Joëlle Choupay-Mogensen (February 3, 1953 – May 15, 1982) was a singer of French songs. Between 1972 and 1979, she was the lead vocals of Il était une fois releasing 8 albums.

Beginning career

Born in Long Island, New York, Joëlle was the daughter of a French/Vietnamese/American mother and a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

father who was serving with

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at the

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. The family eventually returned to

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in the early part of the 1960s where she attended a private religious school. She spoke six languages and was a member of the volleyball team. She began singing at a young age and as a fan of

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

, developed a folk song repertoire, appearing on American and Danish television variety shows, playing a guitar and singing. In 1969 she went to live in the south of France with her mother and sisters where she met guitarist Serge Koolenn. Mogensen studied music at a school in

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...

and began her career singing folk music in cafés and small clubs. By 1971, she and Koolenn had begun a relationship and together recorded a 45rpm.

In Il était une fois

After meeting Richard Dewitte, they soon organized a musical ensemble of five males with Joëlle as lead singer. Naming the group " Il était une fois" (literally meaning "Once upon a time" in English). The band continued between 1972 and 1979 produced eight albums. The band was very popular and appeared frequently on French television variety shows with other performers of the time such as

Johnny Hallyday Jean-Philippe Léo Smet (; 15 June 1943 – 5 December 2017), better known by his stage name Johnny Hallyday, was a French rock and roll and pop singer and actor, credited for having brought rock and roll to France. During a career spanning 57 ...

and fellow American-born French singer,

Joe Dassin Joseph Ira Dassin (; 5 November 1938 – 20 August 1980) was an American–French singer-songwriter and actor. He was the son of film director Jules Dassin. Early life Dassin was born in New York City to American film director Jules Dassin (19 ...

. The albums released were the self-titled ''Il était une fois'' in 1972, ''Ils vécurent heureux'' in 1974, ''Tourne la page'' in 1977 and ''Pomme'' in 1978. The single "J'ai encore rêvé d'elle" released in 1975 remains their most successful hit. In 1978 the group broke up after she separated from Serge Koolenn.

Solo career

After the break-up of Il était une fois, Joëlle signed with

Barclay Records Barclay is a French record company and label founded by Eddie Barclay in 1953. Eddie Barclay was a bandleader, pianist, producer, and nightclub owner. With his wife, Nicole, who was the vocalist in his band, he started Barclay. The catalogue inc ...

. An admirer of the French singer

Jean Sablon Jean Sablon (Nogent-sur-Marne 25 March 1906 – Cannes 24 February 1994) was a French singer, songwriter, composer and actor. He was one of the first French singers to immerse himself in jazz. The man behind several songs by big French and Amer ...

, she sang with him and dedicated her 1979 "Numéro un" to him. As a solo artist, she released her only album, ''Joëlle tout court'', in 1980. This provided the song ''Homme impossible'' that became a best-selling single on the European music charts in 1981. Joëlle Mogensen was also a member of '' L'équipe à Jojo'' with

, Carlos,

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and

Jeane Manson Jeane Manson (born Jean Ann Manson on October 1, 1950) is an American model, singer, and actor, born in Cleveland, Ohio. Her first name was changed from "Jean" to "Jeane" because, as all of her career was in France after 1974, the French would h ...

Death

On May 14, 1982 Joëlle visited her sisters in Neuilly-sur-Seine,

Île-de-France The Île-de-France (, ; literally "Isle of France") is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France. Centred on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the country and often called the ''Région parisienne'' (; en, Pa ...

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, then had dinner with friends with whom she spent the night. In the morning, the 29-year-old singer was found dead. An autopsy determined that the cause of death was a

pulmonary edema Pulmonary edema, also known as pulmonary congestion, is excessive liquid accumulation in the tissue and air spaces (usually alveoli) of the lungs. It leads to impaired gas exchange and may cause hypoxemia and respiratory failure. It is due t ...

. Joëlle Mogensen was interred in the Cimetière du Montparnasse in Paris. Her "Aime-moi" was released three days after her death.

References

*''Adapted from the articl
Joëlle Mogensen
from

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, licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.''

Beginning career

In Il était une fois

Solo career

Death

References

See also