A French pop vocalist whose Gypsy jazz leanings and singing voice drew frequent comparisons to Edith Piaf, Zaz achieved a chart-topping self-titled debut in 2010. Her fourth studio album, 2018’s Effet Miroir, moved toward a more contemporary pop sound while shedding much of its anachronistic flavor.
Isabelle Geffroy, who entered the world on May 1, 1980, in Tours, France, had already spent much of her life performing as a vocalist. Under the name Zaz she delivered her first full-length solo release, a Play On self-titled album issued in 2010. Several tracks on the set were written and produced by Raphaël; critics responded warmly, and the project yielded the Top 40 hit “Je Veux.” Buoyed by growing word-of-mouth, Zaz gradually ascended to the summit of the French albums chart, ultimately earning double-diamond certification at home. Her audience expanded beyond France, prompting a 2012 tour that took her across Europe, Japan, and Canada. The following year she unveiled her sophomore effort, Recto Verso, which likewise attained double-diamond status in France and received gold or platinum plaques in multiple other European territories.
Conceived as an affectionate tribute to the French capital, her third album, Paris, assembled a series of Paris-themed songs that included Cole Porter’s “I Love Paris” (with Nikki Yanofsky) and Charles Trénet’s “La Romance de Paris” (with Thomas Dutronc). The exuberant collection arrived in 2014 and secured Top Ten placements throughout Europe. She continued with the successful live recording Sur la Route in 2015, which featured her strongest French-charting single up to that time, “Si Jamais J’oublie,” peaking at number 11. Remaining on Play On, she returned in 2018 with Effet Miroir, an album that climbed into the Top Five in France, Germany, and Switzerland.
