Claire Pommet (; born 2 August 1996), known professionally as Pomme (), is a French singer, songwriter, and musician. Born and raised in

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...

, France, she learned to play several instruments at a young age. Her debut studio album, '' À peu près'' (2017), received critical acclaim for its mixture of pop and

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

and entered the French album charts at number 91. Pomme followed with her second studio album, '' Les failles'' (2019), which became her first project to reach the top 10 in her home country. The record was later reissued as ''Les failles cachées'' (2020) and re-entered record charts in two countries. Her third studio album, ''Consolation'', was released on 26 August 2022.

Life and career

1996–2012: Early life

Claire Pommet was born on 2 August 1996 in

Décines-Charpieu Décines-Charpieu (; frp, Dessines) is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France. The name of the city is often shortened and simply called Décines. Geography Décines is located near Grand Large res ...

but grew up in

Caluire-et-Cuire Caluire-et-Cuire (; frp, Caluéres-et-Cuéres) is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France. It is the fifth-largest suburb of the city of Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' als ...

, a French town in the

metropolis of Lyon The Metropolis of Lyon (french: Métropole de Lyon), also known as ("Greater Lyon"), is a French territorial collectivity located in the east-central region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is a directly elected metropolitan authority encompassing t ...

. She learned music theory with her three siblings from the age of 6, joined a children's choir, La Cigale de Lyon, at age 7, and learned to play the cello at age 8. Her mother plays the flute while her father, a real estate agent, listened to

Michel Polnareff Michel Polnareff (born 3 July 1944, Nérac, Lot-et-Garonne, France) is a French singer-songwriter, who was popular in France from the mid-1960s until the early 1990s with his penultimate original album, ''Kāma-Sūtra''. He is still criticall ...

Serge Reggiani Serge Reggiani (2 May 1922 – 23 July 2004) was an Italian-French actor and singer. He was born in Reggio Emilia, Italy and moved to France with his parents at the age of eight. After studying acting at the Conservatoire des arts cinématogr ...

, and

Charles Aznavour Charles Aznavour ( , ; born Shahnour Vaghinag Aznavourian, hy, Շահնուր Վաղինակ Ազնավուրեան, ; 22 May 1924 – 1 October 2018) was a French-Armenian singer, lyricist, actor and diplomat. Aznavour was known for his dist ...

. One of her father's friends introduced her to American folk and country music. She is

self-taught Autodidacticism (also autodidactism) or self-education (also self-learning and self-teaching) is education without the guidance of masters (such as teachers and professors) or institutions (such as schools). Generally, autodidacts are individu ...

and publishes videos on the

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

web platform.

2013–2015: Career beginnings and ''En cavale''

Pommet's stage name "Pomme", which derives from her last name, was a nickname used by her friends at university. In early 2015, Pomme was signed to

Polydor Records Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

and began working on her debut

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

(EP) '' En cavale''. 2016 She released her debut single "J'suis pas dupe" in June 2015. Following the EP's release in January 2016, it received a positive reception and was promoted with music videos and concerts.

2016–2017: ''À peu près''

In September 2017, aged 21, she performed for the first time at La Boule Noire in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. In October she released her first chanson française album, titled '' À peu près''; it was described as a mixture of pop and folk by Salome Rouzerol-Douglas in ''

Le Figaro ''Le Figaro'' () is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It is headquartered on Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. The oldest national newspaper in France, ''Le Figaro'' is one of three French newspapers of r ...

''. It was "very encouraging" according to Gilles Renault in '' Libération''. At the same time, Marie-Catherine Mardi of RFI said that "the lyrics do not convince n their entirety but praised Pommet's voice. Despite the acclaim received, Pomme expressed frustration towards the album since she felt trapped by "the desire to please thersmore" instead of herself. She performed in the first part of the Asaf Avidan tour in autumn 2017.

2018–2020: ''Les failles''

In February 2018, she performed at the Café de la Danse in Paris, after having performed as an opening act for Louane and Vianney, then took the stage in

La Cigale La Cigale (; English: ''The Cicada'') is a theatre located at 120, boulevard de Rochechouart near Place Pigalle, in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. The theatre is part of a complex connected to the Le Trabendo concert venue and the Boule No ...

in mid-2018 and in La Trianon in early 2019. In 2019, she released her second studio album '' Les failles'' (2019), which was later reissued a year later. Described by Pomme as an album with "absolute truth and humility", she conceived it while reflecting on a breakup. In February 2020, she won the

Victoires de la Musique Victoires de la Musique (; en, Victories of Music) is an annual French award ceremony where the Victoire accolade is delivered by the French Ministry of Culture to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry. The classical and jazz ...

award for ''album révélation'' ("''newcomer album''") of the year with ''Les failles''. The singer later released the EP ''Quarantine Phone Sesssions'' in May 2020, which she stated to be available only during the

COVID-19 lockdowns Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of non-pharmaceutical interventions colloquially known as lockdowns (encompassing stay-at-home orders, curfews, quarantines, and similar societal restrictions) have been implemented in numerous countri ...

2021–present: ''Consolation''

In 2021, she was crowned ''artiste féminine'' ("''female artist''") of the year. On New Year's Day, Pomme revealed plans of releasing a third studio album in 2022 through her

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

account. Later in that month, her collaboration "Everything Matters" with Norwegian singer-songwriter

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

was released as a single from the latter's third studio album, ''

The Gods We Can Touch ''The Gods We Can Touch'' is the third studio album by Norwegian singer-songwriter and record producer Aurora. It was released on 21 January 2022 by Decca and Glassnote Records. As in her other releases, Aurora worked with Magnus Skylstad and ...

'' (2022). In May 2022, she published the

children's book Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

''Sous les paupières'' with French singer Pauline de Tarragon, who also did the illustrations.

Artistry

Pomme's music incorporates chanson française,

folk-pop Folk-pop is a musical style that may be 1) contemporary folk songs with large, sweeping pop arrangements, or 2) pop songs with intimate, acoustic-based folk arrangements. Recording production values created a unblemished style that appealed to ...

French pop French pop music is pop music sung in the French language. It is usually performed by singers from France, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, or any of the other francophone areas of the world. The target audience is the francophone market (primaril ...

and indie folk. The journalists of ''Libération'' and ''Le Figaro'' emphasized the quality of Pomme's live performances, during which she particularly plays the autoharp and the

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

. The lyrics she writes often evoke themes of love, death, and "everyday situations that resort to romanticism". Love in her lyrics is not only heterosexual but also bisexual or homosexual; she has dedicated a song to Quebec singer

Safia Nolin Safia Nolin is a French Canadian folk-pop singer-songwriter from Quebec City, Quebec. Other topics she explored are intimacy, feminism, and environmentalism, which she considered to be "natural and obvious to me for my generation and for myself." Pomme noted that despite being heavily influenced by

, she has also listened to pop musicians. She cited French singers Barbara,

Édith Piaf Édith Piaf (, , ; born Édith Giovanna Gassion, ; December 19, 1915– October 10, 1963) was a French singer, lyricist and actress. Noted as France's national chanteuse, she was one of the country's most widely known international stars. Pia ...

and Lorie as her primary influences, with Barbara and Lorie being singers she listened to during her childhood and youth. Other influences include

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

Lizzo Melissa Viviane Jefferson (born April 27, 1988), known professionally as Lizzo, is an American singer, rapper, and flutist. Born in Detroit, Michigan, she moved to Houston, Texas with her family when she was 10 years old. After college she ...

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

Lily Allen Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985) is an English singer-songwriter and actress. She is the daughter of actor Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. Her music career began in 2005 when she made some of her vocal recordings public ...

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 ...

, Cœur de Pirate, Keaton Henson,

Aldous Harding Hannah Sian Topp (born 1990), known professionally as Aldous Harding, is a New Zealand folk singer-songwriter, based in Lyttelton, New Zealand. Biography Harding comes from a musical family in Lyttelton, New Zealand. Her mother is folk singer ...

, Feist, Sufjan Stevens,

Mylène Farmer Mylène Jeanne Gautier (; born 12 September 1961), known professionally as Mylène Farmer (), is a Canadian-born French singer, songwriter, occasional actress, writer, and entrepreneur. Having sold more than 30 million records in France, she is ...

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

and

Kate Nash Kate Marie Nash (born 6 July 1987) is an English singer-songwriter and actress. Nash launched her music career in 2005. Her 2007 single " Foundations" became a hit and brought her to public attention in the UK. Her debut album, '' Made of Bricks ...

. ''

Vogue France The French edition of ''Vogue'' magazine, formerly called ''Vogue Paris'', is a fashion magazine that has been published since 1920. History 1920–54 The French edition of ''Vogue'' was first issued on 15 June 1920, the first editor-in-chief ...

'' called her appearance "a fairy-like look straight out of a

Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and animator. He is known for his gothic fantasy and horror films such as '' Beetlejuice'' (1988), '' Edward Scissorhands'' (1990), '' The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (1993 ...

movie," with Pomme calling Burton's film ''

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' is a 1964 children's novel by British author Roald Dahl. The story features the adventures of young Charlie Bucket inside the chocolate factory of eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka. The story was originall ...

'' and its protagonist

Willy Wonka Willy Wonka is a fictional character appearing in British author Roald Dahl's 1964 children's novel ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' and its 1972 sequel ''Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator''. He is the eccentric founder and proprietor ...

as style icons for her. She was also inspired by French poet

Paul Éluard Paul Éluard (), born Eugène Émile Paul Grindel (; 14 December 1895 – 18 November 1952), was a French poet and one of the founders of the Surrealist movement. In 1916, he chose the name Paul Éluard, a matronymic borrowed from his maternal ...

and feminist works and comics.

Personal life

Pomme explained in an interview with ''

Télérama ''Télérama'' is a weekly French cultural and television magazine published in Paris, France. The name is a contraction of its earlier title: ''Télévision-Radio-Cinéma''. Fabienne Pascaud is currently managing editor. Ludovic Desautez is de ...

'': "I am naturally comfortable with my homosexuality, for example, using female pronouns in my songs. And I think it's important, given the amount of thank-you messages I get. As a teenager, I would have also liked to recognize myself in lesbian singers". For the 2020 municipal elections in Lyon, she made public her support for the Europe Écologie Les Verts party. In February 2021, in support of the MeToo movement, Pomme stated that she had been "manipulated and morally and sexually harassed" from age 15 to 17.

Discography

Studio albums

Reissues

Extended plays

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Guest appearances

Music videos

* Director information obtained from each video description on

Bibliography

* ''Sous les paupières'' (2022) (with Pauline de Tarragon)

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pomme Living people 1996 births 21st-century French women singers French LGBT singers LGBT songwriters People from Décines-Charpieu Autoharp players