Zazie – Zazzie Biography
Zazie (full name: Isabelle Marie Anne de Truchis de Varennes) born on 18 April 1964, is a French singer, songwriter and former fashion model. She has co-produced all her albums and is noted for her playful use of language.
Zazie Age
Isabelle de Truchis de Varennes was born on 18 April 1964 in Boulogne-Billancourt, France.
Zazie Family
The former fashion model was nicknamed “Zazie” in reference to the title character of the Raymond Queneau novel, Zazie dans le métro. Her mother, Jacqueline Caussé, was a music teacher and her father, Hervé de Truchis de Varennes, was an architect.
At home, they listened to Georges Brassens, Jacques Brel and Barbara, as well as classical music which inspired her to begin learning to play the violin at the age of ten. She later taught herself to play the piano and guitar. After high school, Isabelle began studies to become a physiotherapist; however, her classic beauty and nearly six-foot stature caught the attention of modelling agents, and she abandoned her schooling to become a fashion model.
Zazie Husband – Zazie Children
The French singer was formerly married to Fabien Cahen and have a daughter together by the name Lola. Their daughter was born on 16th August 2002.
Zazie’s Photo
Zazie Career
1992: Initial Forays into Music and Je, Tu, Ils
In 1990, Zazie began her musical career. She signed a contract with Phonogram in 1991. In 1992, she released Je, tu, ils, her first album recorded in the studios of Peter Gabriel. She collaborated for the first time with Pascal Obispo on the song “Un, deux, trois, soleil”. She wrote almost all the tracks of the album and participated in the composition.
The album had minor success, and the single “Sucré salé” was ranked No. 46 on the Top 50 (French SNEP Singles Chart). The following year, Zazie was awarded ‘Best New Female Pop Artist of the Year’ (révélation variétés féminine de l’année) at the Victoires de la musique. The other two singles from the albums were much less successful, but the singer’s career was launched. Her record label agreed to sign for a second album.
From Je, tu, ils Zazie distinguished herself as a songwriter by crafting songs notable for their wit, alliteration, homophonies and double entendres.
From 1995: Success
In 1995, she released her second album Zen, which was co-written by and co-produced with Vincent-Marie Bouvot. The album produced the singles “Zen” and “Homme sweet homme”. Her 1996 single “Un point c’est toi” from the same album was discussed on Canada’s MuchMusic TV program Too Much 4 Much due to its controversial content.
Ultimately, the discussion panel deemed the video okay for audiences. In the video, a group of four smitten women, including Zazie, follow a pair of men down to a lake. There, the two men strip off their clothes and swim in the water. Zazie fantasizes about undressing one of the men and kissing him. However, her fantasies are spoiled as the two men kiss each other.
In 1997, Pascal Obispo and Zazie released the single “Les meilleurs ennemis”.
Her 1998 album Made in Love was co-produced by Ali Staton, Pierre Jaconelli, and herself. The album photos were taken by fashion designer Jean-Baptiste Mondino. The songs “Ça fait mal et ça fait rien”, “Tous des anges”, and “Tout le monde” were released as singles. This album was followed by a live album, Made in Live, the next year. In 1999 she also wrote a song for Jane Birkin.
In 2001, Zazie teamed up with Axel Bauer on the single “À ma place”. It was her most successful single in France, reaching number four on the French charts.
Zazie once again addressed homosexuality on her 2002 single “Adam et Yves” from her 2001 album La Zizanie. This album was produced solely by Pierre Jaconelli. Other singles included “Rue de la paix” and “Danse avec les loops”. In 2003, she released another live album, Ze Live.
Her 2004 album Rodéo was co-produced with Jean-Pierre Pilot and Philippe Paradis. The video for the single “Excuse-moi” features Zazie playing the role of an Indian woman who leaves her cheating husband. She followed this album up with a live album, Rodéo Tour in 2006.
Her sixth album, Totem, was released in February 2007. Like her previous album, it was co-produced with Jean-Pierre Pilot and Philippe Paradis. The “Totem Tour” began on 1 July.Also in 2007, she wrote several songs for Christophe Willem’s album, Inventaire.
In June 2010, Zazie released a new single “Avant l’amour” (Before Love). Avant l’amour was the first single from the album “Za7ie”; it reached No. 54 on the French SNEP radio airplay chart.
“Za7ie” was constructed as a concept project of 49 songs, split into seven theme albums of seven songs each. A shorter version with 14 songs was released in September 2010, with the 49 song project released as a box set in November of the same year.
Zazie announced eighth album, “Cyclo”, which is scheduled for release in spring 2013. The album was produced by Olivier Coursier of AaRON and mixed by Tony Hoffer. In 2015, she released her ninth album “Encore heureux”.
Other activities
Zazie co-composed the music of the 1997 film Ma vie en rose.
Zazie made her acting debut in the 1998 film by Didier Le Pêcheur “J’aimerais pas crever un dimanche” (Don’t Let Me Die on a Sunday).
In 2007, Zazie wrote and co-composed seven of the fifteen tracks of Christophe Willem’s first album, Inventaire, while also providing backing vocals in the tracks she wrote.In 2009, she participated in Rendez-vous en terre inconnue.
Zazie started coaching on the French version of The Voice in 2015 and one of her team, Lilian Renaud, won that 4th season. She again coached in 2016 and 2017.
Zazie Zest Of
Zest of is a 2008 album recorded by French pop singer Zazie. It was her first best of and her tenth album overall. It was released on 17 November 2008 digitally and under physical formats and achieved success in francophone countries. It provided a sole single, “FM Air” (a pun in French-language with “éphémère”), which was #8 in France and #19 in Belgium (Wallonia).
It contains 36 songs from Zazie’s six studio albums, Je, tu, ils, Zen, Made in Love, La Zizanie, Rodéo and Totem. It includes in live a song from Made in Live and four others from the singer’s later tour, Totem Tour, plus the duets with Axel Bauer and Pascal Obispo which didn’t appear on Zazie’s studio albums.
It also contains two new songs, “FM Air”, available in six versions released on collector-edition vinyl (limited edition) and the song “Un peu beaucoup”.
The best-of was available in two versions : astandard editions (two CD), and the collector edition (2 CD + DVD, in a set box).
The album went straight to number-one in France (compilations chart) and remained at this position for seven weeks. It also debuted atop in Belgium and remained for 14 weeks in the top ten. It was much less successful in Switzerland, staying for only nine weeks on the chart.
À ma place
“À ma place” is a 2001 pop song recorded as a duet by Zazie and Axel Bauer. It was the second single off Bauer’s album Personne n’est parfait and was released on 7 May 2001. It became a smash hit in France and Belgium (Wallonia) where it reached the top five.
The song was written and composed by both singers. It deals with the difficulties that can be met by a couple to understand each other. According to Elia Habib, the story of the song “[oscillates] between passion and insanity”. The music video and the cover single are very refined and the song looks like a “dramatic script meticulously directed”.
The music video was directed by Didier Le Pêcheur who had previously directed five music videos for Zazie at the time.
“À ma place” was not included on Zazie’s studio album, but only on Bauer’s Personne n’est parfait on which it appears in an extended version, then on Bauer’s best of La Désintégrale. In 2003, the live version performed during Zazie’s tour was added on her live album Ze live!! and in the collector edition of La Désintégrale. The song, as well as the music video (on the DVD), were also available on Zazie’s 2008 greatest hits Zest of.
Chart performances and awards
In France, the single debuted at #33 on 12 May 2001, then climbed directly to the top ten and remained in it for 17 weeks, including a peak at number four for two consecutive weeks. It totalled 30 weeks in the top 50 and 32 weeks in the top 100 and earned a Gold disc. The song is currently the 738th best-selling singles of all time in France.
In Belgium (Wallonia), it debuted at #32 on 4 August 2001 and reached number one four weeks later. It remained for 12 weeks in the top ten and 25 weeks in the Ultratop 50. To date, “À ma place” is the most successful single of both singers in terms of chart positions.
The song was awarded ‘Francophone song of the year’ at the 2002 NRJ Music Awards and was thus included on the compilation NRJ Music Awards 2002.
Zazie Concert
- Thursday 18 April 2019
Le W (formerly Le Phenix), Bourges, France - Wednesday 29 May 2019
Sceneo, Longuenesse, France - Sunday 09 June 2019
Papillons De Nuit, Saint-Laurent-De-Cuves, France - Friday 14 June 2019
Le Kiosque, Maury, France - Sunday 30 June 2019
Arènes de Nîmes, Nîmes, France - Friday 05 July 2019
Base De Loisirs De Pratgraussals, Albi, France - Friday 11 October 2019
Le Jeu De Paume, Blois, France - Thursday 24 October 2019
Le Silo, Marseille, France - Friday 25 October 2019
Le Silo, Marseille, France - Tuesday 05 November 2019
Palais des Congrès et le la Culture, Le Mans, France - Thursday 07 November 2019
Théâtre Sébastopol, Lille, France - Friday 08 November 2019
Théâtre Sébastopol, Lille, France - Saturday 09 November 2019
Théâtre Sébastopol, Lille, France - Tuesday 12 November 2019
L’Olympia, Paris, France - Wednesday 13 November 2019
L’Olympia, Paris, France - Thursday 14 November 2019
L’Olympia, Paris, France - Friday 15 November 2019
L’Olympia, Paris, France - Saturday 16 November 2019
L’Olympia, Paris, France - Thursday 21 November 2019
Théâtre Femina, Bordeaux, France - Friday 22 November 2019
Théâtre Femina, Bordeaux, France - Saturday 23 November 2019
Théâtre Femina, Bordeaux, France - Sunday 08 December 2019
Salle Erasme, PMC, Strasbourg, France - Thursday 19 December 2019
Nice Acropolis, Nice, France - Friday 20 December 2019
Le Corum – Salle Berlioz, Montpellier, France - Tuesday 14 January 2020
Casino Barrière Toulouse, Toulouse, France - Wednesday 15 January 2020
Casino Barrière Toulouse, Toulouse, France - Thursday 16 January 2020
Casino Barrière Toulouse, Toulouse, France - Saturday 18 January 2020
Summum, Alpexpo, Grenoble, France - Wednesday 29 January 2020
Cirque Royal, Brussels, Belgium - Thursday 30 January 2020
Cirque Royal, Brussels, Belgium - Tuesday 11 February 2020
Théâtre le Forum, Liège, Belgium - Wednesday 12 February 2020
Théâtre le Forum, Liège, Belgium - Friday 14 February 2020
Le Liberté, Rennes, France - Saturday 15 February 2020
Palais Des Congrès De Tours, Tours, France - Thursday 12 March 2020
Théâtre le Rhône, Bourg-Les-Valence, France - Friday 13 March 2020
Arcadium, Annecy, France - Saturday 14 March 2020
La Coopérative De Mai – Grande Coopé, Clermont-Ferrand, France - Saturday 11 April 2020
Le Scarabée, Riorges, France - Thursday 23 April 2020
Grand Auditorium, Cité des Congrès, Nantes, France - Friday 24 April 2020
Grand Auditorium, Cité des Congrès, Nantes, France
You can get tickets to the concerts on songkick.com or ticketmaster.fr among other sites.
Zazie Songs
| Year | Single |
| 1992 | Sucré, salé |
| Je, tu, ilsA | |
| Un petit peu amoureuxA | |
| 1995 | Larsen |
| Zen | |
| 1996 | Un point c’est toi |
| Homme sweet homme | |
| 1997 | Les meilleurs ennemis (with Pascal Obispo) |
| 1998 | Tous des anges |
| Ça fait mal et ca fait rien | |
| Tout le monde | |
| Made in LoveA | |
| Chanson d’amiA | |
| 1999 | CyberA |
| 2001 | À ma place (with Axel Bauer) |
| Rue de la paix | |
| 2002 | Adam et Yves |
| Sur toiA | |
| 2003 | Danse avec les loops |
| 2004 | RodéoA |
| Toc, Toc, TocA | |
| Excuse-moiA | |
| OuiA | |
| 2007 | Des rails |
| Je suis un homme | |
| J’étais làA | |
| 2008 | Flower power |
| FM Air | |
| 2010 | Avant l’amour |
| Etre et avoir | |
| 2011 | Chanson d’amour |
| Me taire te plaire (with Mademoiselle K) |
|
| 2013 | Les contraires |
| 20 ans | |
| Temps plus vieux | |
| 2015 | Discold |
| Pise | |
| 2016 | Faut pas s’y fier |
| 2018 | Speed |
Zazie Awards
| Year | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Victoires de la musique | Musical show, tour or concert of the year |
| 2002 | Female group of artists of the year | |
| 1998 | Female artist of the year | |
| 1996 | Music video of the year: Larsen, directed by Philippe Andre | |
| 1993 | Popular music Female révélation of the year | |
| 2002 | NRJ Music Awards | Best French language song with Axel Bauer for À ma place |
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Zazie Speed
Zazie News
Zazie with Beetle, in April 2020
Adopted from: leprogres.fr
Published: 4th December 2018
With the success of her sublime tenth album and the single phenomenon Speed , Zazie finally returns on stage with the Zaziessenciel Tour , which will start on May 29th. She will be at the Scarabée stage in Riorges on April 11, 2020.