Hélène Ségara
Encyclopedia
Hélène Ségara (born Hélène Rizzo on 26 February 1971 in Six-Fours-les-Plages
Six-Fours-les-Plages
Six-Fours-les-Plages is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.It is located in the metropolitan Communauté d'agglomération Toulon Provence Méditerranée, and is southwest of the main city of Toulon....

, Var) is a French female singer revealed in her interpretation of Esmeralda in the french musical Notre Dame de Paris.

Her childhood in the French Riviera

Hélène Ségara was born on 26 February 1971 in Six-Fours-les-Plages
Six-Fours-les-Plages
Six-Fours-les-Plages is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.It is located in the metropolitan Communauté d'agglomération Toulon Provence Méditerranée, and is southwest of the main city of Toulon....

 in her grandfather's farm. Her father is of Italian descent and mother is Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....

.

She said that she had been traumatized in her childhood by the divorce of her parents when she was 8, and by the death of her grandfather when she was 16. As she wanted to become a singer, she left school and family at the age of 14.

Then she had many successive jobs including performances in the piano bar
Piano bar
A piano bar consists of a piano or electronic keyboard played by a professional musician, located in a cocktail lounge, bar, hotel lobby, office building lobby, restaurant, or on a cruise ship. Usually the pianist receives a small salary plus tips in a jar or basket on or near the piano,...

s of the French Riviera
French Riviera
The Côte d'Azur, pronounced , often known in English as the French Riviera , is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France, also including the sovereign state of Monaco...

. At 18, she gave birth to Raphael, her first son. Her repertoire was expanding, with many musical influences and over a thousand songs. In 1993, a first single entitled "Loin" was released, but didn't meet success.

Her life in Paris

In 1996, accompanied by her young son, she moved to Paris, where she met Christian Loigerot, who became one of her composers. She also met the famous producer Orlando, Dalida
Dalida
Dalida , born with Italian name of Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti, was a world-famous singer and actress born in Egypt with Italian origins but naturalised French with the name Yolanda Gigliotti. She spent her early years in Egypt amongst the Italian Egyptian community, but she lived most of her adult...

's brother, who supervised and gave new impetus to her career. Although she was marked by the experience and professionalism of this mentor, she remains under contract with her first producer.

Ségara began to have success with "Je vous aime adieu," the first single from her debut album, Cœur de verre
Cœur de verre
Cœur de verre is the name of the first studio album recorded by the French singer Hélène Ségara. It was released in 1996, after its first hit single, "Je vous aime adieu", and achieved success in France and Belgium . It provided eight singles, including three hits.-Background:Three years ago,...

(1996), and the duet "Vivo per lei," performed with Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli, is an Italian tenor, multi-instrumentalist and classical crossover artist. Born with poor eyesight, he became blind at the age of twelve following a soccer accident....

. She then played the role of Esmeralda
Esmeralda (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)
Esmeralda, or La Esmeralda , born Agnes, is a fictional character in Victor Hugo's 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame . She is a French Gypsy girl...

 in the musical Notre Dame de Paris
Notre Dame de Paris (musical)
Notre-Dame de Paris is a sung-through French-Canadian musical which debuted on 16 September 1998 in Paris. It is based upon the novel Notre-Dame de Paris by the French novelist Victor Hugo...

, composed by Richard Cocciante. While she auditioned for this role in 1997, she was selected in 1999, following the withdrawal of the Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

i singer Noa. "When the fate knocks at the door for a second time, we must not let it get away," said Ségara.

However, her career was jeopardized after being diagnosed with a cyst on her vocal cords, while she continued to perform in a show. During a show in Canada, she lost her voice. Her producer then resold her contract to Orlando, while a laser operation was carried out to treat her vocal cords.

A new start

After her convalescence, she recorded her second album, Au Nom d'une femme in 2000. The album topped the charts, and became Diamond
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...

 disc. Five singles from this album were all successful. Ségara then began a concert tour that lasted about two years. A video recording of the concert she gave at the Olympia
Paris Olympia
The Olympia is a music hall in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. Located at No. 28, Boulevard des Capucines, its closest métro/RER stations are Madeleine, Opéra, Havre – Caumartin and Auber....

 in Paris on this occasion was released. According to a poll made by the IFOP, Segara was the French people's favourite French singer at the time.

In March 2003 was released a third album, Humaine, including "On n'oublie rien, on vit avec", a duet with Laura Pausini
Laura Pausini
Laura Pausini, is a Grammy Award-winning Italian soul singer-songwriter. She debuted in 1993, winning the newcomer artists' section of the 43rd Sanremo Music Festival with the song "La solitudine", which became an Italian standard and an international hit, reaching the top spot on the Italian...

 and "L'Amour est un soleil", composed by Romano Musumarra. About 700,000 copies of this album were sold. She started another tour in late 2003 but was forced to stop her performances because of a difficult pregnancy.

In August 2003, Ségara married in Ajaccio
Ajaccio
Ajaccio , is a commune on the island of Corsica in France. It is the capital and largest city of the region of Corsica and the prefecture of the department of Corse-du-Sud....

 Mathieu Lecat (son of journalist Didier Lecat), with whom she had two other children: Matteo (born in May 2003) and Maïa (October 2004).

Her fourth studio album, Quand l'éternité ... came out in 2006. The first single from this album was "Méfie-toi de moi", followed by "Rien n'est comme avant". This album has a different style from previous ones, with more pronounced rock influences, texts almost all composed by the singer, and that addresses issues such as the absence, death and hope. The album eventually achieved gold status three months after its release for more than 200,000 copies sold. In early 2007, she made a new concerts tour in France, including the Palais des Sports
Palais des Sports
Palais des Sports is the name of multiple sporting venues, mostly in the French-speaking world, including:* In France:**Palais des Sports de Beaulieu, Nantes**Palais des Sports de Fetes, Limoges**Palais des Sports de Gerland, Lyon...

 in Paris.

In 2007, when she finished the first part of her tour, two other songs from the album were sent to the radio: "Tu ne seras jamais libre" and "Father". Both songs were not released as singles. In late 2007, several editions came out : a box set with of 3 CDs (Les 50 plus belles chansons d'Hélène Segara), two boxes composed of 2 CDs with a new cover (Cœur de verre + Au Nom d'une femme, Humaine + Quand l'éternité...) and a CD 'Prestige' with 15 tracks. In February 2008, she released "La Moitié de nous", a duet with Bruno Pelletier
Bruno Pelletier
Bruno Pelletier , is a francophone Quebecer singer.-Life:Pelletier was born in Charlesbourg, a suburb of Quebec City. In 1983 Pelletier performed in the bands Amanite and Sneak Preview, which sang in English. He later started a group called Pëll, singing in French. At 23 years old, he moved to...

, whose a part of profits were given to an association name Rêves. The tour "Quand l'éternité..." is ongoing until summer 2008, in France and abroad. This year, Ségara will also record a new album that is described by herself as a "realistic travel around the world", with a link between all the songs. This album will be released at the end of the year, before a new international tour, including two concerts at the Olympia on 22 and 23 November 2008.

Other participations

  • In 1998, Ségara performed with Garou
    Garou (singer)
    Garou , from the French expression "loup-garou", which means "werewolf" and is a transformation of "Garand", his last name; is a Canadian singer from Sherbrooke, Quebec. He is known for his work in the musical Notre-Dame de Paris and the #1 hits "Belle", "Seul", "Sous le vent", and "La Rivière de...

     a duet for the album Ensemble contre le sida (Eng: Together Against AIDS). The song is a cover version of "L'amour existe encore
    L'amour Existe Encore
    "L'amour existe encore" is a song from Céline Dion's album Dion chante Plamondon. It was released as the second single in Canada and third commercial single in France ....

    ", composed by Luc Plamondon and Richard Cocciante for Celine Dion
    Celine Dion
    Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...

    .
  • She supports associations Rêves, Les Restos du Cœur, Les Enfants de la Terre et e-enfance.
  • She participated in the album Le Cœur des femmes in favour of the Association Laurette Fugain, as well as charity programs on France 3
    France 3
    France 3 is the second largest French public television channel and part of the France Télévisions group, which also includes France 2, France 4, France 5, and France Ô....

    .
  • She is also godmother of the association Suisse, Espace Adoption, which supports adoptive families and adopted children.
  • Hélène Ségara is currently ambassador of the association Rêves since 1998.
  • On 4 November 2006, Hélène took part in the Concert for Tolerance in Agadir, Morocco, where she performed with many international artists (Andrea Bocelli
    Andrea Bocelli
    Andrea Bocelli, is an Italian tenor, multi-instrumentalist and classical crossover artist. Born with poor eyesight, he became blind at the age of twelve following a soccer accident....

    , Samira Said
    Samira Said
    Samira Said is an Egyptian-Moroccan singer.-Early career:Samira Said was born and raised in Rabat. She began singing at the age of 9 and she was discovered on a music program on Royal Moroccan TV, "Mawaheb," alongside another popular singer, Aziza Jalal, when she was 17. She was quickly...

    , Zucchero
    Zucchero
    Adelmo Fornaciari, Commander , more commonly known by his stage name Zucchero Fornaciari or simply Zucchero /ˈtsukkero/, is an Italian rock singer. His music is largely inspired by gospel, blues and rock music, and alternates between ballads and more rhythmic boogie-like pieces.Zucchero is the...

    , Pascal Obispo
    Pascal Obispo
    Pascal Michel Obispo is a French singer/songwriter.Pascal Obispo started singing in 1980. He got his first record deal in 1990, Le long du fleuve. With his second album, Plus que tout au monde, selling over 2 million albums, his songs became a popular success...

    , Florent Pagny
    Florent Pagny
    Florent Pagny is a French musician. He has also acted in many French films. He records work in French, Italian, Spanish and English, and his greatest hits include "N'importe quoi", "Savoir aimer", "Ma Liberté de penser" and "Caruso" .As of 2008, he has sold 4,268,980 copies of singles,...

    , Faudel
    Faudel
    Faudel , born Faudel Belloua on June 6, 1978 in Mantes-la-Jolie, is a French singer of Algerian descent.-Early years:...

    , Cheb Mami
    Cheb Mami
    Ahmed Khelifati Mohamed better known by his stage name Cheb Mami , is an Algerian-born raï singer...

    , Lorie
    Lorie
    Laure Pester, professionally known as Lorie, is a French singer. Her fame can be attributed to producer, songwriter and composer Johnny Williams and her father–manager Dominique Pester...

    , Amina
    Amina
    Amina Sukhera was a Hausa Muslim Warrior Queen of Zazzau , in what is now north central Nigeria. She is the subject of many legends, but is widely believed by historians to have been a real ruler, though contemporary evidence about her is limited...

    ...)

Awards

  • Spring 1997: The Sacem awarded the price Rolf Marbot to Hélène Segara and Thierry Geoffroy, Christian Loigerot and Christina Vié, the writers and composers of the song "Je vous aime adieu
    Je vous aime adieu
    "Je vous aime adieu" is the name of a 1996 song recorded by French singer Hélène Ségara. It was her first single from her debut album, Cœur de verre, and her second single overall...

    ".
  • 1999: Segara was sacred Best Female Singer during the ceremony of the 'Trophy of Women in Gold' in Courchevel
    Courchevel
    Courchevel is the name of a ski resort located in the commune of Saint-Bon-Tarentaise in the French Alps, in the Tarentaise Valley, Savoie, Rhône-Alpes region. It is a part of Les Trois Vallées, the largest linked ski area in the world...

    .
  • 22 January 2000: Revelation of the year at the 'NRJ Music Awards
    NRJ Music Awards
    The NRJ Music Awards, created in 2000 by the radio station NRJ in partnership with the television network TF1 takes place every year in mid-January at Cannes as the opening of MIDEM...

    ' in Cannes
    Cannes
    Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....

  • 17 November 2000: Female Artist of the Year "M6 Music Awards" in Lille
    Lille
    Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...

  • 16 December 2000: 'Trophy of Little Princes for the Best Singer of the Year' on TF1
    TF1
    TF1 is a national French TV channel, controlled by TF1 Group, whose major share-holder is Bouygues. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network...

  • 20 January 2001: She received at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes
    Cannes
    Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....

     a 'NRJ Music Awards' for the francophone album of the year.
  • 17 February 2001: She won at the Olympia a 'Victoire de la Musique
    Victoires de la Musique
    Victoires de la musique , is an annual French award ceremony that recognizes the best musical artists of the year.- Male artist of the year :*1985 : Michel Jonasz*1986 : Jean-Jacques Goldman*1987 : Johnny Hallyday...

    ' for female artist of the year
  • 2 May 2001: She won the 'World Music Awards' in Monaco
    Monaco
    Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...

     for the highest selling disc in France for 2000/2001
  • 20 October 2001: IFOP poll, ordered by the magazine TV Star, revealed that Ségara is the favourite French singer and the performer of the most beautiful love songs
  • 25 October 2001: Ségara made her entry in the famous Who's Who
    Who's Who
    Who's Who is the title of a number of reference publications, generally containing concise biographical information on a particular group of people...

    .
  • 27 December 2001: Segara formed a part of 10 stars who made 2001, according the French people, for the magazine Gala.
  • 10 July 2002: She won the 'IFPI Platinum Europe Awards' in Brussels
    Brussels
    Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

  • 1 October 2002: She had her status at the Grevin Museum in Paris
  • 13 January 2005: During the Fête de la Musique
    Fête de la Musique
    The Fête de la Musique, also known as World Music Day, is a music festival taking place on June 21.-History:The idea was first broached in 1976 by American musician Joel Cohen, then employed by the national French radio station France Musique. Cohen proposed an all-night music celebration at the...

     on France 2
    France 2
    France 2 is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4, France 5 and France Ô...

    , "Il y a trop de gens qui t'aiment" was awarded 'Most beautiful love song'.

Albums

  • 1996: Cœur de verre
    Cœur de verre
    Cœur de verre is the name of the first studio album recorded by the French singer Hélène Ségara. It was released in 1996, after its first hit single, "Je vous aime adieu", and achieved success in France and Belgium . It provided eight singles, including three hits.-Background:Three years ago,...

  • 1998: Notre Dame de Paris (musical)
    Notre Dame de Paris (musical)
    Notre-Dame de Paris is a sung-through French-Canadian musical which debuted on 16 September 1998 in Paris. It is based upon the novel Notre-Dame de Paris by the French novelist Victor Hugo...

  • 2000: Au Nom d'une Femme
    Au Nom d'une Femme
    Au Nom d'une Femme is the name of the second studio album recorded by the French singer Hélène Ségara. It was released in January 2000, and achieved a great success in France, Belgium and Switzerland, remaining to date Ségara's most successful album in terms of sales.- Background :Second album, Au...

  • 2001: En concert à l'Olympia
    En concert à l'Olympia
    En concert à l'Olympia is the first live album recorded by the French singer Hélène Ségara, and her third overall. It was released in October 2001, and was available first as a box set containing two CDs, then as a DVD...

  • 2002: Hélène (in Spanish-language)
  • 2003: Humaine
    Humaine
    Humaine is the name of the third studio album recorded by the French singer Hélène Ségara. It was released in March 2003, and had a smash success in France, Belgium and Switzerland, reaching the top five in these countries.-Background:...

  • 2004: Le Best of
    Le Best of
    Le Best of is the name of the first compilation recorded by the French singer Hélène Ségara. It contains all Ségara's songs previouly released as singles from her previous three albums , including the duets with Andrea Bocelli and Laura Pausini, plus three new songs, "Ailleurs comme...

  • 2006: Quand l'éternité...
    Quand l'éternité...
    Quand l'éternité... is the name of the fourth studio album recorded by the French singer Hélène Ségara, and her seventh overall. It was released in September 2006, and even if it started at the top of the charts, it was one of Ségara's less-selling albums....

  • 2007: Les 50 plus belles chansons
  • 2007: Collection prestige
  • 2008: Mon pays c'est la terre
  • 2011: Parmi la foule

Singles

  • 1993: "Loin"
  • 1996: "Je vous aime adieu
    Je vous aime adieu
    "Je vous aime adieu" is the name of a 1996 song recorded by French singer Hélène Ségara. It was her first single from her debut album, Cœur de verre, and her second single overall...

    "
  • 1996: "Une voix dans la nuit"
  • 1997: "Les Larmes" (remix)
  • 1997: "Auprès de ceux que j'aimais"
  • 1997: "Vivo per lei (je vis pour elle)
    Vivo per lei (je vis pour elle)
    "Vivo per lei" is the name of a 1995 song recorded by Italian artist Andrea Bocelli as duet with Giorgia for his album Romanza...

    " (duet with Andrea Bocelli
    Andrea Bocelli
    Andrea Bocelli, is an Italian tenor, multi-instrumentalist and classical crossover artist. Born with poor eyesight, he became blind at the age of twelve following a soccer accident....

    )
  • 1998: "Loin du froid de Décembre" (soundtrack from Anastasia
    Anastasia
    Anastasia is a personal name and the female form of the Greek male name Anastasius/Anastasios meaning "resurrection." The name, and its male counterpart, were often given to Greek children born around December 2 or around Easter during the early days of Christianity. It is the name of several...

    )
  • 1998: "Vivre" (soundtrack from the musical Notre-Dame de Paris
    Notre Dame de Paris (musical)
    Notre-Dame de Paris is a sung-through French-Canadian musical which debuted on 16 September 1998 in Paris. It is based upon the novel Notre-Dame de Paris by the French novelist Victor Hugo...

    )
  • 1999: "Les Vallées d'Irlande"
  • 1999: "Il y a trop de gens qui t'aiment
    Il y a trop de gens qui t'aiment
    "Il y a trop de gens qui t'aiment" is the name of a 1999 song recorded by French artist Hélène Ségara. It was the first single from her second studio album, Au Nom d'une Femme, on which it features as first track...

    "
  • 2000: "Elle, tu l'aimes...
    Elle, tu l'aimes...
    "Elle, tu l'aimes..." is the name of a 1999 song recorded by French artist Hélène Ségara, released on April 18, 2000. It was the second single from her second studio album, Au Nom d'une Femme, on which it features as fourth track...

    "
  • 2000: "Parlez-moi de nous"
  • 2001: "Tu vas me quitter
    Tu vas me quitter
    "Tu vas me quitter" is the name of a 1999 song recorded by French singer Hélène Ségara. It was the fourth single from her second studio album, Au Nom d'une Femme, and Ségara's 13th single overall...

    "
  • 2001: "Au nom d'une femme" (Remix
    Remix
    A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....

    )
  • 2001: "Mrs Jones" (Live Olympia 2000)
  • 2002: "Donner tout"
  • 2003: "L'Amour est un soleil
    L'Amour est un soleil
    "L'amour est un soleil" is the name of a 2003 song recorded by French artist Hélène Ségara. It was the lead single from her fourth studio album, Humaine, on which it features as third track, and was released on 11 April 2003...

    "
  • 2003: "Encore une fois"
  • 2003: "On n'oublie jamais rien, on vit avec
    On n'oublie jamais rien, on vit avec
    "On n'oublie rien, on vit avec" is the name of a 2003 song recorded by French artist Hélène Ségara and Italian singer Laura Pausini. It was the third single from Ségara's third studio album, Humaine, on which it features as ninth track...

    " (duet with Laura Pausini
    Laura Pausini
    Laura Pausini, is a Grammy Award-winning Italian soul singer-songwriter. She debuted in 1993, winning the newcomer artists' section of the 43rd Sanremo Music Festival with the song "La solitudine", which became an Italian standard and an international hit, reaching the top spot on the Italian...

    )
  • 2004: "Humaine"
  • 2004: "On ne dit pas"
  • 2004: "Ailleurs comme ici"
  • 2006: "Méfie-toi de moi"
  • 2007: "Rien n'est comme avant"
  • 2007: "Tu ne seras jamais libre"
  • 2007: "Father"
  • 2008: "La Moitié de nous" (duet with Bruno Pelletier
    Bruno Pelletier
    Bruno Pelletier , is a francophone Quebecer singer.-Life:Pelletier was born in Charlesbourg, a suburb of Quebec City. In 1983 Pelletier performed in the bands Amanite and Sneak Preview, which sang in English. He later started a group called Pëll, singing in French. At 23 years old, he moved to...

    )
  • 2008: "Qu'est-ce qu'on faire avec ce monde (Sodad)"
  • 2009: "Danse à Nouveau"
  • 2011: "La vie avec toi"
  • 2011: "A la renverse"

External links

Official Site of Hélène Segara
  • Biography of Hélène Ségara, from Radio France Internationale
    Radio France Internationale
    Radio France Internationale was created in 1975 as part of Radio France by the Government of France, and replaced the Poste Colonial , Paris Mondial , Radio Paris , RTF Radio Paris and ORTF Radio Paris...

  • http://imdb.com/name/nm0993340/ at Internet Movie Database
    Internet Movie Database
    Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...

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