Twem
Encyclopedia
Twem are a French
pop
duo made up of French
-Moroccan
identical twins Samir and Mehdi Ben Nouh (Arabic
: سمير ومهدي بن نوح). They are known for appearances in a number of talent competitions including Graines de Stars, Popstars
and X Factor
programs in both UK in 2010 and France 2011.
. It also means "lucky". The Twem come from Marseille
, France
and were born in 1983 to Wahiba Ben Nouh. But they moved to Paris
to study and pursue their dream for a musical career. They started singing early and both were part of the school choir in their teens.
They had their first public appearance when they were 17. Mehdi Ben Nouh (sometimes written Medhi or Medy) appeared in on the popular French talent show on M6 called Graines de Stars in 2000 singing Queen
's Bohemian Rapsody. Samir also appeared in the same show as Sam Ben Nouh. Both Sam and Medy brothers were chosen in the final 5 for singing the winning song of maxi edition of the show alongside Cathia, Mathieu and Mario singing "On avait tous un grand rêve" (meaning they all have a great dream).
In 2004, they were in the final of Les voix de la chance organized by Française des Jeux 2004 where they sang a special song "Ceux qui ont besoin".
In 2007 they were contestants in French edition of Popstars
broadcast on M6 where they qualified for many weeks in the third season of the French series. They sometimes sang together and sometimes were put against each other while singing with other contestants. Mehdi sang with Sebastien and Samir with Michael.
In the winter of 2010, they traveled to London
from Paris
to take part in the seventh season
of the UK The X Factor
. In the third week of the auditions, broadcast on August 29, 2010, they sang Lady Gaga
's "Just Dance" changing the lyric to "Just Twem" getting great audience reaction. In bootcamp they sang Gnarls Barkley
's "Crazy
" reaching the final 24 with the support of judges Louis Walsh
and Cheryl Cole
and despite being consistently voted down by Simon Cowell
, who commented to Louis Walsh: "This is the effect you're now having. The two monsters [Jedward] you created are now spreading across Europe. Here it comes back again." The satirical website Vote for the Worst
commented: "Simon Cowell's worst nightmare just came true as an act that makes John & Edward seem more like Rambo & Conan" Twem however resisted the obvious comparison in the eyes of the British public with 2009 season's Jedward
, the identical twin act of brothers John and Edward Grimes. In the judges house section, as one of the final 6 acts Cowell, who was mentoring the groups for the season, they sang David Guetta
and Kelly Rowland
song "When Love Takes Over
" but did not qualify for the final 12. Twem also appeared on Xtra Factor and asked about their experiences.
In 2011, they auditioned to the French series of X Factor
in its second season and despite great opposition from Olivier Schultheis
, reached the final 12, where they were mentored by Henry Padovani
. In Week 1 of the live shows broadcast on 19 April 2011, they performed "The Rhythm of the Night" from Corona with choreography by Zack Reece. They were voted "Bottom 2" alongside Oméga, yet another group mentored by the same judge Padovani. They sang "Quand on n'a que l'amour" from Belgian singer-songwriter Jacques Brel
in a bid to be saved from elimination. As the judges decision was hung at 2-2 (Véronic DiCaire
and Christophe Willem
for keeping Twem and Henry Padovani and Olivier Schultheis for keeping Oméga, the panel resorted to "public vote" that favoured Oméga giving Twem the lesser votes. Twem were eliminated on the basis of public vote finishing 12th overall. After elimination, they were interviewed by Radio Vibration.
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...
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
duo made up of French
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...
-Moroccan
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
identical twins Samir and Mehdi Ben Nouh (Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
: سمير ومهدي بن نوح). They are known for appearances in a number of talent competitions including Graines de Stars, Popstars
Popstars
Popstars is an international reality television franchise and a precursor to the Idol series. The series first began in New Zealand in 1999 when producer Jonathan Dowling formed the five member all-girl group TrueBliss...
and X Factor
The X Factor (TV series)
The X Factor is a television talent show franchise originating in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for Pop Idol. It is a singing competition, now held in various countries, which pits contestants against each other. These contestants are aspiring pop singers drawn from...
programs in both UK in 2010 and France 2011.
Career
The name Twem (in Arabic توام) means "twin" in colloquial ArabicVarieties of Arabic
The Arabic language is a Semitic language characterized by a wide number of linguistic varieties within its five regional forms. The largest divisions occur between the spoken languages of different regions. The Arabic of North Africa, for example, is often incomprehensible to an Arabic speaker...
. It also means "lucky". The Twem come from Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, 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 were born in 1983 to Wahiba Ben Nouh. But they moved to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to study and pursue their dream for a musical career. They started singing early and both were part of the school choir in their teens.
They had their first public appearance when they were 17. Mehdi Ben Nouh (sometimes written Medhi or Medy) appeared in on the popular French talent show on M6 called Graines de Stars in 2000 singing Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
's Bohemian Rapsody. Samir also appeared in the same show as Sam Ben Nouh. Both Sam and Medy brothers were chosen in the final 5 for singing the winning song of maxi edition of the show alongside Cathia, Mathieu and Mario singing "On avait tous un grand rêve" (meaning they all have a great dream).
In 2004, they were in the final of Les voix de la chance organized by Française des Jeux 2004 where they sang a special song "Ceux qui ont besoin".
In 2007 they were contestants in French edition of Popstars
Popstars
Popstars is an international reality television franchise and a precursor to the Idol series. The series first began in New Zealand in 1999 when producer Jonathan Dowling formed the five member all-girl group TrueBliss...
broadcast on M6 where they qualified for many weeks in the third season of the French series. They sometimes sang together and sometimes were put against each other while singing with other contestants. Mehdi sang with Sebastien and Samir with Michael.
In the winter of 2010, they traveled to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
from Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to take part in the seventh season
The X Factor (UK series 7)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent; the winner of which receives a £1 million recording contract with the Syco Music record label. The seventh series started on ITV on 21 August 2010 and ended on 12 December 2010. The winner was Matt Cardle and...
of the UK The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
. In the third week of the auditions, broadcast on August 29, 2010, they sang Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
's "Just Dance" changing the lyric to "Just Twem" getting great audience reaction. In bootcamp they sang Gnarls Barkley
Gnarls Barkley
Gnarls Barkley is an American soul duo comprising Danger Mouse and Cee Lo Green. Their first studio album St. Elsewhere was released in 2006; along with its first single "Crazy". Both single and album were a major commercial success and have been noted for their large sales by download...
's "Crazy
Crazy (Gnarls Barkley song)
"Crazy" is the debut single from Gnarls Barkley, a musical collaboration between Danger Mouse and Cee Lo Green, and is taken from their 2006 debut album St. Elsewhere...
" reaching the final 24 with the support of judges Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh is an Irish music manager and judge on the British television talent show The X Factor.-Band manager:...
and Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Ann Cole is an English pop and R&B recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress and model. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the reality television show Popstars: The Rivals on ITV. The programme announced that Cole had won a place as a member of the girl group, Girls...
and despite being consistently voted down by Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
, who commented to Louis Walsh: "This is the effect you're now having. The two monsters [Jedward] you created are now spreading across Europe. Here it comes back again." The satirical website Vote for the Worst
Vote for the Worst
VoteForTheWorst.com is a website that is devoted to voting for the worst, most entertaining, most hated or quirkiest contestants on the Fox Network television series American Idol...
commented: "Simon Cowell's worst nightmare just came true as an act that makes John & Edward seem more like Rambo & Conan" Twem however resisted the obvious comparison in the eyes of the British public with 2009 season's Jedward
Jedward
John Paul Henry Daniel Richard Grimes and Edward Peter Anthony Kevin Patrick Grimes are an Irish hip pop duo. They are identical twins and perform under the name Jedward...
, the identical twin act of brothers John and Edward Grimes. In the judges house section, as one of the final 6 acts Cowell, who was mentoring the groups for the season, they sang David Guetta
David Guetta
Pierre David Guetta , known professionally as David Guetta , is a French house music producer and DJ. Originally a DJ at nightclubs during the 1980s and 1990s, he co-founded Gum Productions and released his first album, Just a Little More Love, in 2002. Later, he released Guetta Blaster and Pop Life...
and Kelly Rowland
Kelly Rowland
Kelendria Trene "Kelly" Rowland is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, and television personality. She rose to fame as one of the founding members of the American girl group Destiny's Child...
song "When Love Takes Over
When Love Takes Over
"When Love Takes Over" is a song by French disc jockey -music producer David Guetta from his fourth studio album, One Love. It was released as the lead single from the album on 21 April 2009 by Virgin Records...
" but did not qualify for the final 12. Twem also appeared on Xtra Factor and asked about their experiences.
In 2011, they auditioned to the French series of X Factor
X Factor (France)
X Factor is a French television music talent show to find new singing talent after public auditions, intermediate tests, and live shows.The first series was broadcast on Mondays, from September to December 2009, on W9 and RTL-TVI ....
in its second season and despite great opposition from Olivier Schultheis
Olivier Schultheis
Olivier Schultheis is a musician, a lyricist, a composer and a conductor. He won the top prize of Conservatoire National de Musique de Paris for his absolute pitch technique....
, reached the final 12, where they were mentored by Henry Padovani
Henry Padovani
Henry Padovani is a French musician from Corsica, who is noted for having been the original guitarist for The Police...
. In Week 1 of the live shows broadcast on 19 April 2011, they performed "The Rhythm of the Night" from Corona with choreography by Zack Reece. They were voted "Bottom 2" alongside Oméga, yet another group mentored by the same judge Padovani. They sang "Quand on n'a que l'amour" from Belgian singer-songwriter Jacques Brel
Jacques Brel
Jacques Brel was a Belgian singer-songwriter who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following in France initially, and later throughout the world. He was widely considered a master of the modern chanson...
in a bid to be saved from elimination. As the judges decision was hung at 2-2 (Véronic DiCaire
Véronic DiCaire
Véronic DiCaire is a Canadian Franco-Ontarian singer and imitator.- Biography :She started her career in group Sens Unique, and then had a role in Montreal, Quebec version of the musical Grease...
and Christophe Willem
Christophe Willem
Christophe Willem , born on 3 August 1983 in Enghien-les-Bains, Val-d'Oise, is a French singer and the winner of the fourth edition of Nouvelle Star in 2006.-Early life:...
for keeping Twem and Henry Padovani and Olivier Schultheis for keeping Oméga, the panel resorted to "public vote" that favoured Oméga giving Twem the lesser votes. Twem were eliminated on the basis of public vote finishing 12th overall. After elimination, they were interviewed by Radio Vibration.
Media appearances
- In 2007, they were featured in Jardin secret talking about their journey as a twin act.
- After their 2010 X Factor auditions and impact on the public there, in January 2011, they appeared in French TF1TF1TF1 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...
television talent program Vous avez du talent, (meaning "You have talent") where they sang a medley of Lady GagaLady GaGaStefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
's "Just Dance". - They were also featured in early 2011 in the X Factor UK Annual 2011 as one of the prominent contestants of the 2010 British show. Geri HalliwellGeri HalliwellGeraldine Estelle "Geri" Halliwell is an English pop singer-songwriter, author and actress. After coming to international prominence in the late 1990s as Ginger Spice, a member of the girl group the Spice Girls, Halliwell launched her solo career in 1998 and released her album Schizophonic...
was quoted in the annual as saying she would love for Twem to come again to Britain. - In 2011, they were also picked as one of four identical twins to talk about their life and musical career for a full decade, on Tellement Vrai special series "Jumeaux, jumelles: jamais l'un sans l'autre" (meaning "Twins, never one without the other" presented by Matthieu Delormeau on NRJ 12NRJ 12NRJ 12 is a French television network. It is available through digital terrestrial television "TNT".-External links:*...
French television chain. The program was broadcast on 7 April 2011. They performed "Just Twem" a twist on their signature song "Just Dance" by Lady Gaga. In May 2011, they also performed at Casino de Paris supported by the official Twem fan club. They also expressed their plans to try to represent France in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011Eurovision Song Contest 2011The Eurovision Song Contest 2011 was the 56th annual Eurovision Song Contest and was won by Eldar & Nigar performing "Running Scared" for Azerbaijan. The event took place in the Esprit Arena in Düsseldorf, Germany, following Germany's win in the previous year...
.