Jeanne Mas

Infobox musical artist


Name = Jeanne Mas
Background = solo_singer
Born = Birth date and age|1958|2|28|df=y
Origin = Alicante, Spain
Genre = Electropop
Pop music
Rock
Occupation = Singer, songwriter, actress
Years_active = 1978–present
Label = Pathé Marconi
EMI
AB Productions
Arcade Music
XIII Bis Records
Red Rocks Productions
URL = [http://www.jeannemas.com/ Official site]

Jeanne Mas, born on 28 February 1958 in Alicante, Spain, is a French pop singer and actress.

She is well known in France, Switzerland and Belgium for a number of hit singles released in the 1980s. Her first success was "Toute première fois" in 1984. This song was simultaneously released in the United Kingdom in English. Two of her singles charted at number one in France: "Johnny, Johnny" and "En Rouge et Noir" in 1985 and 1986, respectively. Her 1980's albums are good examples of the Euro disco electro-pop style popular in Continental Europe at the time, featuring synthesizers and very catchy melodies.

Biography

Jeanne Mas was born on February 28th, 1958 in Alicante, Spain. She started studying languages at the University of Nanterre (near Paris). After a Bachelors degree in Spanish and Italian, she took off for Italy in order to perfect the language she had just learned. She settled in Rome when she was only 17 years old. In Rome, she took dance and acting classes. She tarted landing small parts in commercials as well as in full-length films and she hosted her own show on a private channel: La Uomo TV. Music was her true passion. Fact|date=September 2007

In 1979 she signed her first contract with the Italian RCA and recorded her first single : "On the moon" and toured with a rock group which was rather hardcore. She recorded several 45's, one in English and the others in Italian. In 1984, she signed a contract with the Major EMI MUSIC FRANCE. Piero Calabrese, Roberto Zaneli and Romano Musumara wrote her first French Hit : "Toute premiere fois".

First time (1984-1985)

"Toute première fois" It was an instant success: she sold more than 1,500,000 copies of the single which was played on the radio all the way until December. Fact|date=September 2007

French people discovered a young woman on their TV screen entirely dressed in black, with jet-black hair, an emaciated face, and very pronounced make-up: a bland version of the punk look. Stimulating choreography with jerky gestures reinforced the image of a woman "who wants some action", almost aggressive. It is without a doubt this image that would seduce the young public. The press, the radio, the television and even the discos grabbed hold of this phenomenon.Fact|date=September 2007

At the beginning of the following year, she successively released a second single "Johnny, Johnny" followed by an album simply called "Jeanne Mas". For this first go in the big leagues, she asked Daniel Balavoine for help. He produced two of the songs for the occasion.

Another single "Coeur en stéréo" was a hit in its own turn. In October, she played the Olympia club in Paris for the first time for four triumphant concerts. A few weeks later, she won the trophy for Revelation of the year and best female artist of the year during the first Victoires de la musique.Fact|date=September 2007

Triumphant Olympia (1986)

Made strong by this success, ravaging and full of energy, she locked herself in a studio in Denmark to record her next album. Heavily into her work, she already started writing her own lyrics. Jeanne Mas had a critical look on music and knew what she wanted. This is why she refused a song written by Musumara which would become "Ouragan" interpreted by the gloss and glitter Princess Stephanie of Monaco. At the beginning of 1986, she released "Femmes d'aujourd'hui" which went on to sell over 1 million copies. The single from the album "En Rouge et Noir" quickly became a hit. In June, the album and the single were number one on the French charts. In the autumn, she played for seven days at the Palais des Sports in Paris and continued with forty concert dates in the rest of France.Fact|date=September 2007

Bercy (1987-1989)

This tour started up again in March 1987 for twenty dates, one of which was a concert in Lyon where a live record and a ninety-minute filmwere made. She then decided to take a break and take advantage of this time to return to Italy to have a baby, a little girl named Victoria. 1988 allowed her to look closely at her career, her artistic doubts. In September she got involved publicly for a subject that she held close to her heart, crimes against children.

Jeanne nevertheless didn't stay inactive and got back to work quickly with Piero Calabrese. She went into a studio for three months and chose the best musicians for the recording: Manu Katche on drums, Steve Shehan on (drums) percussions, Tony Levin on bass and David Rhodes on guitar. In February 1989 a new album titled "Les crises de l'âme" was released. The lyrics seemed more committed with songs like "J'accuse", "Tango" or still "Y'a des bons..." which denounced violence in the world. The latter song was in fact the first track on the album and Jeanne would make the video clip. In September, she played at Bercy and wished would be unforgettable. Choreography, lights, nothing was forgotten. Unfortunately, the show didn't meet with the expected success.Fact|date=September 2007

Her first time Los Angeles (1990-1995)

Far from letting herself be beaten, the singer gathered her team to write a new album at the beginning of 1990. Recorded in Los Angeles, "L'art des femmes" came out in October. She re-did the beautiful "Tous les cris les S.O.S." by Balavoine. But her record company EMI invested a lot in the promotion of the first single, "Shakespeare", trying to straighten things up. A year later, EMI put a compilation "Depuis la toute première fois" on the market. Fact|date=September 2007

In 1992, Jeanne Mas gave birth to a little boy named Christopher. "Au nom des rois" was the new album which came out on AB Productions in September, her collaboration with EMI having ended. The first track of the album was "Au nom des rois" of which the video clip was once again directed by the singer. Followed by "Dors bien Margot". In September 1993, she played three nights at Casino de Paris and followed with a fifty-five-date tour. his reason that she withdrew from public life for a while and settled in the South of France.Fact|date=September 2007

Rocker (1996-2002)

She came back in 1996 with a new album on Arcade records. Jeanne recorded "Jeanne Mas & les Égoïstes" in Toulouse which had 14 songs that she wrote herself, more like rock so as to return to her first love. Aware that she could disappoint the public, she still shows a new serenity on her face. Unfortunately the record went practically unnoticed. Fact|date=September 2007

After this comeback, Jeanne Mas, still interested in cinema, took some screenwriting courses in Paris. She even did a short film. All the same she wrote songs without being sure to want to make a record, her former experiences having taught her a lesson. It was the record company XIII Bis that enabled her to release a record in 2000. "Désir d'insolence" is therefore her seventh album. Among all of the songs, three have texts by the poets Paul Verlaine, Alfred de Vigny and Guillaume Appolinaire's "Le pont Mirabeau". Fact|date=September 2007

In 2003 Jeanne Mas releases a new album: Les Amants de Castille in hommage to the famous play Le Cid by Corneille.In 2004- 2005 she tours to celebrate her 20 years of career and performed at the Espace Pierre Cardin and the Casino de Paris.Fact|date=September 2007

Jeanne Mas left France in June 2005 and settled in California where she created her own label Red Rocks Productions. In 2006 a new album : The missing Flowers" is recorded between Paris and Los Angeles and produced with Dj Esteban. A new page, a new Jeanne Mas with a new look. Blond hair and feminine. In 2007: the album is released in Europe by Edina Music France.Fact|date=September 2007

2008 Concert

In June 2008, Jeanne Mas has announced four following nights of concert at the Trianon in Paris, a show much expected by the public.

Discography

Studio albums

* "Jeanne Mas" (1985)
* "Femmes d'aujourd'hui" (1986)
* "Les crises de l'âme" (1989)
* "L'art des femmes" (1990)
* "Au nom des rois" (1992)
* "Jeanne Mas & les Égoïstes" (1996)
* "Désir d'insolence" (2000)
* "Je vous aime ainsi" (2001)
* "Les amants de Castille" (2003)
* "The Missing Flowers" (2006)
* "Be West" (2008)

Live albums

* "En concert" (1987)

Compilation albums

* "Depuis la toute première fois" (1991)
* "Les plus grands succès de Jeanne Mas" (1996)
* "L'essentiel" (2000)
* "J'M - Le meilleur de Jeanne Mas" (2001)
* "Best of" (2004)
* "Most of the best" (2006)
* "My 80's" (2007)

Singles

* 1978 : "On The Moon"
* 1984 : "Toute première fois"
* 1985 : "Johnny, Johnny"
* 1985 : "Coeur en stéréo"
* 1986 : "En Rouge et Noir"
* 1986 : "L'enfant"
* 1987 : "Sauvez-moi"
* 1987 : "La bête libre"
* 1989 : "Y'a des bons..."
* 1989 : "J'accuse"
* 1989 : "Carolyne"
* 1990 : "Bébé rock"
* 1990 : "Shakespeare"
* 1991 : "Angela (L'art des femmes)"
* 1992 : "Au nom des rois"
* 1992 : "Dors bien Margot"
* 1993 : "Aime-moi"
* 1994 : "C'est pas normal"
* 1996 : "Côté H côté clean"
* 1997 : "Anna"
* 2000 : "Désir d'insolence"
* 2001 : "Je vous aime ainsi"
* 2003 : "Chimène"
* 2003 : "Poussière de Castille"
* 2004 : "Toute première fois (FDP Remix)"
* 2005 : "Johnny, Johnny (Remix)"
* 2006 : "Màs alli màs allà"
* 2006 : "On A Summer Day"
* 2007 : "Un air d'Argentine"
* 2007 : "C'est interdit"

Filmography

* "The Count of Monte-Cristo" (1975)
* "Porca società" (1978)
* "Caro papà " (1979)
* "Ricomincio da tre" (1981)
* "Il cavaliere, la morte e il diavolo" (1985)
* "Malone" (TV episode "Génération braqueurs") (2003)
* "L'instit" (TV episode "Privé d'école") (2004)

External links

* [http://www.jeannemas.com Official site]
* [http://www.rfimusique.com/siteEn/biographie/biographie_6297.asp English biography]
*
* [http://www.jeannemas.us the artist's latest cd's]
* [http://www.jeann-net.com fan website]