EARLY
YEARS OF ALIZÉE
Alizée Jacotey (born August 21, 1984) is a
French singer. Born in Ajaccio, Corsica, she goes by the stage name
Alizée - the feminine form of alizé, the Trade Wind. She was
discovered by Mylène Farmer, a successful Quebec-born French singer,
following her winning performance in the talent show, Graines de
Star, in 1999. While collaborating with Mylène Farmer and Laurent
Boutonnat, Alizée came up with two albums both of which were hits
inside and outside of France. Alizée is considered the protégée of
Mylène Farmer. Alizée entered the music business in the year 2000.
Since then, she has released two studio albums, composed by Laurent
Boutonnat and written by Mylène Farmer.
Her first album was
Gourmandises, which received Platinum certification within three
months of release. Gourmandises was a success both in France and
abroad — after it had its international launch in 2001 — earning
Alizée the distinction of being the highest selling female
French singer in 2001.
The album featured her
most successful single which reached number one in several
countries in Europe and East Asia. The marketing campaign around
the single affixed Alizée's image as that of a seductive.
Gourmandises was followed by a second studio album,
Mes_Courants_Électriques in 2003, which was also quite
successful, though not as big a hit as Alizée's debut album.
Following its release, Alizée toured France during the fall of
2003, performing in 43 concerts throughout France, along with
Belgium and Switzerland.
Alizée married fellow
French singer Jérémy Châtelain in late 2003. Since her marriage
she has taken a break from singing, but is returning with a new
album, titled Psychèdèlices on December 3, 2007.
Also known by her nickname Lili, Alizée
started dancing early in her life. By the age of four, she became
quite proficient in it. A year later, she enrolled herself in
Corsica's renowned dance school, Ecole du Spectacle de Monique
Mufraggi, and received her training there until she was 15. In 1995,
at the Age of eleven, she won a coloring competition organized by
Air Outre Mer, a former French airline now partly acquired by
Swissair. Her design won first prize and was reproduced on the cabin
of one of the airline's aircraft. The aircraft was subsequently
named after her and for her efforts, Alizée won a trip to the
Maldives. In 1999, she appeared on the TV talent show "Graines de
Star", broadcast on Métropole 6. She initially intended to sign up
for the programmer's dance contest.
However, the dance category was reserved
for groups only. Alizée therefore participated in the singing
category instead, performing the song Ma Prière. She went on to
win the "Meilleure Graine" award for most promising young
singing star of tomorrow. Her winning performance was seen by
veteran Canadian-born French pop diva Mylène Farmer and Laurent
Boutonnat, who were looking for a young, fresh voice to partake
in their new project. They approached Alizée and she was
selected after studio auditions. The duo architected her debut
with a meticulously orchestrated launch, controlling her image
and public appearances. In 2000, they produced her maiden album,
Gourmandises which was a great success in France.
The first single was ML, which set the
tone of the album, portrayed Alizée as a Young Girl who was
capable of "melting the hearts of the local male population".
She returned with a follow up album, Mes Courants Électriques,
in 2003. This second album was also quite successful, though not
to the same extent as Gourmandises. It was followed up with a
live album of her countrywide tour
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