Nicosia
Nicosia, also known as Lefkosia and Lefkoşa, is the capital and largest city of Cyprus. It is the southeasternmost of all EU member states' capital cities.
Nicosia has been continuously inhabited for over 5,500 years and has been the capi ...
), better known by her stage name Diam's (), is a retired French
rapper
Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...
Mélanie Marie Georgiades was born on 25 July 1980, in
Nicosia
Nicosia, also known as Lefkosia and Lefkoşa, is the capital and largest city of Cyprus. It is the southeasternmost of all EU member states' capital cities.
Nicosia has been continuously inhabited for over 5,500 years and has been the capi ...
, capital of
Cyprus
Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
. Her mother is French and her father is Greek-speaking Cypriot. After her parents separated, she arrived in France with her mother at the age of three. She spent her childhood in Paris, then in the department of
Essonne
Essonne () is a department in the southern part of the Île-de-France region in Northern France. It is named after the river Essonne. In 2019, it had a population of 1,301,659, across 194 communes.Brunoy, until the age of thirteen.
She studied for a while in Igny, in the private Saint-Nicolas college. Later, she moved to Massy then to
Orsay
Orsay () is a Communes of France, commune in the Essonne Departments of France, department in Île-de-France in northern France. It is located in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France, from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris.
A fortifie ...
in the suburban district of Mondetour, where she spent most of her adolescence. She discovered rap through the album ''
The Chronic
''The Chronic'' is the debut studio album by American rapper and producer Dr. Dre. It was released on December 15, 1992, by his record label Death Row Records along with Interscope Records and distributed by Priority Records. The recording ses ...
'' (1992) by
Dr. Dre
Andre Romell Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, and actor. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and co-founder of ...
and the first song by the group NTM, Je rap (1990) (published on Rapattitude, the first French rap compilation). She chose Diam's as her pseudonym in 1995, a choice she explains as "I came across the definition of the word diamond and I learned that a diamond can only be broken by another diamond and that it is only made of natural elements".
Beginnings (1994–2002)
In 1995, at the age of fifteen, she attempted suicide. In 2003, she rapped about her past and how, aged 17, she was beaten by her partner in a song called ''Ma souffrance'' (My suffering).
She formed a group called Mafia Tres. In 1997, the group released a four title EP with Diam's on two tracks. Diam's became better known, thanks to her appearance in 1997 on Mafia Trece's first album, called Cosa Nostra, and thanks to an appearance on Phonograph with the rap group ATK.
After her separation from Mafia Tres, Diam's released her first album, ''Premier Mandat'' in 1999, but it was not a success, selling just 9,000 copies.
In 2001 the song ''Suzy'' broadcast on the compilation Original Bombattack on radio Générations 88.2. The song was picked up on the Internet. ''Suzy'' came to the attention of
Jamel Debbouze
Jamel Debbouze (; ; born 18 June 1975) is a Moroccan-French actor, comedian, screenwriter, film producer and director. Best known for his stand-up comedy sketches, he also worked with director Alain Chabat in several films and other notable Fren ...
who became her friend and mentor. She then made many appearances and participations on radio shows. She finally prepared her second album, entitled ''Brut de femme'' and the record company
EMI
EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...
offers her a contract in April 2002. The project was abandoned following a restructuring of EMI while the two titles ''Pogo'' and ''1980'' were broadcast by a journalist on the Internet before their official release.
Success (2003–2009)
She signed on the Hostile label after long negotiations. The tracks were reworked and finally integrated into her second album, '' Brut de femme''. ''Brut de femme'' quickly went gold and the single ''DJ'' was certified platinum. Diam's won a Victoire de la Musique for the best rap album of the year 2004.
She took a stand against
Marine Le Pen
Marion Anne Perrine "Marine" Le Pen (; born 5 August 1968) is a French lawyer and politician of the far-right National Rally, National Rally party (RN). She served as the party's president from 2011 to 2021, and ran for the French presidency in ...
and her National Rally party (formerly the National Front), especially in the song "Marine", which was released on her DVD ''Ma Vie/Mon Live'' in 2004. She also stands against
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa ( ; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. In 2021, he was found guilty of having tried to bribe a judge in 2014 to obtain information ...
, whom she called a
demagogue
A demagogue (; ; ), or rabble-rouser, is a political leader in a democracy who gains popularity by arousing the common people against elites, especially through oratory that whips up the passions of crowds, Appeal to emotion, appealing to emo ...
and a
fascist
Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...
in ''
La Boulette
"La Boulette" () is the first single taken from '' Dans ma bulle'', an album by Diam's released on 21 February 2006. ''La Boulette'' debuted at number 3 on the French music charts and stayed number one for three consecutive weeks. Containing nume ...
'' and ''Ma France à moi''.
In 2005, she cemented her importance as a songwriter with "
Ma philosophie
"Ma philosophie" is a 2004 song recorded by Amel Bent as her debut single, from her album ''Un Jour d'été''. It was released on 29 November 2004 in France, and remains the singer's most successful song, topping the charts in France and Belgium ( ...
"—a huge number one hit for ''Pop Idol'' star
Amel Bent
Amel Bent Bachir (; born 21 June 1985), better known by her stage name Amel Bent (), is a French pop singer who gained fame after reaching the semi-finals of season 2 of French TV singing competition ''Nouvelle Star''. She is best-selling artist ...
.
In 2006 she returned with the album '' Dans ma bulle'', debuting at number one on the French album chart selling 50,000 copies in its first week. Diam's first single from ''Dans Ma Bulle'',
La Boulette
"La Boulette" () is the first single taken from '' Dans ma bulle'', an album by Diam's released on 21 February 2006. ''La Boulette'' debuted at number 3 on the French music charts and stayed number one for three consecutive weeks. Containing nume ...
gained immense popularity and airtime. It stayed at number one on the French music charts for 6 consecutive weeks. Her second single Jeune Demoiselle debuted at No. 4. ''Ma France à moi'' and ''Confessions nocturnes'' with
Vitaa
Charlotte Gonin (; born 14 March 1983), known by her stage name Vitaa (), is a French singer-songwriter.
Early life
Born March 14, 1983, in Mulhouse, Charlotte Gonin, also known as Vitaa, grew up in Lucenay. Her father is French and her mothe ...
also proved to popular. ''Dans Ma Bulle'' went on to be the biggest-selling French album in France in 2006.
Diam's won three awards at the
NRJ Music Award
An NRJ Music Award (commonly abbreviated as an NMA) is an award presented by the French radio station NRJ to honor the best in the French and worldwide music industry. The awards ceremony, created in 2000 by NRJ in partnership with the televisio ...
in 2007 (Francophone female artist of the year, Francophone album for ''Dans ma bulle'' and Francophone song for ''La boulette'').
Le Figaro
() is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It was named after Figaro, a character in several plays by polymath Pierre Beaumarchais, Beaumarchais (1732–1799): ''Le Barbier de Séville'', ''The Guilty Mother, La Mère coupable'', ...
newspaper estimated that Diam's achieved revenues of 2.66 million euros for her album.
After a year away from the media, Diamis returns in 2009 with her fourth and final album, ''SOS'', which ranked first in album sales in France when it was released on 16 November 2009, achieving sales of more than 300,000 copies in France. The first single ''Enfants du désert'' from her new album, whose video takes a scene from the film
Forrest Gump
''Forrest Gump'' is a 1994 American comedy-drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis. An adaptation of the Forrest Gump (novel), 1986 novel by Winston Groom, the screenplay of the film is written by Eric Roth. It stars Tom Hanks in the title rol ...
where the hero runs across the United States. The disc marks the metamorphosis of the artist.
Retirement (2012-Now)
In July 2012, she published her book ''Diam's'' ''Autobiographie.'' On 30 September 2012, she announced on the show Sept à huit on TF1 the end of her career as a rapper.
In 2022, she made the documentary on her career, "Salam", which the former rapper will be presenting at the
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world.
Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...
. In a rare message posted to Instagram, Diam's, who had previously retired from social media, explained her motivation, and why she agreed to entrust her story to directors Houda Benyamina (Divine) and Anne Cissé, after refusing dozens of requests for years:
"I had the feeling that I was being asked to give the keys to my life so that others could make a film of it. A show. My depression, my suffering, my quest, my recognition: a film? An entertainment? I was touched that people were interested in my career, but it was impossible for me to let strangers speak for me… So I took up the pen again. The one thing I have always loved delivered me."
Personal life
In 2007, she suffered from depression due to personal problems, which she returned to in the song ''Si c'était le dernier.'' Diagnosed as bipolar, she alternated between stays in a
psychiatric hospital
A psychiatric hospital, also known as a mental health hospital, a behavioral health hospital, or an asylum is a specialized medical facility that focuses on the treatment of severe Mental disorder, mental disorders. These institutions cater t ...
and her career as an artist. When she left the hospital, she decided to stop taking the medication, and she attempted suicide by swallowing
sleeping pills
A hypnotic (from Greek ''Hypnos'', sleep), also known as a somnifacient or soporific, and commonly known as sleeping pills, are a class of psychoactive drugs whose primary function is to induce sleep and to treat insomnia (sleeplessness).
Th ...
.
In December 2008, she converted to
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
, she said that religion liberated her and helped her through these difficult ordeals. In September 2009, she married her companion Aziz. On 8 October 2009,
Paris Match
''Paris Match'' () is a French-language weekly gossip magazine. It covers major national and international news along with celebrity lifestyle features. ''Paris Match'' has been considered "one of the world's best outlets for photojournalism". ...
magazine published pictures of her leaving a mosque in
Gennevilliers
Gennevilliers () is a Communes of France, commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department of Île-de-France. It is located from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris.
History
On 9 April 1929, ...
with her husband, wearing an Islamic veil. In the midst of a debate on the banning of the full veil in public places, these stolen photos caused a scandal.
In 2010, Diam's won her complaint against
Le Nouvel Observateur
(), previously known as (2014–2024), (1964–2014), (1954–1964), (1953–1954), and (1950–1953), is a weekly French news magazine. Based in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris, ' is one of the three most prominent French news magazines ...
magazine for violating her image rights and privacy after publishing a picture of Diam's wearing a headscarf without permission. The picture was placed in an article about French Muslims.
In the spring of 2012, Mélanie gave birth to a daughter named Maryam. In 2015, she married again, and gave birth to a boy named Abraham.
In 2012, Diam's announced her retirement from the music industry. This decision stemmed from her religious convictions and her adoption of
Salafism
The Salafi movement or Salafism () is a Islamic fundamentalism, fundamentalist Islamic revival, revival movement within Sunni Islam, originating in the late 19th century and influential in the Islamic world to this day. The name "''Salafiyya''" ...
, a conservative interpretation of Islam. She stated that she believed pursuing a career in rap or hip-hop was incompatible with her faith. Diam's further indicated that she had stopped listening to music altogether, including her own previously recorded work.