by American funk and soul music. He looks up to artists like Prince, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder.
Contents
Early Life
Corneille was born in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. But he spent most of his childhood in Rwanda. In 1993, he found his love for music. He joined an R&B group that won a competition called Découverte 1993. This helped him learn about writing songs and making music.
His life changed a lot in 1994 during a difficult time in Rwanda. When he was 17, he lost his family. He then went to Germany, where friends of his parents helped him.
Music Career
In July 1997, Corneille decided to move to Montreal, Canada. He wanted to study communication at Concordia University. While there, he started an R&B band called 'O.N.E.. He formed the band with Pierre Gage and Gardy Martin. They met soon after Corneille arrived in Quebec.
One of their songs, Zoukin, written by Corneille, became very popular in Canada. In early 2001, Corneille left the group. He wanted to start his own solo music career. He began to write songs about his past experiences.
During 2002, Corneille worked on many different music projects. He wrote songs like "Ce soir" and "Si seulement on s'aimait" for music collections. He was invited by Dave Stewart to perform in Paris. He also got to sing with Jimmy Cliff. In January 2003, he opened for Cunnie Williams at the Olympia in Paris.
Corneille's first album, Parce qu'on vient de loin, came out in Canada on September 10, 2002. The French version was released on October 20, 2003. It quickly became very popular. In April 2003, Corneille sang with Craig David on his song Rise and Fall. Corneille sang a part in French.
He started his first music tour in May 2003. He performed for full crowds in cities like Paris, Marseille, Lyon, and Bordeaux. In March 2005, Corneille took part in a concert called Africa Live. This concert helped fight against malaria. This was his first time back in Africa since the difficult events of 1994.
Les marchands de rêves, Corneille's second album, was released in November 2005. Corneille has also worked with the Canadian Red Cross. He helped raise awareness for children who are affected by war. He released his first album in English, The Birth of Cornelius, in July 2007.
In 2014, he was a contestant on the French TV show Danse avec les Stars. This show is like Dancing with the Stars. In 2022, he won a music tournament called "Manie Musicale".
Other Projects
Corneille wrote the song "Il était temps" for Virginie Pouchain. She sang this song when she represented France in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006.
Personal Life
Corneille married Canadian model and actress Sofia de Medeiros in 2006. They have one child together.
Music Albums
Studio Albums
| Year | Album | Charts | Certification | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEL Wa |
FR |
SWI |
QUE | |||
| 2002 | Parce qu'on vient de loin | 3 | 4 | 33 | ||
| 2005 | Les marchands de rêves | 6 | 3 | 34 | ||
| 2007 | The Birth of Corneillius | – | 23 | – | ||
| 2009 | Sans titre | 47 | 21 | – | ||
| 2011 | Les inséparables | 55 | 10 | – | ||
| 2013 | Entre nord et sud | – | 46 | – | ||
| 2019 | Parce qu'on aime | – | 58 |
– | ||
| 2022 | Encre Rose | – | – | – | ||
| "—" means the album did not appear on the charts or was not released there. | ||||||
Special Editions
- 2003: Parce qu'on vient de loin (édition deluxe) (two discs)
- 2006: Parce qu'on vient de loin / Les marchands de rêves (double album rerelease)
Live Albums
| Year | Album | Charts | Certification | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEL Wa |
FR |
SWI |
|||
| 2005 | Live (double album) |
10 | 9 | – | |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak position |
Certification | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEL Wa Ultratop |
BEL Wa Ultratip* |
FR |
SWI |
QUE | ||||
| 2002 | "Avec classe" | – | Tip 3 | 30 | – | Parce qu'on vient de loin | ||
| 2003 | "Ensemble" | – | – | 39 | – | |||
| 2004 | "Parce qu'on vient de loin" | 9 | – | 10 | 33 | |||
| "Seul au monde" | 34 | – | 26 | 62 | ||||
| "Rêves de star" | – | – | – | |||||
| "Comme un fils" | – | – | 21 | 56 | ||||
| 2005 | "Le bon Dieu est une femme" | – | – | – | – | Les marchands de rêves | ||
| 2006 | "Les marchands de rêves" | – | Tip 2 | 37 | 88 | |||
| 2009 | "En attendant..." | – | Tip 19 | – | – | Sans titre | ||
| 2011 | "Le jour après la fin du monde" | 33 | – | 27 | – | Les inséparables | ||
| "Des pères, des hommes et des frères" (Corneille feat. La Fouine) |
– | Tip 2 | 25 | – | ||||
| 2012 | "Jusqu'au bout de nos peines" (Corneille feat. Soprano) |
– | – | – | – | |||
| "Le bar des sentimentalistes" | – | – | – | – | ||||
| 2013 | "Les sommets de nos vies" | – | – | 84 | – | TBA | ||
| "—" means the song did not appear on the charts or was not released there. | ||||||||
*This means the song appeared in a "bubbling under" chart, not the main top 50 chart.
As Featured Artist
| Year | Single | Peak position |
Certification | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEL Wa Ultratop |
BEL Wa Ultratip* |
FR |
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| 2011 | "Le meilleur du monde" (TLF feat. Corneille) |
– | Tip 38 | 28 | TLF album Renaissance |
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| 2012 | "Histoires vraies" (Youssoupha feat. Corneille) |
– | – | 82 | Youssoupha album Noir desir |
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| "Co-Pilot" (French version) (Kristina Maria feat. Corneille) |
– | Tip 1 | 33 | Kristina Maria album Tell the World |
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| 2013 | "Cœur de guerrier" (Big Ali feat. Youssoupha, Corneille & Acid) |
– | Tip 6 | – | ||
| "À l'horizon" (Kery James feat. Corneille) |
– | Tip 31 | – | Kery James album Dernier MC |
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*This means the song appeared in a "bubbling under" chart, not the main top 50 chart.
DVDs
- 2005: Live (released with the Live album)
Awards
- 2005 NRJ Music Awards Video of the Year for Parce qu'on vient de loin
- 2005 EBBA Award
Images for kids
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Corneille performing in 2013
See also
In Spanish: Corneille (cantante) para niños
