Zazie

Born Isabelle de Truchis de Varennes on April 18, 1964, in Boulogne-Billancourt, Zazie joined the ranks of French models and actresses who crossed into pop music when her debut single “Sucré Sale” propelled her to instant fame in 1993. From childhood she held a deep admiration for chanson figures such as Georges Brassens, Jacques Brel, and Barbara; at age ten she took up violin lessons and soon added piano and guitar. During her teenage years she began composing original songs and kept developing her material while training in psychotherapy. Once her studies ended, the statuesque brunette pursued professional modeling and appeared regularly in French fashion spreads and advertisements throughout the following decade. In 1992 she fully returned to music and journeyed to England, where she cut her first album at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios. Released the next year, Je, Tu, Ils paid homage to American psychotherapist Howard Buten; the record introduced the hit “Sucré Sale,” which brought Zazie the Victoires de la Musique trophy for Best Female Newcomer of the Year. Her sophomore effort, Zen, garnered even stronger praise for its clever, ironic lyrics and for blending modern pop textures with traditional instruments that ranged from accordion to djembé. While preparing her third album, Made in Love, in 1998, Zazie also wrote songs for Johnny Hallyday, among them the massive single “Allumer le Feu.” A subsequent tour produced her first live album, Made in Live. After issuing La Zizanie in 2001 she canceled touring plans upon learning of her pregnancy; daughter Lola arrived in August 2002, the same year the singer collected the Victoires de la Musique award for Best Female Artist of the Year. Rodéo, released in 2004, paired an electronic gloss with her most candid and personal lyrics yet. Totem arrived three years later. In 2010 Zazie launched a conceptual project that yielded forty-nine songs divided across seven EPs of seven tracks each; a fourteen-track distillation titled Za7ie appeared that same year. Her eighth studio album, Cyclo, followed in 2013.