Sébastien Tellier (; born 22 February 1975) is a French singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He represented
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
in the
Eurovision Song Contest 2008
The Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was the 53rd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Belgrade, Serbia, following the country's victory at the with the song "Molitva" by Marija Šerifović. Organised by the European Broadcasti ...
with his song "
Divine
Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.[divine< ...](_blank)
". He has also produced songs for
Dita Von Teese
Heather Renée Sweet (born September 28, 1972), known professionally as Dita Von Teese, is an American vedette, burlesque dancer, model, and businesswoman. She is credited with re-popularizing burlesque performance, earning the moniker "Queen ...
and composed music for the French films ''
Narco'' and ''
Steak
A steak is a thick cut of meat generally sliced across the muscle fibers, sometimes including a bone. It is normally grilled or fried. Steak can be diced, cooked in sauce, such as in steak and kidney pie, or minced and formed into patties, ...
'', among others. Tellier is currently signed to Record Makers, a French independent record label. He sings in English, French and Italian.
Biography
Tellier's first album, ''
L'incroyable Vérité'' (The Incredible Truth), was released in 2001. Tellier went on tour with
Air
The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing f ...
in support of the album and was joined on stage by
theremin
The theremin (; originally known as the ætherphone/etherphone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox) is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer (who is known as a thereminist). It is named afte ...
player
Pamelia Kurstin
Pamelia Stickney (formerly known as Pamelia Kurstin) is an American theremin player. She has performed and recorded with many artists including David Byrne, Yoko Ono, Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, David Garland, Seb Rochford, Otto Lechner an ...
. ''L'incroyable Vérité'' is a pop album featuring styles from lo-fi electronica to bizarre cabaret tunes.
The same year, he appears, alongside
Vincent Belorgey (Kavinsky) in ''Nonfilm'', directed by Quentin Dupieux.
His second studio album, ''
Politics
Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...
'', released on 31 January 2004. ''Politics'' included the popular song "
La Ritournelle
"La Ritournelle" is a song by Sébastien Tellier from his 2004 album ''Politics''. It was released as a single on 26 September 2005; along with the original, this included remixes by Mr. Dan, Jim Noir and Jake Bullit.
The track received much cr ...
", a string-led tune with Nigerian drummer
Tony Allen.
The same year, he composed the soundtrack for the film ''
Narco'', directed by Tristan Aurouet and
Gilles Lellouche
Gilles Lellouche (; born 5 July 1972) is a French actor. He started his career as a director. Lellouche has appeared in more than fifty films since 1995. He was nominated twice for a César Award; in 2006 for Most Promising Actor and in 2011 f ...
. The soundtrack released two years later, on 9 November 2007.
Since the release of ''Politics'', Tellier has also recorded an acoustic album of his more popular songs, ''Sessions'' (2006). The album was repackaged for the British market as ''Universe'' (2006), to include both highlights from the French CD, as well as compositions from Tellier's score for the film ''
Narco''. This compilation included a cover of "La Dolce Vita", a song originally by French singer
Christophe.
In 2007, he composed a few songs with
Mr. Oizo
Quentin Dupieux (, born 14 April 1974), also known by his musical stage name Mr. Oizo (), is a French filmmaker, electronic musician, and DJ.
Dupieux is credited with his legal name for his films, while the name "Mr. Oizo" is used for his musica ...
, for the soundtrack of the film ''
Steak
A steak is a thick cut of meat generally sliced across the muscle fibers, sometimes including a bone. It is normally grilled or fried. Steak can be diced, cooked in sauce, such as in steak and kidney pie, or minced and formed into patties, ...
'', directed by Quentin Dupieux (Mr. Oizo himself). Also co-composed by
SebastiAn, the
soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
was released by
Ed Banger
Ed Banger Records (sometimes referred to as Ed Rec) is a French electronic music record label founded by Pedro Winter in 2003 as a division of Headbangers Entertainment. It focuses on house music, particularly French house, as well as alterna ...
and
Because Music
Because Music is an independent record label with headquarters in Paris and London. Because Music SAS is the main label, with Because Music Ltd handling the British artist roster.
Because Music was founded in 2005 by former president of Virgin F ...
the same year. Tellier also appears in the film as Prisme, the man with the electric wheelchair.
His third studio album ''
Sexuality
Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...
'' was produced by
Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo
Guillaume Emmanuel "Guy-Manuel" de Homem-Christo (; born 8 February 1974) is a French musician, record producer, singer, songwriter, DJ and composer. He is known as one half of the former French house music duo Daft Punk, along with Thomas Bang ...
of
Daft Punk
Daft Punk were a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. Widely regarded as one of the most influential acts in dance music history, they achieved popularity in the late 1990s as p ...
. Like his previous album ''Politics'', Tellier used a single term as title and theme of the album. Tellier's label Record Makers collaborated with retailer
American Apparel
American Apparel Inc. is an online-only retailer and former brick-and-mortar stores operator based in Los Angeles, California. Founded by Canadian businessman Dov Charney in 1989, it was a vertically integrated company that ranked as one of the ...
for an exclusive three-month pre-release of the album, whilst American Apparel sold limited edition versions of the ''Sexuality'' CD, LP and "Divine" 7" and 12" single through their North American stores and website.
On 7 March 2008, it was announced by Bruno Berberes, head of
EBU delegation in France, that Tellier would represent France in the
Eurovision Song Contest 2008
The Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was the 53rd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Belgrade, Serbia, following the country's victory at the with the song "Molitva" by Marija Šerifović. Organised by the European Broadcasti ...
. It was held in Belgrade on 24 May 2008. Tellier sang "
Divine
Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.[divine< ...](_blank)
". This was the first time in the history of the contest that the nominated French entry was to be performed largely in English, which caused controversy, leading to Tellier pledging to increase the amount of French in the song prior to the competition itself. In total, the entry received 47 points.
His fourth album ''
My God Is Blue
''My God Is Blue'' is the fourth studio album and a concept album by French musician Sébastien Tellier, released on 23 April 2012 by Record Makers.
Release
On 12 January 2012, Tellier announced he was releasing his fourth studio album, with pr ...
'' was released in 23 April 2012. As the name suggests, the concept of this album is religion.
Tellier is presented in this album as a guru, founder of a fictional sect called "Alliance Bleue".
[ The album is entirely produced by ]Mr Flash
Gilles Bousquet (), known professionally as Mr. Flash, is a French record producer and DJ. He signed on the French electronic music label Ed Banger Records in 2003 and released the track "Radar Rider", which is also the first release of the label. ...
and Pavle Kovacevic.
His fifth album ''Confection'' was released in October 2013. This was partially inspired by the death of Tellier's grandmother. Some of the music on the album was intended to appear on a film soundtrack, but ended up not being used. In an interview with artistxite, Tellier noted: "You can say my grandmother's death as well as this nonexisting soundtrack had an impact on “Confection“. To me this has been a super strange situation. I was full of love for my grandmother and full of dedication to this soundtrack; ''Confection'' is the result of both of these emotional conditions." In Spring 2014, Tellier performed a medley of tracks from ''Confection'' at the Chanel
Chanel ( , ) is a French high-end luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. Chanel specializes in women's ready-to-wear, luxury goods, and accessories and licenses its name and branding to Luxottica for eyewear. Chanel is ...
Haute Couture show at the Grand Palais
The Grand Palais des Champs-Élysées ( en, Great Palace of the Elysian Fields), commonly known as the Grand Palais (English: Great Palace), is a historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located at the Champs-Élysées in the 8th arro ...
. Tellier recounts that Karl Lagerfeld
Karl Otto Lagerfeld (; 10 September 1933 – 19 February 2019) was a German fashion designer, creative director, artist and photographer.
He was known as the creative director of the French fashion house Chanel, a position held from 1983 ...
invited him to perform, having listened to the album himself.
His sixth album ''L'Aventura'', was released on 14 July 2014. The album was inspired by the childhood and Brazil, where the video to its lead single, "L'Adulte", is set. This album, consisting of 10 tracks, is sung entirely in French.
In 2016, he composed soundtracks for the two French films '' Saint-Amour'', directed by Benoît Delépine and Gustave Kervern
Gustave Kervern (born 27 August 1962), also known as Gustave de Kervern and Gustave K/Vern, is a French actor, director and screenwriter. He is best known for his collaboration with Benoît Delépine.
Life and career
In 2004 he wrote, directed, ...
, and '' Marie et les naufragés'', directed by Sébastien Betbeder
Sébastien Betbeder (born 4 January 1975) is a French film director. He has directed more than ten films since 2003.
Selected filmography
References
External links
*
1975 births
Living people
French film directors
{{France-film- ...
. The same year, he composed the music for the credits of the comedy show broadcast on Canal+
Canal+ (Canal Plus, , meaning 'Channel Plus'; sometimes abbreviated C+ or Canal) is a French premium television channel launched in 1984. It is 100% owned by the Groupe Canal+, which in turn is owned by Vivendi. The channel broadcasts several ki ...
, '' Groland Le Zapoï''. The next year, he composed the soundtrack for the series ''A Girl Is a Gun''.
In 2018, Tellier composed all the songs from the eponymous album by Dita Von Teese
Heather Renée Sweet (born September 28, 1972), known professionally as Dita Von Teese, is an American vedette, burlesque dancer, model, and businesswoman. She is credited with re-popularizing burlesque performance, earning the moniker "Queen ...
.
In 2020, Tellier returned with a new single "A Ballet", released on 29 January, to promote his seventh album ''Domesticated
Domestication is a sustained multi-generational relationship in which humans assume a significant degree of control over the reproduction and care of another group of organisms to secure a more predictable supply of resources from that group. A ...
'', consisting of 8 tracks, which released on 29 May 2020. On 8 April, "Domestic Tasks", the second single released and "Stuck in a Summer Love" the third single on 19 May. The concept on this album is domestic life and this concept was born following his marriage and the birth of his two children. The album is produced by Corentin "nit" Kerdraon, Mind Gamers ( John Carroll Kirby and Daniel Stricker), Jam City
Jack Latham is a British electronic music producer and DJ who performs under the alias Jam City. He has been active since 2010 and records on the label Night Slugs. He has released three full-length albums: 2012's ''Classical Curves'', 2015's ...
, Varnish La Piscine and Philippe Zdar
Cassius was a French musical duo consisting of producers Philippe Cerboneschi and Hubert Blanc-Francard, better known as Zdar and Boombass (or sometimes Philippe Zdar and Hubert Boombass). Under its different incarnations the duo is likened to ...
(who died in 2019).[ Apart from this album, on 14 February 2020, he appeared as a featured artist on "Boycycle" by ]Salvatore Ganacci
Emir Kobilić, known professionally as Salvatore Ganacci (), is a Bosnian-Swedish DJ and record producer. His performances at Tomorrowland in 2018 and 2019 became internet sensations, as did the music video for his song "Horse".
Early life
E ...
.
The same year, he released an album titled ''Simple Mind'', in which he covered several tracks from his previous albums, ''Sexuality'', ''My God Is Blue'', ''L'Aventura'' and ''Domesticated''.
Use of Tellier's songs
* The track "Fantino" from '' L'incroyable Vérité'' was chosen by Sofia Coppola
Sofia Carmina Coppola (; born May 14, 1971) is an American filmmaker and actress. The youngest child and only daughter of filmmakers Eleanor Coppola, Eleanor and Francis Ford Coppola, she made her film debut as an infant in her father's acclaimed ...
for the soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
to her 2003 film '' Lost in Translation''. Coppola also used the song "Look" from his ''Sexuality
Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...
'' album in her 2010 film '' Somewhere''
* The songs "Look" and "La Ritournelle
"La Ritournelle" is a song by Sébastien Tellier from his 2004 album ''Politics''. It was released as a single on 26 September 2005; along with the original, this included remixes by Mr. Dan, Jim Noir and Jake Bullit.
The track received much cr ...
" were featured in ''Ugly Betty
''Ugly Betty'' is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which was originally broadcast on ABC. It premiered on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian t ...
's'' episodes "Crush'd" and "Dressed for success", respectively.
* "La Ritournelle
"La Ritournelle" is a song by Sébastien Tellier from his 2004 album ''Politics''. It was released as a single on 26 September 2005; along with the original, this included remixes by Mr. Dan, Jim Noir and Jake Bullit.
The track received much cr ...
" also featured in Joachim Trier
Joachim Trier () (born 1 March 1974) is a Danish-born Norwegian film director, best known for '' Oslo, August 31st'' (2011), ''Louder Than Bombs'' (2015), ''Thelma'' (2017), and '' The Worst Person in the World'' (2021). For the latter film, he ...
's '' Oslo, 31 August'' movie soundtrack.
* The song "Universe" from the album '' L'incroyable Vérité'' is featured in the film ''Daft Punk's Electroma
''Daft Punk's Electroma'' (also known as ''Electroma'') is a 2006 avant-garde science fiction film directed by the French electronic music duo Daft Punk. The story revolves around the quest of two robots (the band members, played by Peter Hurteau ...
''.
* "Divine" (as remixed by Danger
Danger is a lack of safety and may refer to:
Places
* Danger Cave, an archaeological site in Utah
* Danger Island, Great Chagos Bank, Indian Ocean
* Danger Island, alternate name of Pukapuka Atoll in the Cook Islands, Pacific Ocean
* Danger Isla ...
) was used in the 2009 racing game '' Gran Turismo'' for the PSP.
* "La Ritournelle" is sampled in The Weeknd
Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. Known for his sonic versatility and dark lyricism, his music explores escapism, Romance (love), ...
's single, "Kiss Land"
* "La Ritournelle" is the first of many final soundtracks used in the movie ''One Way'' (2006).
* "Slow Lynch" was used by ''Top Gear
Top Gear may refer to:
* "Top gear", the highest gear available in a vehicle's manual transmission
Television
* ''Top Gear'' (1977 TV series), a British motoring magazine programme
* ''Top Gear'' (2002 TV series), a relaunched version of the or ...
'' in Seasons 13 Episode 3 (Ken Block's Airfield Rally Run).
Personal life
Tellier is married to Amandine de la Richardière with whom he has two children.
Discography
Studio albums
Soundtracks
Compilations
Other contributions
Singles
Other appearances
References
External links
Official website
Anthem interview with Sebastian Tellier
on Anthemmagazine.com
*
on Phrequency.com
Sebastian Tellier
on Soundcloud
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tellier, Sebastien
1975 births
Living people
People from Le Plessis-Bouchard
French pop singers
French singer-songwriters
French electronic musicians
English-language singers from France
Synth-pop singers
New wave musicians
21st-century French singers
21st-century French male singers
Eurovision Song Contest entrants for France
Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2008
French male singer-songwriters