Chantal Goya

Chantal Goya came into the world as Chantal Deguerre in Saigon on October 10, 1946. After relocating to Paris at age four, she developed a close friendship with songwriter Jean-Jacques Debout as a teenager, and he encouraged her to try out for RCA Records in 1964. Her first release, "C'est Bien Bernard," launched her as a leading figure in yé-yé pop, and she sustained that momentum through additional successes penned by Debout such as "A la Sortie de Ma Classe," "D'abord Dis-Moi Ton Nom," and "Comment le Revoir." In 1966 she portrayed an aspiring pop star in Jean-Luc Godard's Masculin Feminin. While filming she became pregnant with Debout's child, prompting the pair to marry shortly afterward. As yé-yé's appeal faded her recording career declined, and following the 1967 track "La Flamme et le Feu" she vanished from the French charts. Throughout the 1970s she transformed into a performer aimed at young children, issuing multiple albums that found strong favor among listeners under five; unexpectedly, in 2001 she reentered the French Top 40 via "Becassine Is My Cousine," which also gained traction as a club favorite.