Anaïs

French folk-blues chanteuse Anaïs first came to notice as the frontwoman of the popular rock band Opossum before launching her solo career in 2003. Born Anaïs Croze in Grenoble on August 20, 1976, she spent her formative years in Marseille and went on to study English in Aix-en-Provence. She guided Opossum from 1999 until its breakup in late 2002 following the release of the band’s debut album Excuse-Moi, J'voulais Te D'mander. Her initial solo tour commenced the next spring, and in January 2004 she captured her live debut LP, The Cheap Show, for retail release a year later. The record’s unusual blend of chanson, folk, blues, pop and rap resonated widely, turning into a major word-of-mouth hit across France that reached the top ten and ultimately moved more than half a million copies—an unprecedented achievement in a market where no prior live debut album had succeeded. A 2006 reissue added bonus tracks and a DVD. In 2007 she joined forces with LA punks The Blood Arm and created and staged the one-woman musical The Amber Story. Her first full studio album, The Love Album, made in tandem with hip-hop legend Dan the Automator, appeared in 2008, yet a follow-up did not arrive until 2012 with the release of A l'Eau de Javel.