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
UNICEF
UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to ...
at the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
. The family eventually returned to
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
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
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 ...
,
Carlos,
Dave Dave may refer to:
Film, television, and theater
* ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver
* ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the film
* Dave (TV channel), a digital television channel in the ...
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 ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, 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
Wikinfo
The history of wikis began in 1994, when Ward Cunningham gave the name "WikiWikiWeb" to the knowledge base, which ran on his company's website at c2.com, and the wiki software that powered it.
The wiki went public in March 1995, the date used ...
, licensed under the
GNU Free Documentation License.''
See also
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mogensen, Joelle
1953 births
1982 deaths
Drug-related deaths in France
Burials at Montparnasse Cemetery
20th-century French women singers