Biography
Born to French rock icon Johnny Hallyday and pop chanteuse Sylvie Vartan—France's leading couple of the swinging '60s—David Hallyday arrived as David Smet on August 14, 1966, in Boulogne-Billancourt, seemingly marked for a life in music. From the age of four he divided his childhood between France and the United States, growing up bilingual and later attending school in California. As a teenager he joined an amateur rock & roll group, and in 1979 he made his first public appearance playing drums behind his father. After finishing his studies he joined the Scotti Bros. label run by his stepfather Tony Scotti. He also tried acting and landed the lead in the 1987 music-themed comedy He's My Girl, which opened the door to recording some of his own songs. His debut album, the English-language True Cool, appeared in 1988 and moved nearly a million copies around the world; its 1990 follow-up, Rock 'n' Heart, produced his only American chart single, "Ooh La La."
Still working in English, he had yet to register with French listeners. He released his first French-language single, "Heros," in 1993, then returned to English for the 1994 album Pain and Pride, recorded with the backing group Blind Fish. Another ensemble, Novocaine, backed his 1997 album of the same name, issued solely in the United States to minimal notice. In 1999 he teamed with his father on Sang Pour Sang, supplying all of the music, and that same year issued his first all-French album, Un Paradis/Un Enfer, which brought his first major success at home. Songs such as "Pour Toi" and "Tu Ne M'as Pas Laisse le Temps" lifted its sales, and he collected numerous music awards by the end of the year. He stepped away briefly to race cars and captured the GT championship in 2001. In the summer of 2002 he returned with his second all-French album, Révélation.
Still working in English, he had yet to register with French listeners. He released his first French-language single, "Heros," in 1993, then returned to English for the 1994 album Pain and Pride, recorded with the backing group Blind Fish. Another ensemble, Novocaine, backed his 1997 album of the same name, issued solely in the United States to minimal notice. In 1999 he teamed with his father on Sang Pour Sang, supplying all of the music, and that same year issued his first all-French album, Un Paradis/Un Enfer, which brought his first major success at home. Songs such as "Pour Toi" and "Tu Ne M'as Pas Laisse le Temps" lifted its sales, and he collected numerous music awards by the end of the year. He stepped away briefly to race cars and captured the GT championship in 2001. In the summer of 2002 he returned with his second all-French album, Révélation.
Albums
