Matthieu Chedid
Encyclopedia
- -M- redirects here. For the British musician, see Robin ScottRobin ScottRobin Scott , lead singer and founder of a music project he called M, is a singer originally from the United Kingdom. His career encompasses four decades.-Early life:...
.
Matthieu Chedid (also known as -M-) (born 21 December 1971, in Boulogne-Billancourt
Boulogne-Billancourt
Boulogne-Billancourt is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Boulogne-Billancourt is a sub-prefecture of the Hauts-de-Seine department and the seat of the Arrondissement of Boulogne-Billancourt....
, Hauts-de-Seine) is a French rock singer-songwriter and guitar player.
Biography
Matthieu Chedid is the son of French singer Louis ChedidLouis Chedid
Louis Chedid is a French singer-songwriter of Lebanese origin.-Biography:Louis Chedid is the son of the writer Andrée Chedid and the father of Matthieu Chedid ....
, and the grandson of the Egyptian
Egyptians
Egyptians are nation an ethnic group made up of Mediterranean North Africans, the indigenous people of Egypt.Egyptian identity is closely tied to geography. The population of Egypt is concentrated in the lower Nile Valley, the small strip of cultivable land stretching from the First Cataract to...
-born French writer and poetess of Lebanese
Lebanese people
The Lebanese people are a nation and ethnic group of Levantine people originating in what is today the country of Lebanon, including those who had inhabited Mount Lebanon prior to the creation of the modern Lebanese state....
descent Andrée Chedid
Andrée Chedid
Andrée Chedid was a French poet and novelist of Lebanese descent.-Life:Chedid was born in Cairo on 20 March 1920. When she was ten, she was sent to a boarding school, where she learned English and French. At fourteen, she left for Europe. She then returned to Cairo to go...
who has written lyrics for him. His sister is the music video and concert director Émilie Chedid.
Chedid, a talented multi-instrumentalist, took an interest in music early on. In 1978, at the age of six, Chedid lent his voice to the chorus of his father's hit song T'as beau pas être beau alongside older sister, Émilie. During his teenage years and early twenties, Chedid formed a few short-lasting groups such as Mat Mat (Checkmate Checkmate), Les bébés fous (The crazy babies) and Les poissons rouges (The "red fish," a French phrase equivalent to the English "goldfish") with Mathieu Boogaerts
Mathieu Boogaerts
Mathieu Boogaerts is a French singer-songwriter.-Biography:After many years travelling the world, mostly Africa , he started penning some naive, minimalistic ditties...
and with the sons of Laurent Voulzy
Laurent Voulzy
Laurent Voulzy is a French singer and composer.-Biography:Voulzy originally led the English-pop-influenced Le Temple de Vénus before joining Pascal Danel as guitarist from 1969 to 1974...
and Alain Souchon
Alain Souchon
Alain Souchon is a French singer, songwriter and actor. He has released 15 albums and has played roles in seven films.-Profile:...
, Julien Voulzy and Pierre Souchon. He has collaborated with a number of artists, both on stage and in the recording studio. Early into his solo career, Chedid was the opening act for Texas
Texas (band)
Texas are a Scottish pop band from Bearsden, near Glasgow, Scotland. They were founded by Johnny McElhone in 1986 and feature Sharleen Spiteri on lead vocals. Texas made their performing debut in March 1988 at Scotland's University of Dundee...
concerts. He has recorded with NTM
Suprême NTM
Suprême NTM is a French hip hop group formed in 1989 in the Seine-Saint-Denis département. The group comprises rappers Joey Starr and Kool Shen...
, Sinclair, Billy Ze Kick
Billy Ze Kick
For the 1985 French film, see Billy Ze Kick .Billy Ze Kick were a French rock and reggae band from Rennes formed in 1990 composed of young musicians. To the non French-speaking world, information about them is difficult to come by. Formed as Billy Ze Kick Et Les Gamins En Folie, they split in 1994...
, and more recently with Brigitte Fontaine
Brigitte Fontaine
Brigitte Fontaine, born in 1939 in Morlaix in the Brittany region of France, is a singer of avant-garde music. During the course of her career she has employed numerous unusual musical styles, melding rock and roll, folk, jazz, electronica, spoken word poetry and world rhythms...
, Sean Lennon
Sean Lennon
is an American singer, songwriter, musician, guitarist and actor. He is the only child of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. His godfather is Sir Elton John.-Early life and education:...
, and Vanessa Paradis
Vanessa Paradis
Vanessa Chantal Paradis is a French singer, model and actress. She became a child star at 14 with the worldwide success of her single "Joe le taxi"...
.
-M-
Chedid performs and records under the stage name -M-. Chedid created -M- as means of overcoming his shyness on stage and also as a way of distancing his work from that of his father and grandmother. The pseudonym comes from Chedid's first initial but also refers to the similar sounding French word aime, meaning love. The character -M- is a superhero, noted for having a playful nature, and recognized for his flamboyant costumes (primarily monochrome suits with slim trousers and long jackets with upward pointed collars) and hair styled into the shape of an M.Most American audiences probably got their first exposure to -M- through his recording of the song "Belleville Rendez-vous" for the soundtrack of the 2003 Sylvain Chomet animated film The Triplets of Belleville in both French and English. The song, with lyrics by Chomet and music by Benoit Charest, was nominated for a 2003 Academy Award. The music video for "Belleville Rendez-vous" uses both a live-action depiction of - M - and an animated depiction incorporated into footage from the film.
Rumors circulated before the release of his 2009 studio album, "Mister Mystère", that Chedid had decided to drop the character -M- to record and perform under his given name; The album, however, was released under the name -M- but included photographs of the singer without the wild costumes and hair associated with the -M- character. The music video for the first single, "Le roi des ombres", showed Chedid burning a tiny effigy of his alterego.
Awards
In 2000, -M- won two Victoires de la musiqueVictoires 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...
awards
- Male artist of the year
- Best concert
In 2005, he won four Victoires de la musique awards
- Male artist of the year
- Pop album of the year for Qui de nous deux
- Best tour
- Best music DVD for Les leçons de musique, directed by Émilie Chedid
In 2006, he won one Victoires de la musique award (and a César Award
César Award
The César Award is the national film award of France, first given out in 1975. The nominations are selected by the members of the Académie des arts et techniques du cinéma....
)
- Best original soundtrack for Ne Le Dis À PersonneTell No OneTell No One is a 2006 French thriller film directed by Guillaume Canet and based on the novel of the same name by Harlan Coben. It was written by Guillame Canet and Philippe Lefèbvre and stars François Cluzet...
, directed by Guillaume CanetGuillaume CanetGuillaume Canet is a French actor and film director.Canet began his career in theatre and television before moving to film. He starred in several films like Joyeux Noël, Love Me If You Dare and The Beach...
In 2011, he won one Victoires de la musique award
- Best concert
Studio Albums
- Le BaptêmeLe BaptêmeLe Baptême was the first studio album by French rock musician -M-. It was recorded in 1997 and issued in 1998. The alter ego of Matthieu Chedid, the character -M- had come to prominence as a supporting act opening for the then chart-topping French folk rock band Louise Attaque.-Track listing:# La...
(1997) - Je dis aimeJe dis aimeJe dis aime is the second studio album by French singer-song-writer Matthieu Chedid in his persona as -M-, described by reviewers as a "conceptual icon to rival Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane". The album manages to take a remarkable variety of musical directions and pull them together...
(1999) - Labo MLabo MLabo M is the third studio album by French singer-song-writer Matthieu Chedid in his persona as -M-. It's an all-instrumental work which, considering that one of -M-'s trademarks had previously been his inventive wordplay, caused some degree of discontent amongst parts of his fan base...
(instrumental, 2003) - Qui de nous deuxQui de nous deuxQui de Nous Deux is an album by French singer-song-writer Matthieu Chedid in his persona as -M-. It is his third full studio album, or the fourth if including the instrumental work Labo M which he had released earlier the same year...
(2003) - Ne le dis à personne (soundtrack, 2006)
- Mister MystèreMister MystèreMister Mystère, released in 2009, is the fourth studio album by French singer-songwriter Matthieu Chedid in his persona as -M-...
(2009)
Live Albums
- Le tour de -M- (live, 2001)
- -M- au Spectrum (live, 2005)
- En tête à tête (live, 2005)
- Les saisons de passage (live, 2010)
Promotional singles
- Le baptême / La grosse bombe (inédit) (1997)
- Au suivant (1998)
- Je dis aime (1999)
- Le complexe du corn flakes (2000)
- Mister Mystère (2009)
External links
- Official website (flash) (French)
- Myspace site, including links and concert dates (French)
- Hair-Raising Frenchy M&M’s!—Or The Artist Still Known As “-M-”: Between “l’enfant terrible” and “l’enfant prodige” of the Family
- Photos of his concert in Festival des Vieilles CharruesVieilles Charrues FestivalThe Vieilles Charrues Festival is held every year in mid-July in the city of Carhaix located in the west of Brittany.This festival is the largest music festival in France, attracting more than 200,000 festival-goers every year . This festival was created in 1992 in Landeleau, a small village in...
(2004) (French) - RFI Biography (English)
- Interview with -M- (French)
- Review of 'Mister Mystère' (English)