Mireille Mathieu facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mireille Mathieu
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Mathieu in 2014
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| Background information | |
| Born | 22 July 1946 Avignon, France |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1962–present |
| Labels | |
Mireille Mathieu (born July 22, 1946) is a famous French singer. She has sung over 1,200 songs in eleven different languages. She has sold more than 122 million records around the world.
Contents
Mireille Mathieu's Life and Career
Her Early Life
Mireille Mathieu was born on July 22, 1946, in Avignon, France. She was the oldest of fourteen children. Her family was not wealthy, but their living conditions got much better in 1954 when they moved to new housing. Later, in 1961, they moved to an even bigger home.
Mireille's father, Roger, had always dreamed of being a singer. He encouraged his children to sing with him in church. Mireille's first time singing for money was at age four. She sang during Christmas Eve Midnight Mass in 1950 and was given a lollipop as a reward. Seeing Édith Piaf sing on television was a very important moment for her.
Mireille had trouble in elementary school because of dyslexia. She was born left-handed, but her teachers made her learn to write with her right hand. She has a great memory and never needs a teleprompter when she performs. At age 14 (in 1961), she stopped school and started working in a factory. She helped her family by earning money and paying for her singing lessons. She was popular at work and often sang during breaks. Mireille is 1.52 meters (5 feet) tall. Before she became famous, she worked as a youth counselor at a summer camp. During that summer, an old Romani woman read her Tarot cards and predicted she would meet kings and queens.
Mireille is a Roman Catholic. Her special saint is Saint Rita, who is known as the "Saint for the Impossible." Mireille also has some superstitions about luck, but she never talks about them. She gets stage fright and often makes the sign of the cross before going on stage.
Her First Steps in Music (1962–1965)
Mireille started her singing career by joining a local singing contest in Avignon called On Chante dans mon Quartier ("We Sing in My Neighborhood"). She took private singing lessons from Madame Laure Collière. Mireille was very determined. She lost the contest in 1962 and 1963. But in 1964, she won by singing "La Vie en rose," a famous song by Édith Piaf.
Winning the contest gave her a free trip to Paris. She got to audition for a TV talent show called Jeu de la Chance ("Game of Luck"). People in Paris made fun of her accent, and her dyslexia made her mix up words. She felt discouraged after the audition.
In 1965, Mireille met her future manager, Johnny Stark. He had worked with famous artists before. Many people compare their relationship to that of Colonel Tom Parker and Elvis Presley. Stark helped Mireille become a huge star and was seen as the next Édith Piaf. By 1968, she was the most popular singer in France.
Becoming a Star (1965–1967)
Mireille was invited to sing on a TV show called Song Parade in November 1965. But then, she was suddenly asked to compete live on Jeu de la Chance on November 21, 1965. She won the contest, and Johnny Stark officially became her manager that night. He helped her win again the next week.
During her TV appearances, she also performed a concert at the Paris Olympia. This concert made her very famous. She sang three Édith Piaf songs she knew by heart. The newspapers in France and other countries called her the Piaf d'Avignon (Sparrow of Avignon).
At first, Mireille felt like she was just copying Édith Piaf. She said it was one of the biggest disappointments of her life. So, Stark changed her direction. Paul Mauriat and André Pascal started working with her. They wrote new songs like Mon crédo and La première étoile. Her first album, En Direct de L'Olympia, came out in 1966. It was very popular and made her a star outside France.
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Mireille toured a lot in 1966 and 1967. She learned that she was finally out of debt and had earned a lot of money. Her biggest wish was to help her family escape poverty. She bought a vehicle for her father's business and a big house for her parents and siblings. Most importantly, she had a telephone installed at home so her parents could talk to her easily.
Mireille performed at the London Palladium for the Queen and her family in 1967, 1969, and 1981. Her French version of "The Last Waltz" became a big hit in Great Britain. She also toured Canada and the United States. She appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show and the Danny Kaye Show. In Hollywood, she met Elvis Presley, and in Las Vegas, she sang with Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra.
Her Career in the Late 20th Century
Even though rock and roll became very popular, Mireille remained a beloved artist in France and Europe. Many fans have met her and say she treats them very well.
In 1968, Mireille was in a car accident and broke a bone in her back. She was unable to perform for three months.
In 1974, Mireille started her own music publishing company called Abilene Music. In 1983, she started another company, Abilene Disc, to release her recordings. Her sisters Monique and Christiane manage this company.
In 1985, Mireille sang with Plácido Domingo in a children's show called The Tales of Cri-Cri. This show featured puppets and traditional Mexican songs. Mireille's father, Roger, passed away that same year.
In 1986, Mireille performed many sold-out concerts in Paris. She also performed in China, and a French TV crew filmed her trip. She later wrote in her book that she was the first Western performer to sing there, but other Western artists had performed before her.
In 1988, a German company named a rose after Mireille Mathieu. She also published her autobiography, Oui je crois (Yes, I Believe). The title comes from her first song, Mon crédo.
Mireille wrote in her book that she and Johnny Stark understood each other well. She wanted to sing, and he kept her busy with many contracts. She was not allowed to read what the newspapers said about her, but she was happy to follow that rule. Stark often influenced the press. Mireille's main goal was to sing and make sure her family never had to live in poverty again.
Johnny Stark passed away in 1989. He was buried in Mireille's family mausoleum in Avignon. After his death, Mireille's sister Monique became her business manager.
In 1990, Mireille performed special concerts in Paris. She had a new haircut and wore a simple black dress designed by Pierre Cardin. However, fewer people came to these concerts because of the First Gulf War.
In 1993, she released two albums dedicated to her idol, Édith Piaf. One was in French, Mireille Mathieu chante Piaf, and the other in German. She sold 100,000 copies of the French album.
In 1995, she released a new album called Vous lui direz... It included new songs from different writers. She also made a German version of this album. In 1998, she performed at the Olympia in Paris again. She released a collection of her songs that included a French version of Toni Braxton's "Unbreak My Heart." In 1999, she released another German album with some modern, techno-sounding songs.
Her Career in the 21st Century
In 2002, Mireille released her thirty-seventh French album, De tes mains. She then had many concerts in Paris and toured France, Belgium, and Switzerland. The reviews were very positive, and audiences gave her standing ovations.
Mireille celebrated her fortieth year as a singer at the Paris Olympia in November 2005. She released her thirty-eighth French album, Mireille Mathieu. Her performance and an interview were recorded and released on DVD in 2006.
On November 1, 2008, she was a guest of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moscow and performed for him. They also visited the tent of the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
In November 2010, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev gave her the Russian Medal of Friendship. She toured Russia and the Baltic States that month. In January 2011, Mireille was promoted to Officier of the Légion d'honneur, a high French award.
In March 2012, Mireille and her orchestra visited three cities in Siberia, Russia.
In October 2012, Mireille announced she would re-release her album Chante Piaf with two new songs. This was to celebrate her 50th year as a singer and the 50th anniversary of Piaf's death. She had to cancel some shows in Russia that month due to problems with the concert company. However, she was able to perform in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and Krasnodar.
In December 2013, her lawyers won a lawsuit against MGM Home Entertainment. The company had not paid her for her 1967 song Les Yeux de l'amour (The Eyes of Love), which was used in the German version of the movie Casino Royale. Since 2009, she has been the main guest star at the Spasskaya Tower Military Music Festival and Tattoo in Moscow. In September 2013, she performed in the rain and wind, refusing a coat because she felt it would be disrespectful to the audience. Russian TV praised her performance.
Mireille had a busy tour schedule in 2014 to celebrate her 50th year in show business. Her France 50th Anniversary tour ran from October to November 2014.
She performed her 50th Anniversary tour in Germany and Austria in March 2015, singing at sold-out venues. She gives credit to her sister and manager, Monique, for keeping ticket prices fair.
In March 2015, she announced that all her concerts in Russia were canceled because of the economic situation there.
On May 26, 2015, Mireille performed at a "Culture Without Borders" event at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. She sang in a concert called The Allies of the Great Victory: A Musical Story.
On July 30, 2015, she returned to Byblos, Lebanon, to perform at the Byblos International Festival. Her mother made a brief appearance on stage with her.
On March 20, 2016, Mireille's mother passed away at age 94. She was buried in Mireille's family mausoleum in Avignon.
Personal Life
Mireille Mathieu keeps her private life very private. She is a very religious Catholic and attends Catholic Mass with her family.
Discography
See also
In Spanish: Mireille Mathieu para niños
