Nolwenn Le Magueresse (; born 28 September 1982), known by her stage name Nolwenn Leroy (), is a French singer-songwriter, musician and actress. Originally classically trained (violin and opera singing), she rose to fame after winning the second season of the French television music competition ''

Star Academy ''Star Academy'', called ''Operación Triunfo'' ("Operation Triumph") in Spanish-speaking countries, is a highly successful television pop music talent contest with viewer voting and reality show elements. Format There are many versions of t ...

'' in 2002. She has since recorded eight studio albums and scored two number one singles, "

Cassé "Cassé" is Nolwenn Leroy's debut single from her album '' Nolwenn''. It was released in 2003 in France, Belgium and Switzerland and achieved a great success in these countries, topping the French and Belgian charts. Lyrics, music and video "C ...

" and " Nolwenn Ohwo!", on the French charts. In 2012, her album '' Bretonne'' was certified two times diamond for sales exceeding one million copies. Leroy is fluent in English, having spent a year in the US as an exchange student. She sings in many languages, including French,

Breton Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally ** Breton people ** Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Ga ...

, English and

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

. Leroy has received numerous awards and nominations. In January 2015, she was ranked 17th on ''

Le Journal du Dimanche ''Le Journal du dimanche'' (English: ''Sunday's newspaper'') is a French weekly newspaper published on Sundays in France. History and profile ''Le Journal du Dimanche'' was created by Pierre Lazareff in 1948. He was managing editor of '' Fran ...

s 50 Most Loved Celebrities in France, making her the top female singer on the list since December 2012. She was appointed an Officer of the Order of the Arts and Letters by the

French Ministry of Culture The Ministry of Culture (french: Ministère de la Culture) is the ministry of the Government of France in charge of national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and protection of the arts (visual, ...

in 2021.

Early life and career beginnings

Leroy was born in Saint-Renan in 1982. Leroy's parents left

Saint-Renan Saint-Renan (; , ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France. History The city is named after the Irish saint "Rónán", who came in the 5th century to evangelize the area. While Brest was a village, the ci ...

(

Finistère Finistère (, ; br, Penn-ar-Bed ) is a department of France in the extreme west of Brittany. In 2019, it had a population of 915,090.

) when she was four years old. After living in Paris,

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...

, and

Guingamp Guingamp (; ) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. With a population of 6,895 as of 2017, Guingamp is one of the smallest towns in Europe to have a top-tier professional football team: En Avant Gui ...

, her mother, Muriel Leroy, and her younger sister, Kay, settled with Leroy's grandparents in

Saint-Yorre Saint-Yorre (; oc, Sant Tiorre) is a commune in the Allier department, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (Auvergne as former region), central France. The locality is renowned for its highly mineralized mineral water Mineral water is water from a miner ...

. Her mother divorced from her father, professional footballer Jean-Luc Le Magueresse, in 1993. Nolwenn studied at the ''"Collège des Célestins"'' in

Vichy Vichy (, ; ; oc, Vichèi, link=no, ) is a city in the Allier Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of central France, in the historic province of Bourbonnais. It is a Spa town, spa and resort town and in World ...

. When Leroy was eleven, her music teacher noticed her musical talents and encouraged her to learn the violin. At the age of thirteen she won ''"Les écoles du désert"'', a contest sponsored by the Cora supermarket chain, which allowed her to travel with a humanitarian mission from

Gao Gao , or Gawgaw/Kawkaw, is a city in Mali and the capital of the Gao Region. The city is located on the River Niger, east-southeast of Timbuktu on the left bank at the junction with the Tilemsi valley. For much of its history Gao was an impor ...

Timbuktu Timbuktu ( ; french: Tombouctou; Koyra Chiini: ); tmh, label=Tuareg, script=Tfng, ⵜⵏⴱⴾⵜ, Tin Buqt a city in Mali, situated north of the Niger River. The town is the capital of the Tombouctou Region, one of the eight administrativ ...

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali ...

; she later claimed this had a profound influence on her. In July 1998, Leroy was awarded a scholarship by the Vichy Rotary Club to travel to

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

, Ohio, United States, as an exchange student. While attending Hamilton High School, she took music lessons at the Performing Arts School and became fluent in English. When she returned to France, she began classical singing classes at the

music conservatory. In 2001, she enrolled in the

University of Clermont-Ferrand The University of Clermont-Ferrand was officially founded in 1896, by merging of two existing faculties (Literature and Sciences) and a medical school. In 1976, due to political issues, the University split between University Clermont-Ferrand I - ...

to study law for a potential alternative career to music.

Career

2002: ''Star Academy''

After watching the first season of ''

'' broadcast on TF1 in 2001, Leroy was impressed by Armande Altaï, a singing teacher and one of the show's judges. She subsequently joined Altaï's singing classes in Paris for over six months. In 2002, Nolwenn was selected for the second season of Star Academy, but she was also given the part of

Scarlett O'Hara Katie Scarlett O'Hara Hamilton Kennedy Butler is a fictional character and the protagonist in Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel ''Gone with the Wind'' and in the 1939 film of the same name, where she is portrayed by Vivien Leigh. She also is the ...

in the French stage musical ''

Autant en emporte le vent ''Autant en emporte le vent'' is a French musical adaptation of the 1936 Margaret Mitchell novel ''Gone with the Wind'' produced by Dove Attia and Albert Cohen in 2003, with music and lyrics by Gérard Presgurvic and staging and choreography by ...

'' (''

Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind may also refer to: Music * ''Gone with the Wind'' ...

'') by

Gérard Presgurvic Gérard Presgurvic (born 1953) is a French popular composer. He was the author of 1980s pop hits "Chacun fait c'qui lui plait" and "Marre de cette nana-là", but is best known for the 2001 musical spectacle '' Roméo et Juliette, de la haine à l' ...

. Leroy ended up choosing Star Academy over the musical. As a contestant on the show, Leroy spent four months in a castle located in

Dammarie-lès-Lys Dammarie-lès-Lys (; officially Dammarie-les-Lys) is a commune in the south-eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region from the center of Paris. History During the French Revol ...

, and followed acting, dancing and singing classes. On 21 December 2002, she was declared the winner ahead of fellow finalist,

Houcine Camara Houcine Camara or just Houcine (born 19 August 1980 in Nancy, France, Nancy), is a French singer. Biography He was born in a musical family. His family was Muslim . His father was a singer, who for 10 years had also directed "Le palais des dans ...

2003–2004: Eponymous debut album

Leroy's first album, '' Nolwenn'', was released in March 2003 and was

certified Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...

platinum by November for sales exceeding 300,000 copies. In 2006, the album was certified two times platinum by the Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique (SNEP) for more than 600,000 copies sold. Both the album and the first single "

" topped the charts in France and

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. Three other songs from the album were released as singles: "Une Femme cachée", "Suivre une étoile" and "Inévitablement". Leroy went on her first solo tour in France, Belgium and

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

in late 2003 to promote songs from the album.

2005–2008: ''Histoires Naturelles''

Leroy's second album, ''

Histoires Naturelles ''Histoires naturelles'' ("Natural Histories") is a song cycle by Maurice Ravel, composed in 1906. It sets five poems by Jules Renard to music for voice and piano. Ravel's pupil Manuel Rosenthal created a version for voice and orchestra.

'', was released on 5 December 2005. It was produced by

Laurent Voulzy Lucien Voulzy (, born 18 December 1948), better known as Laurent Voulzy (), is a French singer-songwriter, composer and musician. Life and career Voulzy was born in Paris, France. He originally led the English-pop-influenced Le Temple de Vénus ...

and Frank Eulry. The album's lead single " Nolwenn Ohwo!", co-written by

Alain Souchon Alain Souchon (; born Alain Édouard Kienast ; 27 May 1944) is a French singer-songwriter and actor. He has released 15 albums and has played roles in seven films. Profile Alain Souchon was born in Casablanca, Morocco. His family on his mother ...

, Voulzy and Leroy herself, topped the French charts one week after its release."Nolwenn Ohwo! – Chart performance"
/ref> The second single was the title track, "Histoire Naturelle". Music videos were made for both songs; the video for "Histoire Naturelle" expressed the main theme of the album with Leroy being portrayed as natural history museum exhibits. Of the other single releases, "Mon Ange" was distributed digitally while "J'aimais tant l'aimer" and "Reste Encore" were promotional-only. The album reached platinum status
TV5 Monde. Retrieved 2 November 2014. with sales exceeding 400,000 copies.
''Le Soir''. 16 December 2009. Retrieved 2 November 2014. Leroy performed songs from both ''Histoires Naturelles'' and ''Nolwenn'' on her second solo tour, which started in September 2006. Leroy's first live album, ''Histoires Naturelles Tour'', was subsequently released in late October 2007.

2009–2010: ''Le Cheshire Cat et Moi''

'' Le Cheshire Cat & Moi'' was a project that began in 2007, co-written by Leroy and

Teitur Lassen Teitur Lassen (, 4 January 1977) is a Faroese musician, composer, singer-songwriter and producer. He is a winner of multiple Danish Music Awards and has toured globally since his debut release, ''Poetry & Aeroplanes'', in 2003. Teitur was bor ...

, with contributions from

Jonatha Brooke Jonatha Brooke (born January 23, 1964) is an American folk rock singer-songwriter and guitarist from Massachusetts, United States. Her music merges elements of folk, rock and pop, often with poignant lyrics and complex harmonies. She has been a ...

Michelle Featherstone Michelle may refer to: People *Michelle (name), a given name and surname, the feminine form of Michael * Michelle Courtens, Dutch singer, performing as "Michelle" * Michelle (German singer) * Michelle (Scottish singer) (born 1980), Scottish wi ...

Mike Errico Mike Errico is an American singer-songwriter, producer, author, professor, and journalist. Career Errico worked as Senior Online Editor for ''Blender'' magazine from 2006 to 2008. Since 2013, Errico has taught songwriting and music business ...

and

Rupert Hine Rupert Neville Hine (21 September 1947 – 4 June 2020) was an English musician, songwriter and record producer. He produced albums for artists including Rush, Kevin Ayers, Tina Turner, Howard Jones, Saga, the Fixx, Bob Geldof, Thompson Twins ...

. It was arranged and produced by Lassen, and recorded in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

and the

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...

. The album's lead single, "Faut-il, faut-il pas ?", was released in November 2009 along with a music video directed by

Yoann Lemoine Yoann Lemoine (; born 16 March 1983), known professionally as Woodkid, is a French music video director, graphic designer and singer-songwriter. His most notable works include his music video direction for Katy Perry's " Teenage Dream", Taylor ...

. With the album, Leroy presented "a lighter sound than on previous releases" and she was given the opportunity to write all the lyrics. The album was released on 7 December 2009 and was later certified gold. A tour entitled "Le Cheshire Cat & Vous" to promote the record was held in 2010.

2010–2012: ''Bretonne''

Leroy released a fourth studio album, '' Bretonne'', on 6 December 2010. Cover versions of traditional

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

songs such as " Mná na h-Éireann", " Tri Martolod", "

La Jument de Michao ''La Jument de Michao'' ("Michao's mare" in French) or ''Le Loup, le Renard et la Belette'' ("The Wolf, the Fox and the Weasel") is a recent (1973) Breton adaptation of two different Western French traditional songs, also found in Brittany, the ori ...

", and contemporary songs such as

Christophe Miossec Christophe Miossec is a French singer and songwriter born in Brest, Brittany, France on December 24, 1964. Beginnings Christophe Miossec was not new to the world of music when he met his first great success. Between 14 and 17, he was in a teen ...

's "Brest" were included on the album. Most of the songs related to

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...

, the singer's birthplace. Four of them were sung in

("Tri Martolod", "

Suite Sudarmoricaine ''Suite Sud-Armoricaine'' is a bawdy Breton song in Breton, popularized by Alan Stivell in the 1970s. It is the only song in Breton ever to make the number one chart spot on French radio Europe 1. The lyrics are from the ''Pardon Speied'' (the P ...

", " Bro Gozh ma Zadoù", "Karantez Vro"), one in Irish ("Mná na h-Éireann"), and the rest in French and English. Leroy collaborated with

Jon Kelly Jon Kelly is a British audio engineer and record producer, who began his career as an engineer at Air London Studios. He has produced albums and singles for Chris Rea, the Damned, Kate Bush (where he co-produced with Bush on her third album ...

for the musical arrangements. The album topped the French album charts for 7 weeks and the Belgian album charts for 5 weeks. It was certified double diamond"Nolwenn Leroy : juin, le mois de tous les succès !"
Chérie FM. Retrieved 21 July 2017. by the SNEP for sales exceeding one million copies. The album was re-released in November 2011 as a ''Deluxe Edition'' with 7 additional tracks in English, including "

Amazing Grace "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn published in 1779 with words written in 1772 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is an immensely popular hymn, particularly in the United States, where it is used for both ...

", " Scarborough Fair" and two

Mike Oldfield Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and documen ...

tracks, "

Moonlight Shadow "Moonlight Shadow" is a song written and performed by English multi-instrumentalist Mike Oldfield, released as a single in May 1983 by Virgin Records, and included on his eighth album, ''Crises'', of the same year. The vocals were performed by ...

" and "

To France "To France" is a single by musician Mike Oldfield, released in 1984. It is from the album ''Discovery'' and features Maggie Reilly on vocals. The musical theme used in "To France" was also used on the first track on side two of the ''Discovery' ...

". The American version of the album, retitled ''Nolwenn'', was released on 8 January 2013 with a different track listing. The album peaked at number 10 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

s World Album chart. Leroy made her New York City debut at Drom. As part of the Bretonne Tour, Leroy played over 100 dates in France, Belgium, Switzerland and Germany. In June 2012, she performed as a special guest with

The Chieftains The Chieftains are a traditional Irish folk band formed in Dublin in 1962, by Paddy Moloney, Seán Potts and Michael Tubridy. Their sound, which is almost entirely instrumental and largely built around uilleann pipes, has become synonymous wi ...

in Paris.

2012–2016: ''Ô Filles de l'Eau''

Leroy's fifth album, '' Ô Filles de l'eau'', was released on 26 November 2012, preceded by the lead single "Juste pour me souvenir". The album was produced by

and recorded in London. The title reads 'O Daughters of the Water' but is phonetically similar to 'au fil de l'eau' ('with the current/flow'). Like '' Bretonne'', it contains Celtic inspired music but with more ocean themed lyrics. It includes two tracks in English ("Homeland" and "Limitless"). "Homeland" contains the

James Horner James Roy Horner (August 14, 1953 – June 22, 2015) was an American composer. He was known for the integration of choral and electronic elements, and for his frequent use of motifs associated with Celtic music. Horner's first film score was in ...

composed theme of the film '' Braveheart''. "Ahès" is the only

-language song of the album. Leroy wrote and co-composed 9 songs, including the singles "Juste pour me souvenir", "Sixième continent", "J'ai volé le lit de la mer" and "Ophélia". The album cover was created by Australian artist Vee Speers, inspired by her portrait series, ''Immortal''. Reviews of the album were strong, with some praising Leroy's vocal ability and Celtic music and lyrics, noting that her singing in English and Breton was brave and proved her to be an evolving artist, with strong sales to match. Two months after its release, the album was certified triple platinum by the SNEP."NRJ Music Awards 2013 – Triple disque de platine"
Nolwenn Leroy's official website. Retrieved 12 May 2016. Furthermore, it was named RTL's Album of the Year 2013. In 2013, Leroy toured France, Belgium and Switzerland in support of the album. Additionally, she was a special guest soloist on

Vladimir Cosma Vladimir Cosma (born 13 April 1940) is a Romanian composer, conductor and violinist. He was born into a family of musicians. His father, Teodor Cosma, was a pianist and conductor, his mother a writer-composer, his uncle, Edgar Cosma, composer and ...

's symphonic tour in France. In early 2014, she was nominated at the

World Music Awards The World Music Awards is an international award show founded in 1989 under the patronage of Albert II, Prince of Monaco and co-founder/executive producer John Martinotti. The event is based in Monte Carlo. Awards are presented to the world's ...

for the first time, in four categories: World's Best Album ( ''Bretonne''), World's Best Entertainer, World's Best Female Artist, and World's Best Live Act. In 2014, she provided several songs in English and French for the

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-nominated animated film ''

Song of the Sea The Song of the Sea ( he, שירת הים, ''Shirat HaYam'', also known as ''Az Yashir Moshe'' and Song of Moses, or ''Mi Chamocha'') is a poem that appears in the Book of Exodus of the Hebrew Bible, at . It is followed in verses 20 and 21 by a ...

'', and voiced the character of Bronagh in the film's French version. On 3 May 2014, Leroy performed the

anthem " Bro Gozh ma Zadoù" at the

Stade de France The Stade de France (, ) is the national stadium of France, located just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis. Its seating capacity of 80,698 makes it the sixth-largest stadium in Europe. The stadium is used by the France national foot ...

before 80,000 spectators, for the

2014 Coupe de France Final The 2014 Coupe de France Final decided the winner of the 2013–14 Coupe de France, the 97th season of France's premier football cup. It was played on 3 May at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Paris. In the final, Guingamp beat Rennes 2& ...

(aired on

France 2 France 2 () is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4 and France 5. France Télévisions also participates in Arte and Euronews. Since 3:20 CET on 7 ...

) opposing two Breton clubs, the

Stade Rennais Stade Rennais Football Club (), commonly referred to as Stade Rennais FC, Stade Rennais, Rennes, or simply SRFC, is a French professional football club based in Rennes, Brittany. They compete in Ligue 1, the top tier of French football, and pl ...

to EA Guingamp. Leroy's second live CD/DVD, '' Ô Tour de L'Eau'', recorded in

Saint-Brieuc Saint-Brieuc (, Breton: ''Sant-Brieg'' , Gallo: ''Saent-Berioec'') is a city in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. History Saint-Brieuc is named after a Welsh monk Brioc, who Christianised the region in the 6th c ...

, was released on 1 December 2014. In March 2015, she embarked on an acoustic tour in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany,

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

and

French Polynesia )Territorial motto: ( en, "Great Tahiti of the Golden Haze") , anthem = , song_type = Regional anthem , song = " Ia Ora 'O Tahiti Nui" , image_map = French Polynesia on the globe (French Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of Frenc ...

. On 11 June 2015, she was invited to talk about her career at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. In November 2015, Leroy announced that she would perform at

Celtic Connections The Celtic Connections festival started in 1994 in Glasgow, Scotland, and has since been held every January. Featuring over 300 concerts, ceilidhs, talks, free events, late night sessions and workshops, the festival focuses on the roots of tra ...

in Glasgow's City Halls on 30 January 2016, along with

Karen Matheson Karen Matheson OBE (born 11 February 1963) is a Scottish folk singer who frequently sings in Gaelic. She is the lead singer of the group Capercaillie and was a member of Dan Ar Braz's group L'Héritage des Celtes, with whom she often sang lea ...

2017–2018: ''Gemme''

On 13 May 2017, Leroy released "Gemme", the eponymous lead single from her sixth studio album ''Gemme'' (English: ''Gem'') produced in London by Jamie Ellis. The album was released on 1 September 2017. Leroy wrote and co-composed most of the songs. The album features three songs in English: "Run It Down" and two poems by

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...

set to music ("A Dream" and "The Lake"). The other songs are in French. "Stephen" refers to a theory by Stephen Hawking. The album was certified gold in France. A Limited Edition was released on 8 December 2017, including two remixes and two acoustic versions. In March 2018, Leroy embarked on the 55-date Gemme Tour through France, Belgium and Switzerland.

2018–2019: ''Folk''

On 2 November 2018, Leroy released a seventh album titled ''Folk'', produced by Clément Ducol. The album consisted of covers of

contemporary folk Contemporary folk music refers to a wide variety of genres that emerged in the mid 20th century and afterwards which were associated with traditional folk music. Starting in the mid-20th century a new form of popular folk music evolved from tradit ...

songs, including

Graeme Allwright Graeme Allwright (7 November 1926 – 16 February 2020) was a New Zealand-born French singer and songwriter. He became popular in the 1960s and 1970s as a French language interpreter of the songs of American and Canadian songwriters such as Leon ...

's French adaptation of ''Suzanne'' by

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...

. In March 2019, Leroy embarked on the Folk Tour through France and Belgium. In July 2019, she was a special guest at

Pink Martini Pink Martini is an American band that was founded in 1994 by pianist Thomas Lauderdale in Portland, Oregon. Group members call it a little orchestra that crosses several styles, such as classical, latin, traditional pop, and jazz. The co-lead vo ...

's concert at

Jazz à Juan Jazz à Juan is an annual jazz festival in Juan-les-Pins, Antibes, France. New Orleans, Louisiana, widely recognized as the "Birthplace of Jazz," is a sister city, and as a result, carnival festivities in Juan-les-Pins, including both local and N ...

festival.

2021–present: ''La Cavale''

On 2 July 2021, Leroy released the lead single "Brésil, Finistère" from her eighth studio album ''La Cavale''. The album was produced by

Benjamin Biolay Benjamin Biolay (; born 20 January 1973) is a French singer, musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He is the brother of singer Coralie Clément—whose first three albums he wrote and produced—and the ex-husband of Chiara Mastroiann ...

and released on 12 November 2021. Biolay wrote and composed most of the songs. The second single, "Loin", was released in December 2021. In January 2022, it was announced that Nolwenn would join ''

The Voice The Voice may refer to: Fictional entities * The Voice or Presence, a fictional representation of God in DC Comics * The Voice (''Dune''), a fictional ability in the ''Dune'' universe * The Voice, a character in the American TV series ''Cleo ...

France'' as a surprise comeback stage coach for its eleventh season.

Medical research

Leroy's music was studied for its neurological impact in

geriatric Geriatrics, or geriatric medicine, is a medical specialty focused on providing care for the unique health needs of older adults. The term ''geriatrics'' originates from the Greek language, Greek γέρων ''geron'' meaning "old man", and ιατ ...

populations."Fall Prevention in a Geriatric Nursing Home Setting Using the Music of Nolwenn Leroy"
at ClinicalTrials.gov"Study of the Effect of the Music of Nolwenn Leroy in Fall Prevention Strategies in Texas Nursing Homes"
at ClinicalTrials.gov"Fall Prevention Strategies Including Music and Posturography"
at ClinicalTrials.gov Researchers found that Leroy's recordings might have a more beneficial effect than other music, noting that: "the music of Nolwenn Leroy was found to be significantly superior to other music tested". To describe the phenomenon they coined the term ''the Nolwenn Effect'', saying: "the music of Nolwenn Leroy appears to have a different effect on brain-based modulation of gait and stance than other music tested to date". Mozart and Dutch and French singers were tested; only Mozart and Leroy's music were specified. The U.S. study was completed in February 2008, but no substantial results appear to be published.
''The Guardian''.

Endorsements

In 2011, Leroy appeared in two television commercials for the

Nintendo 3DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generatio ...

and she became the face of

Pantene Pantene () is a brand of hair care products owned by Procter & Gamble. The product line was first introduced in Europe in 1945 by Hoffmann-La Roche, which branded the name based on panthenol as a shampoo ingredient. It was purchased by Procter ...

for France and Belgium.

Philanthropy

In 2006, she joined the

Les Enfoirés Les Enfoirés (, 'The Tossers' or 'The Bastards') is the name given to the singers and performers in the yearly charity concert for the Restaurants du Cœur The Restaurants du Cœur (literally ''Restaurants of the Heart'' but meaning ''Restau ...

charity ensemble and she became one of the Abbé Pierre Foundation's patrons for housing people in need. On 27 November 2015, she participated together with

Camélia Jordana Camélia Jordana Aliouane (born 15 September 1992) is a French-Algerian pop singer. She rose to fame after participating in the television show ''Nouvelle Star'', the French version of ''Pop Idol'', in 2009, where she came in third. Life and ca ...

and

Yael Naim Yael Naim ( he, יעל נעים, born 6 February 1978) is a French-born Israeli singer and actress. She rose to fame in 2008 in the US after her hit single " New Soul" was used by Apple in an advertising campaign for its MacBook Air. The song pe ...

at the national memorial day for the victims of the

November 2015 Paris attacks The November 2015 Paris attacks () were a series of coordinated Islamist terrorist attacks that took place on Friday, 13 November 2015 in Paris, France, and the city's northern suburb, Saint-Denis. Beginning at 9:15p.m., three suicide bombers ...

singing the song "Quand on n'a que l'amour" from

Jacques Brel Jacques Romain Georges Brel (, ; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer and actor who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following—initially in Belgium and France, l ...

Personal life

Since 2008, she has been in a relationship with

Arnaud Clément Arnaud Clément (; born 17 December 1977) is a French former professional tennis player and Davis Cup captain. Clément reached the final of the 2001 Australian Open and achieved a career-high ranking of world No. 10 in April of that year. Par ...

, former French professional tennis player and captain of the France Davis Cup team. On July 12, 2017, they welcomed their first child, a son called Marin.

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Singles

* Belgium Ultratip"Belgian Singles Charts"
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Other charted songs

Music videos

Other charted songs

As featured artist

Soundtracks

* 2012: ''Die Wanderhure – Best Of'' (German TV movies) * 2014: '' Song of the Sea (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)'' and its French version ''Le Chant de la Mer''

Filmography

* 2012: ''

Rise of the Guardians ''Rise of the Guardians'' is a 2012 American 3D computer-animated fantasy action-adventure film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film was directed by Peter Ramsey (in his feature directorial debut ...

'' by

Peter Ramsey Peter A. Ramsey (born December 23, 1962) is an American illustrator, storyboard artist, film director, screenwriter, and film producer. He is best known for directing DreamWorks Animation's ''Rise of the Guardians'' (2012), becoming the first Afr ...

: French voice of

Tooth Fairy The Tooth Fairy is a fantasy figure of early childhood in Western and Western-influenced cultures. The folklore states that when children lose one of their baby teeth, they should place it underneath their pillow or on their bedside table and ...

* 2014: ''

'' by

Tomm Moore Thomas "Tomm" Moore (born 7 January 1977) is an Irish filmmaker, animator, illustrator and comics artist. He co-founded Cartoon Saloon with Nora Twomey and Paul Young, an animation studio and production company based in Kilkenny, Ireland. His ...

: French voice of Bronagh * 2021: ''

Capitaine Marleau ''Capitaine Marleau'' is a french television series, created by Elsa Marpeau, that first broadcast on France 3 on 20 December 2014 and since 2021 on France 2. The series, directed entirely by Josée Dayan, stars Corinne Masiero as the title ch ...

'' by

Josée Dayan Josée Dayan (born 6 October 1943 in Toulouse, France) is a French film director, screenwriter and producer. Life Dayan grew up in Algiers, Algeria, where her father Albert Dagnant, who came from a Jewish family, worked as a television directo ...

(TV series, 1 episode): Déborah

Voice acting

* 2013: ''Lady Ô'' (evening show at the

Futuroscope Futuroscope, or Parc du Futuroscope (), formerly known as Planète Futuroscope, is a French theme park based upon multimedia, cinematographic futuroscope and audio-visual techniques. It has several 3D cinemas and a few 4D cinemas along with ...

), the storyteller

Horse riding

Leroy owns a horse named El Aberkan. She showed her horse riding and jumping skills on unfamiliar horses a couple of times for French TV shows broadcast on

, including the 50th Gala de l'Union des Artistes charity in 2011, alongside Alexis Gruss.

Awards and nominations

Honours

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Officier ribbon

Officer of the

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is ...

(2021)."Nomination dans l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres – été 2021"
French Ministry of Culture. The

main belt asteroid The asteroid belt is a torus-shaped region in the Solar System, located roughly between the orbits of the planets Jupiter and Mars. It contains a great many solid, irregularly shaped bodies, of many sizes, but much smaller than planets, called ...

353232 Nolwenn __NOTOC__ Year 353 (Roman numerals, CCCLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Magnentius and Decentius (or, less freque ...

was named after Leroy. In 2012, her wax figure was unveiled at the

Musée Grévin The ''Musée Grévin'' (; ) ( en, Grévin Museum) is a wax museum in Paris located on the Grands Boulevards in the 9th arrondissement on the right bank of the Seine, at 10, Boulevard Montmartre, Paris, France. It is open daily; an admission fee ...

in Paris."Nolwenn Leroy rejoint Elton John et Brad Pitt au musée Grévin"
''Le Parisien''. 9 October 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2016.

Bibliography

* Patrick Castells, Christophe Abramowitz (2005). ''Nolwenn Leroy''. Télémaque, coll. Patrick Robin, 169 p. .

Footnotes

References

External links

Official Nolwenn Leroy website
*
Official Nolwenn Leroy fan forum

Nolwenn Leroy fan forum

Nolwenn Leroy
online radio via

Radionomy Radionomy was an online platform that provided tools for operating online radio stations. It was part of Radionomy Group, a company which later acquired the online streaming platform SHOUTcast from Nullsoft, and eventually consolidated Radionomy ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leroy, Nolwenn 1982 births Living people People from Saint-Renan French women singer-songwriters French singer-songwriters French pop musicians French women pop singers French mezzo-sopranos French folk-pop singers Breton musicians Celtic fusion musicians French voice actresses Star Academy winners Star Academy (France) participants English-language singers from France Breton-language singers Ballad musicians Irish-language singers Italian-language singers Universal Music Group artists Decca Records artists Mercury Records artists Wrasse Records artists 21st-century French women violinists 21st-century French women pianists People from Finistère 20th-century French women singers 21st-century French women singers 21st-century violinists