Olivia Ruiz

Born January 1, 1980, in Carcassonne, folk-punk chanteuse Olivia Ruiz grew up as the daughter of musician Didier Blanc. She stepped onto stages professionally at age 12 alongside the Médiévales troupe and, three years later, helped launch the rock outfit Five. After completing a communications degree at the University of Montpellier, she tried out for the first season of the French television talent series Star Academy. Though her tastes ran closer to indie rock than commercial pop, she still reached the semifinals. Her debut single, “Paris,” surfaced in mid-2002. More than a year later came her first album, J’aime Pas l’Amour, which drew contributions from French alt-rock figures including Weepers Circus, Nery, and Philippe Prohom and eventually surpassed 50,000 copies sold. The 2003 television documentary Olivia Ruiz, Star’activiste spotlighted her career, after which she remained on tour until mid-2005, when she finally unveiled her second studio album, La Femme Chocolat. Its lead single, “J’traîne des Pieds,” became a major hit, and the record itself received Album of the Year honors at the Victoires de la Musique. In 2007 she issued her first live album, Chocolate Show: Live, captured at the Cirque d’Hiver in Paris. Three years after La Femme Chocolat she returned with her third studio set, Miss Météores, in 2009. Intent on moving beyond her Star Academy associations, Ruiz enlisted longtime partner Mathias Malzieu as well as The Noisettes, Lonely Drifter Karen, and rapper Toan. The live follow-up Miss Météores Live appeared the next year, in 2010.