Mylène Farmer (September 12, 1961), born Mylène Gautier, is a French-Canadian singer and songwriter.
Biography
Mylène Farmer was born in Pierrefonds, Quebec Canada, a suburb (now borough) of Montreal. Her birth name is Mylene Gauthier. She chose her stage name in homage to Frances Farmer. She is very popular in France and other French-speaking countries, but almost unknown elsewhere despite a collaboration with the British vocalist Seal on her song "Les mots." She is a very big star in Russia and in the Eastern European Countries too.
She made her professional recording debut in 1984 with the song "Maman a tort," followed in 1986 by her first album, Cendres de Lune, which included the hit Libertine. She worked together extensively with Laurent Boutonnat, who not only wrote her music, but also directed the long videos for her songs and the 1994 movie Giorgino.
Mylène Farmer gained fame with songs featuring ambiguous or shocking lyrics, and somewhat explicit videos. "Maman a tort" was about the love of a young girl for her female nurse in hospital."Pourvu qu'elles soient douces" was about a man with an obsession for the buttocks of his lover, with hints of sodomy; the video, set in the 18th century, featured a caning. "Que mon cœur lâche" was about love with condoms in the age of AIDS; the video for the song features a scene in which God tells Jesus he won't send him to Earth as the last time was a disaster.
After the disappointing reception of Giorgino, Farmer moved to the United States for awhile. She returned in 1995 with a new, more rock-like sound for Anamorphosée. Like her previous two albums, it sold over one million copies in France and was followed up with the album and DVD Live à Bercy.
Farmer returned to the spotlight again in 1999 with the album Innamoramento. This was a more subtle affair than the previous album, and the lead single "L'Ame Stram Gram," accompanied by a magnificent Chinese-themed video, topped the chart.
Some of her best-known songs include "Désenchantée," "L'âme-stram-gram," "Pourvu qu'elles soient douces," and "Sans contrefaçon."
In 2000, she and Laurent Boutonnat wrote the lyrics and music for starlet Alizée's album Gourmandises and Mes courants électriques.
In 2000, she created a song for the animation "Rugrats in Paris"The song L'Histoire d'une Fée, c'est... is realesed as a single in France but is on the OST of the american movie.
In 2005 Farmer returned with a new single, "Fuck Them All," which reached number 2 and a new album Avant Que L'Ombre which hit number 1 and has already sold over half a million copies. The second single, "Q.I" was released in July and slowly hit the top ten peaking at number 7. The third single, the ballad "Redonne-moi", will be released in winter and will be supported by her first television performance since the album was released. The video première will be on December 8th and was directed by the same director who made the contraversial "Je te rends Ton Amour" video.
Mylène is to be back on stage in January 2006 for 13 dates in Paris-Bercy. It is expected to be an amazing show. Lots of emotion is to be expected!
Discography
Albums
- Cendres de Lune (1986) #10 France
- Ainsi Soit Je... (1988) #1 France, #47 Germany
- En Concert (1989, live recordings from Cendres de Lune and Ainsi Soit Je...) #9 France
- L'Autre (1991) #1 France, #27 Switzerland, #55 Germany
- Dance Remixes (1992, remixes from earlier albums) #4 France
- Anamorphosée (1995) #1 France, #25 Switzerland
- Live à Bercy (1997, live recordings from the Anamorphosée tour) #2 France
- Innamoramento (1999) #2 France
- Mylenium Tour (2000, another live album) #1 France, #31 Switzerland
- Les Mots (2001, "best of" album with few new songs) #1 France, #6 Switzerland
- Remixes (2004) #3 France, #81 Switzerland
- Avant Que L'Ombre (April 2005)#1 France, #2 Switzerland
Singles
From Cendres De Lune:
- "Maman a tort" (1984) #HC France
- "Plus Grandir" (1985) #HC France
- "Libertine" (1986) #9 France
- "Tristana" (1987) #7 France
From Ainsi Soit-Je:
- "Sans Contrefaçon" (1987) #2 France, #46 Germany
- "Ainsi Soit-Je" (1988) #12 France
- "Pourvu Qu'elles Soient Douces" (1988) #1 France
- "Sans Logique" (1988) #10 France
From En Concert:
- "Plus Grandir" (1989) #35 France
- "Allan" (1990) #32 France
From L'Autre:
- "Désenchantée" (1991) #1 France, #16 Austria, #46 Germany, #23 Switzerland
- "Regrets" (1991) #3 France
- "Je T'aime Mélancolie" (1991) #3 France, #70 Germany,
- "Beyond My Control" (1991) #8 France
From Anamorphosée:
- "XXL" (1995) #1 France, #11 Switzerland
- "L'instant X" (1995) #6 France
- "California" (1996) #7 France
- "Comme J'ai Mal" (1996) #11 France
- "Rêver" (1996) #7 France
From Live A Bercy:
- "La Poupée Qui Fait Non" (1997) #6 France
- "Ainsi Soit-Je" (1997) #17 France
From Innamoramento:
- "L'Âme-stram-gram" (1999) #2 France
- "Je Te Rends Ton Amour" (1999) #10 France
- "Souviens-Toi Du Jour" (1999) #4 France
- "Optimistique-Moi" (2000) #7 France, #58 Switzerland
- "Innamoramento" (2000) #3 France, #56 Switzerland
From Mylenium Tour:
- "Dessine-Moi Un Mouton" (2000) #6 France, #59 Switzerland
From Les Mots:
- "Les Mots" (2001) #2 France
- "C'est Une Belle Journée" (2001) #5 France #1 Belgium #1 Greece
- "Pardonne-Moi" (2002) #6 France, #45 Switzerland
From Avant Que L'Ombre:
- "Fuck Them All" (2005) #2 France, #14 Switzerland #3 Belgium #2 Israel #1 Greece
- "Q.I" (2005) #7 France, #33 Switzerland
- "Redonne Moi" (2005)
Other Singles:
- "My Mum Is Wrong" (1984)
- "On Est Tous Des Imbéciles" (1985) # HC France
- "A Quoi Je Sers" (1989) #16 France
- "Douces" (1989) (Pourvu Qu'elles Soient Douces - For Germany)
- "Que Mon Coeur Lâche" (1992) #9 France
- "My Soul Is Slashed" (1993)
- "L'Histoire D'une Fée, C'est..." (2000) #9 France