Étienne Daho (; ; born 14 January 1956) is a French singer-songwriter. He has released a number of

synth A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

-driven and rock- surf influenced pop hit singles since 1981.

Career

Daho was born in

Oran Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...

French Algeria French Algeria ( until 1839, then afterwards; unofficially ; ), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of History of Algeria, Algerian history when the country was a colony and later an integral part of France. French rule lasted until ...

. He sings in a low, whispery voice somewhat akin to

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, soc ...

Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

and his music established him as a pop cult hero. He cites

Serge Gainsbourg Serge Gainsbourg (; born Lucien Ginsburg; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991) was a French singer-songwriter, actor, composer, and director. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provocative rel ...

The Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground were an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1964. Its classic lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Lou Reed, Welsh multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and percussionis ...

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...

and

Syd Barrett Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett (6 January 1946 – 7 July 2006) was an English singer, guitarist and songwriter who co-founded the rock band Pink Floyd in 1965. Until his departure in 1968, he was Pink Floyd's frontman and primary songwriter, ...

as his musical influences. All his albums have been certified at least gold or platinum, including "Mythomane" in 1981, "La notte, la notte" in 1984, "Pop satori" in 1986, produced with a young

William Orbit William Mark Wainwright (born 15 December 1956),"William Orbit." ''Contemporary Musicians''. Vol. 30. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2000. Retrieved via ''Biography in Context'' database, 7 May 2017. Available onlinvia ''Encyclopedia.com'' known ...

, "Pour nos vies martiennes" in 1988 and the double platinum "Paris ailleurs" in 1991, recorded in New York. A best-selling recording artist in his own right in France, Daho is best known in Britain for his appearance on the number 11 Saint Etienne hit single "He's on the Phone", which is an English-language adaptation of his 1984 French-language big hit "Weekend à Rome". He also collaborated with Saint Etienne on the '' Reserection EP'', his album ''Eden'', and his single hit ''Le Premier Jour''. Daho's collaborations and productions both on stage and in the studio with other artists have been extensive. He has worked with Brigitte Fontaine, Arthur Baker,

Air An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosph ...

, Working Week, '80's new wave bands OMD and Comateens,

Jane Birkin Jane Mallory Birkin ( ; 14 December 1946 – 16 July 2023) was a British and French actress, singer, and designer. She had a prolific career as an actress, mostly in French cinema. A native of London, Birkin began her career as an actress, ...

Marianne Faithfull Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (29 December 1946 – 30 January 2025) was an English singer and actress who achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her UK top 10 single " As Tears Go By". She became one of the leading female art ...

Françoise Hardy Françoise Madeleine Hardy (; 17 January 1944 – 11 June 2024) was a French singer-songwriter, actress, and author. She was known for singing melancholic, sentimental ballads. Hardy rose to prominence in the early 1960s as a leading figure in F ...

, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Vanessa Paradis, Dani and more. His music has also been remixed, among others, by

Fischerspooner Fischerspooner was an electroclash duo and performance troupe formed in 1998 in New York City after meeting in school. The name is a combination of the founders' last names, Warren Fischer and Casey Spooner. Career Originally a duo formed by ...

Amon Tobin Amon Adonai Santos de Araújo Tobin (; born February 7, 1972) is a Brazilian electronic musician, composer and producer. He is noted for his unusual methodology in sound design and music production. He has released eight major studio albums unde ...

and

. Daho's 1996 album ''Eden'' displayed a diverse array of electronic-oriented songs that included downtempo ballads,

drum and bass Drum and bass (commonly abbreviated as DnB, D&B, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterised by fast Break (music)#Breakbeat (element of music), breakbeats (typically 165–185 Tempo, beats per minute) with heavy Bass (music) ...

-influenced tracks, and

Hi-NRG Hi-NRG (pronounced "high energy") is a genre of uptempo disco or electronic dance music (EDM) that originated during the late 1970s and early 1980s. As a music genre, typified by its fast tempo, staccato hi-hat rhythms (and the four-on-the-flo ...

dance. He duetted with

Astrud Gilberto Astrud Gilberto (; born Astrud Evangelina Weinert; March 29, 1940 – June 5, 2023) was a Brazilian samba and bossa nova singer and songwriter. She gained international attention in the mid-1960s following her recording of the song " The Girl f ...

("Les bords de Seine") and was accompanied by The Swingle Singers on "Timide intimité". Backing vocals on several songs were provided by Lyn Byrd of the Comateens, Sarah Cracknell (who co-wrote "Les passagers"), and

Elli Medeiros Elli Medeiros (born 18 January 1956) is a Uruguayan-French singer and actress. Career Stinky Toys Originally from Uruguay, Medeiros moved to Paris, France, at the age of 14, dropped out of high school a couple of years later and joined the ...

. ''Eden'' was subsequently re-released for the anglophone market with great reviews with the song "A New World", which was an English-language version of "Au Commencement". Daho performed in a sold out

Institute of Contemporary Arts The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) is an modernism, artistic and cultural centre on The Mall (London), The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. Located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps a ...

. He also sang at the Marquee in 1989. After a double platinum greatest hits compilation ''Best of Singles'' in 1998, the number one ''Corps & armes'' in 2000 saw Daho eschewing electronics in favour of a more orchestral sound fuelled by traditional instruments: piano, acoustic guitar, horns, directed by Wil Malone. One of the tracks included an English-language duet with

Vanessa Daou Vanessa Dale Daou (born October 4, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, visual artist and dancer. Most notably a musician, her work is known among nu jazz, trip hop and electronic music circles for her trademark spoken word and aspirat ...

("Make Believe"). It includes also "Le brasier", "La baie" and "Ouverture". Daho shifted gears once again for his dark and moody 2004 album ''Réévolution'', which featured a guitar-heavy rock sound. He released the single hit "If" with Charlotte Gainsbourg as well as the Phil Spector influenced "Retour à toi" and "Les liens d'Eros" with

, reading her great-uncle Leopold von Sacher-Masoch's '' Venus in furs''. In 2005, Daho released a live album ''Sortir Ce Soir'', which featured many of his greatest hits performed in concert. In 2007, his new album, ''L'Invitation'', which was created with Edith Fambuena, was released to good press reviews. In 2008, a compilation of covers was released, called ''Tombés pour Daho'' (after Daho's single, ''Tombé pour la France''). The recording artists include Benjamin Biolay, Doriand, Elli Medeiros, Daniel Darc, and Arnold Turboust. In the same year, on 8 March, Daho received a ''Victoire de la Musique'' award in the category Album Pop / Rock of the Year. ''Les Chansons de l'innocence retrouvée'' was released in 2013 and was a critical success in France, being included in several best end-of-year lists, including ''

Les Inrockuptibles ''Les Inrockuptibles'' (), abbreviated as ''Les Inrocks'', is a French cultural magazine. Started as a monthly in 1986, it became weekly in 1995. As of 2021, it returned to a monthly format. In the beginning, rock music was the magazine's prim ...

'' and ''

Télérama ''Télérama'' is a weekly French language, 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 ...

''. For record sleeves and music videos, Daho has collaborated with

Pierre et Gilles Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

Michel Gondry Michel Gondry (; born 8 May 1963) is a French filmmaker and producer noted for his inventive visual style and distinctive manipulation of mise en scène. Along with Charlie Kaufman, he won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay as one o ...

, Nick Knight, Doug Nichol,

Jean-Pierre Jeunet Jean-Pierre Jeunet (; born 3 September 1953) is a French film director and screenwriter. His films combine fantasy, realism, and science fiction to create idealized realities or to give relevance to mundane situations. Jeunet debuted as a direc ...

, M/M, Abake, Inez van Lamsweerde and Guy Peellaert among others. In 2016, Daho was invited by John Cale to sing " I'll Be Your Mirror" at the 50th anniversary celebration of ''

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'' at the

Philharmonie de Paris The Philharmonie de Paris () () is a complex of concert halls in Paris, France. The buildings also house exhibition spaces and rehearsal rooms. The main buildings are all located in the Parc de la Villette at the northeastern edge of Paris in the ...

Translations and covers

* Daho re-recorded the song "Au Commencement" in English as "A New World" for the Anglophone market. * In the '90s, dance mixes by remixers such as

were released of some of Daho's '80s singles, such as "Épaule Tattoo". * Spanish singer Luz Casal recorded a cover version of "Duel au soleil" in Spanish called "Un Nuevo Dia Brillara". * Saint Etienne's single "He's on the Phone" is heavily based on Daho's "Week-end à Rome". Daho also collaborated with the band on several other songs. * Daho also recorded a cover of " My Girl Has Gone", a 1965 hit originally written and recorded by

The Miracles The Miracles (later known as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles from 1965 to 1972) were an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1955. They were the first successful recording act for Motown Records and are considered one of the most ...

. * A fan of Pink Floyd, Daho has recorded versions of "Arnold Layne" and "Cirrus Minor". *

Nouvelle Vague The New Wave (, ), also called the French New Wave, is a French art film movement that emerged in the late 1950s. The movement was characterized by its rejection of traditional filmmaking conventions in favor of experimentation and a spirit of i ...

recorded a cover version of "Week-end à Rome" with Vanessa Paradis. *Daho's 1998 single "Le Premier Jour du reste de ta vie" is an adaptation of Sarah Cracknell ( Saint Etienne's lead singer)'s "Ready or Not" from her first solo album '' Lipslide'' (1997).

Discography

Albums

(All albums until 2003 under Virgin Records, from 2005 onwards, on Capitol Records ) *1981: ''Mythomane'' *1984: ''La notte, la notte'' *1985: ''Tombé pour la France'' (mini album) *1986: ''Pop satori'' *1988: ''Pour nos vies martiennes'' *1989: ''Live ED'' *1991: ''Paris ailleurs'' *1993: ''DahOlympia'' *1995: '' Réserection'' (EP with St. Etienne) *1996: ''Eden'' *1998: ''Singles'' *2000: ''Corps & armes'' *2001: ''Daho Live'' *2002: ''Dans la peau de Daho'' (long box) *2003: ''Réévolution'' *2005: ''Sortir ce soir'' (best of live) *2006: ''Pop satori Deluxe'' (boxset) *2007: ''L'invitation'' *2009: ''Daho Pleyel Paris (Live) *2010: ''Le Condamné à mort'' (with

Jeanne Moreau Jeanne Moreau (; 23 January 1928 – 31 July 2017) was a French actress, singer, screenwriter, director, and socialite. She made her theatrical debut in 1947, and established herself as one of the leading actresses of the Comédie-Française. Mo ...

) *2013: ''Les chansons de l'innocence retrouvée'' *2014: ''Diskönoir'' *2015: ''L'homme qui marche'' *2017: '' Blitz'' *2023: ''Tirer la nuit sur les étoiles''

Videos

* 1986: ''Une Nuit Satori à l'Olympia'' –

VHS VHS (Video Home System) is a discontinued standard for consumer-level analog video recording on tape cassettes, introduced in 1976 by JVC. It was the dominant home video format throughout the tape media period of the 1980s and 1990s. Ma ...

– Virgin * 1991: ''Paris Ailleurs'' – VHS – Virgin * 1993: ''Daholympia'' – VHS – Virgin * 1998: ''Intégrale des Clips'' – VHS/DVD – Virgin * 2001: ''Daho Live'' – VHS/DVD – Virgin * 2005: ''Sortir Ce Soir'' – DVD – Capitol – Dvd de platine * 2008: ''An Evening with Daho'' – DVD – Capitol * 2009: ''Daho Pleyel Paris'' – DVD – Capitol * 2015: ''Etienne Daho KOKO Theater of London'' –

Arte Arte (, , ; ' ('), sometimes stylised in lowercase or uppercase in its logo) is a European Union, European public service Television channel, channel dedicated to culture. It is made up of three separate companies: the Strasbourg-based Europea ...

References

Book Sources

* Frédérique Veysset, ''Daho dans tous ses états'', Les Humanoïdes associés, 1989 * Eric Chemouny et Pierre Fageolle, ''Étienne Daho'', Presses de la Cité, 2001 * David Sanson, ''Étienne Daho de A à Z'', Express Prelude & Fugue, 2002 * Antoine Giacomoni, ''Daho par Giacomoni, The mirror sessions parties photographies'', Horizons illimités, 2004 * Carole Vernier " Sensibilité et passion" Éd. Rouchon, 2006 * Aurélie Christa, " Du passé compliqué au présent simple", Éd. Thélès, 2007 * Benoît Cachin " Portraits et entretiens" Éd. Tournon, 2007 * Christophe Conte " Une histoire d'Etienne Daho" Éd. Flammarion/ Pop culture, 2008 * Benoît Cachin, ''Dahodisco'', Éd. Gründ, 2013 * Alfred et David Chauvel, ''L'Homme Qui Chante'', Éd. Delcourt 2015

External links

Official Site

Etienne Daho , Listen and Stream Free Music, Albums, New Releases, Photos, Videos
{{DEFAULTSORT:Daho, Etienne 1956 births Living people Musicians from Oran French pop singers French male singers Pieds-noirs Rennes 2 University alumni