Jo Lemaire
Encyclopedia
Jo Lemaire is a Belgian
singer born in Gembloux
, Namur
. Beyond her native country, she is also popular in France
, Switzerland
, Canada
, and the Netherlands
.
adaptation of Serge Gainsbourg's
"Je suis venue te dire que je m'en vais", propelled the singer into stardom all over Europe
and Canada
. In 1982, the group separated, and Lemaire continued her career as a solo artist. She divorced Philippe Depireux, a fellow former bandmember, and moved to Bilzen
with her new partner, Fa Vanham.
Her first solo album, Concorde
, was released to great success in 1983. The vinyl
was uniquely bilingual, in having one side in English
and the other in French
. A year later, a self-titled album was released, produced by Jean-Marie Aerts. It also enjoyed success. Her third solo album, Stand Up, was produced by PolyGram International rather than Phonogram Belgium. It was not a hit; her long career has experienced highs and lows.
Through her concerts abroad, as well as through her multilingualism and covers of hits by foreign artists, Lemaire has many fans outside of Belgium; in Germany
, the Netherlands
, and in French-speaking countries like Canada
, France
, and Switzerland
. She has participated in the Transmusicales
in Rennes
, the Printemps de Bourges
, the Rock en France, and many other tours and music festivals.
In 1990, she released Duelle
, a collection of French songs. It reached Gold disc
status in France. Later that year, a Dutch language
album was also released, a tribute to fellow Belgian musician Will Tura
. In 1994, she collaborated with British
singer Carmel
in Liverpool
to produce an album of the same name.
In 2000, she began touring Flemish
schools in an effort to interest youth in the French language
education, through the fun of music. Two CDs based on the "Bob & Bobette" comic characters from this campaign were released, titled Eventail Junior. In 2001, she partnered with former Hooverphonic
bandmember Frank Duchêne and lyricists Michael Bisceglia and Ronny Mosuse in the album Flagrants Délices, the harbinger of which was the single La saison des amours. In 2007 she recorded a song with Rocco Granata
on the album " La Vie à Deux".
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
singer born in Gembloux
Gembloux
Gembloux is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Namur, on the axis Brussels-NamurOn 1 January 2006 the municipality had 21,964 inhabitants...
, Namur
Namur (province)
Namur is a province of Wallonia, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on the Walloon provinces of Hainaut, Walloon Brabant, Liège and Luxembourg in Belgium, and on France. Its capital is the city of Namur...
. Beyond her native country, she is also popular in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
Career
Jo Lemaire debuted musically in the late 1970s with her musical group, "Jo Lemaire + Flouze". The group saw true success with the release of their album Pigmy World in 1981. That album, containing a moody synthpopSynthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
adaptation of Serge Gainsbourg's
Serge Gainsbourg
Serge Gainsbourg, born Lucien Ginsburg was a French singer-songwriter, actor and director. Gainsbourg's extremely varied musical style and individuality make him difficult to categorize...
"Je suis venue te dire que je m'en vais", propelled the singer into stardom all over Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. In 1982, the group separated, and Lemaire continued her career as a solo artist. She divorced Philippe Depireux, a fellow former bandmember, and moved to Bilzen
Bilzen
Bilzen is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg near Hasselt. On January 1, 2006, Bilzen had a total population of 30,057...
with her new partner, Fa Vanham.
Her first solo album, Concorde
Concorde (album)
Concorde is an album by The Modern Jazz Quartet. First released in 1955 as an LP. Recorded in New York, New York on July 2, 1955. Originally released on Prestige . Includes liner notes by Ira Gitler. The album was reissued in 2008 as part of the Rudy Van Gelder Remasters collection.This Album is...
, was released to great success in 1983. The vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
was uniquely bilingual, in having one side in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and the other in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. A year later, a self-titled album was released, produced by Jean-Marie Aerts. It also enjoyed success. Her third solo album, Stand Up, was produced by PolyGram International rather than Phonogram Belgium. It was not a hit; her long career has experienced highs and lows.
Through her concerts abroad, as well as through her multilingualism and covers of hits by foreign artists, Lemaire has many fans outside of Belgium; in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, and in French-speaking countries like Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. She has participated in the Transmusicales
Transmusicales
Les Rencontres Trans Musicales is a three-day music festival held annually in December in Rennes, Brittany, France.Since its first years, the festival has been renowned for revealing the "next big thing."...
in Rennes
Rennes
Rennes is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France. Rennes is the capital of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department.-History:...
, the Printemps de Bourges
Printemps de Bourges
Le Printemps de Bourges is an annual music festival that is held in Bourges, France, during five days. It is now a major event in France and Europe....
, the Rock en France, and many other tours and music festivals.
In 1990, she released Duelle
Duelle
Duelle is a 1976 experimental fantasy drama directed by Jacques Rivette. The title is a play on words roughly translated as Twhylight. The film stars Juliet Berto as the Queen of the Night who battles the Queen of the Sun over a magical diamond that will allow the winner to remain on earth,...
, a collection of French songs. It reached Gold disc
Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique
The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry...
status in France. Later that year, a Dutch language
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
album was also released, a tribute to fellow Belgian musician Will Tura
Will Tura
Will Tura is the stage name of Arthur Achiel Albert, Knight Blanckaert, a Belgian artist famous in Flanders and the Netherlands. Tura is a singer, musician , composer and songwriter...
. In 1994, she collaborated with British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
singer Carmel
Carmel (singer)
Carmel is a British female singer, her eponymous band Carmel uniting bassist Jim Parris, and drummer Gerry Darby.-Biography of Carmel McCourt:...
in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
to produce an album of the same name.
In 2000, she began touring Flemish
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
schools in an effort to interest youth in the French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
education, through the fun of music. Two CDs based on the "Bob & Bobette" comic characters from this campaign were released, titled Eventail Junior. In 2001, she partnered with former Hooverphonic
Hooverphonic
Hooverphonic are a Belgian rock/pop group, formed in 1995. Though early on categorized as a trip hop group, they quickly expanded their sound to the point where they could no longer be described as a lone genre, but rather encompass alternative, electronica, electropop, rock, and mixture of others...
bandmember Frank Duchêne and lyricists Michael Bisceglia and Ronny Mosuse in the album Flagrants Délices, the harbinger of which was the single La saison des amours. In 2007 she recorded a song with Rocco Granata
Rocco Granata
Rocco Granata is a Belgian singer, songwriter, and accordionist.Granata was born in Figline Vegliaturo, Calabria, southern Italy; but his parents immigrated to Belgium when he was aged ten. Rocco's father was a coal miner, but after briefly working in the coal mines, Granata pursued music instead...
on the album " La Vie à Deux".
Albums
- Jo Lemaire + Flouze (1979)
- Precious Time (1980)
- Pigmy World (1981)
- ConcordeConcorde (album)Concorde is an album by The Modern Jazz Quartet. First released in 1955 as an LP. Recorded in New York, New York on July 2, 1955. Originally released on Prestige . Includes liner notes by Ira Gitler. The album was reissued in 2008 as part of the Rudy Van Gelder Remasters collection.This Album is...
(1983) - Jo Lemaire (1984)
- Stand Up (1987)
- DuelleDuelleDuelle is a 1976 experimental fantasy drama directed by Jacques Rivette. The title is a play on words roughly translated as Twhylight. The film stars Juliet Berto as the Queen of the Night who battles the Queen of the Sun over a magical diamond that will allow the winner to remain on earth,...
(1990) - Aujourd'hui (1992)
- Liverpool (1994)
- Jour et Nuit (1997)
- Enkelvoud (1998)
- Une Vie (1999)
- Flagrants Délices (2001)
- Jo Prend La Mer (2003)