Sébastien Izambard (; born 7 March 1973) is a French singer, composer and record producer. His

vocal range Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of stud ...

is classified as popular melody or ''vox populi'' with a

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

tessitura. He has been a member of the

classical crossover Crossover is a term applied to Musical composition, musical works or performers who appeal to different types of audience, audiences. This can be seen, for example, when a song appears on two or more of the record chart, record charts, which tr ...

group

Il Divo Il Divo (; ) are a multinational classical crossover vocal group. Formed in the United Kingdom in 2003, it is a male quartet that was created and then promoted by British media magnate Simon Cowell for Syco Music, a record label that he had ...

since 2004, which has sold over 30 million copies worldwide discs. In 2000, he launched the solo album titled ''

Libre Libre may refer to: Computing * Libre software, free software * Libre Computer Project, developer of open-hardware single-board computers Medicine *FreeStyle Libre, a glucose monitoring device Music * ''Libre'' (Alejandra Guzmán album) * ''Li ...

'', reaching number No. 1 ranking with the single "Si tu savais" achieving excellent sales ranking in France, Canada and Belgium. Currently, Izambard writes, produces and composes for pop artists of international stature. Izambard is an active member of the French organization ''AMTM'' (Assistance Médicale Toit du Monde) and global ambassador for the Sanfilippo Children's Foundation.

Early life

Izambard's parents divorced and his father left when he was six. He grew up in a poor single-parent household and lived with his mother in a room little bigger than 100sqft on the top floor of a block of apartments in Paris with her great-grandmother. He studied at the

Lycée Janson de Sailly In France, secondary education is in two stages: * ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 14. * ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for students between ...

in Paris, considered one of the best schools in Europe. As his mother worked, he grew accustomed to solitude and independence. At age 12, he cooked cakes as a gift for her after her workday. He confessed that for him, becoming an adult was more a way to learn to get out of trouble. Due to this psychological impact, he became a cautious, introverted and repressed child. However, with the help of child specialists, he was able to overcome this feeling of repression.

Musical career

Soloist

Izambard started his career as a pop musician in France, releasing a solo album called ''

'' and his song "Si Tu Savais" was ranked first in ''French Hit Charts''. Besides being a singer, Izambard is also an accomplished music composer, pianist, and guitar player In Paris he has written music for many French artists. In 2001, he performed with

Johnny Hallyday Jean-Philippe Léo Smet (; 15 June 1943 – 5 December 2017), better known by his stage name Johnny Hallyday, was a French rock and roll and Pop music, pop singer and actor, credited with having brought rock and roll to France. During a career ...

as a guest in the Olympia Theater in Paris. His music, greatly influenced by

Jeff Buckley Jeffrey Scott Buckley (raised as Scott Moorhead; November 17, 1966 – May 29, 1997) was an American musician. After a decade as a session guitarist in Los Angeles, he attracted a cult following in the early 1990s performing at venues in ...

, earns him the acknowledgement of French and Canadian audiences. French singer

Florent Pagny Florent Pagny (; born 6 November 1961) is a French singer-songwriter, musician and actor. He records his work in French, as well as in Italian, Spanish and English. His greatest hits include "N'importe quoi", "Savoir aimer" and "Ma Liberté de p ...

is his musical godfather.

Musical theatre

Izambard performed in February 2002 in Richard Cocciante's musical ''Le Petit Prince'', where he played the role of the Business Man. He also performed in several theatre plays as part of the group La Troupe. He was preparing his second album with Francis Madjouli and Lionel Florence when he became involved with Il Divo.

Il Divo

While recording his second solo album after collaborating on ''Le Petit Prince'', Izambard attended an audition for the musical ''The Sun King''. While waiting, he met Geraldine Larrosa, (Innocence) and her then-partner Carlos Marín, who spoke to him after hearing Izambard sing in online videos. Marín said it was worth a try, so Izambard went to the

Bastille The Bastille (, ) was a fortress in Paris, known as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. It was stormed by a ...

in Paris, where the auditions were being held by Sonny Takhar. Hearing Izambard " Caruso" performed the song while playing the piano himself, relaxed and convinced that he had nothing to lose since he thought would lead nowhere. However, Cowell heard him and offered him the job. Izambard said to himself "Je ne regrette rien (I have nothing to lose)", accepted and devoted himself in the global musical quartet

in December 2003, along with Urs Bühler (Switzerland), David Miller (US) and Carlos Marín (Spain). Izambard is the only member of the group who is not classically trained. Izambard has said that he has two dreams while being in Il Divo: composing a song for the quartet, and singing songs in French. In fact, '' Ancora'', the second album of the group, contains two songs in French: " Je Crois en toi" (a duet partially in French with

Céline Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the " Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had a significant impact on popular musi ...

) and "Pour Que Tu M'Aimes Encore." "I Believe in You" is an original song for both artists, while "Pour Que Tu M'Aimes Encore" is Dion's, considered to be her most famous song in French. Their first album, called ''

'' became a worldwide multiplatinum selling record when released in November 2004, entering ''Billboard'' at number 4; it sold five million copies worldwide in less than a year and knocked

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, launching a solo career in 1996. His debut studio album, ''Life thru a Lens'', was re ...

from the number one spot. Their second album, '' Ancora'', was released on 7 November 2005 in the United Kingdom. Il Divo's third album '' Siempre'' was released on 21 November 2006 in the United States and on 27 November 2006 internationally. Their latest album, '' The Promise'', was released on 10 November 2008 (world) & 18 November 2008 (US), and shot straight to number 1 in the United Kingdom. In 2013 they published ''A Musical Affair'', the songs of which are inspired by famous plays and musicals. On 9 June 2006, Il Divo performed the

2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to FIFA World Cup hosts ...

official song " The Time of Our Lives" with R&B singer

Toni Braxton Toni Michele Braxton (born October 7, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. She has sold over 70 million records worldwide and is one of the best-selling female artists in history. Braxton has won seven ...

live, at half-time, during the opening match between

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

and again a month later at 9 July closing ceremony. The song is available exclusively on the ''

Voices from the FIFA World Cup ''Voices from the FIFA World Cup'' is a compilation album with various artists, released on June 6, 2006 by Sony BMG. This album is the official music album of the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. Track listing (International) Disc 1 # " The Time ...

'' compilation album and on the European reissue of Braxton's album ''

Libra Libra generally refers to: * Libra (constellation), a constellation * Libra (astrology), an astrological sign based on the star constellation Libra may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Libra'' (novel), a 1988 novel by Don DeLillo Musi ...

'' but not on any Il Divo album. Il Divo have been on several world tours and have received 50 gold and platinum awards. Their last tour in 2014 covered 5 continents and over 33 countries. On 12 December 2008, Il Divo performed their new song at the Swedish ''

Idol 2008 The fifth season of ''Swedish Idol'' premiered on 3 September 2008 and continued until its grand finale on 12 December, when 22-year-old Kevin Borg was crowned winner. It was the first season to feature new judges Laila Bagge, Anders Bagge and A ...

'' finale in the

Globen Arena Avicii Arena, originally known as the Stockholm Globe Arena and previously as the Ericsson Globe, but commonly referred to in Swedish simply as Globen (; ), is an indoor arena located in Stockholm Globe City, Johanneshov district of Stockhol ...

in Stockholm, Sweden. The Paraguay show was Il Divo's biggest capacity performance to date and took place on 20 December 2011, at the Defensores del Chaco Stadium in Asuncion, for 33,900 people. 13 May 2012 Il Divo performed the song "Caruso" with a staging of riding the rhythm of the song during the

Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II The year 2012 marked the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II being the 60th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952. The only diamond jubilee celebration for any of Elizabeth's predecessors was in 1897, for Queen Victo ...

at Windsor for the entire royal family and Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

of the United Kingdom. On 6 September 2012, it was announced that Il Divo would release a ''Greatest Hits'' album. The album was produced by Alberto Quintero and featured songs spanning Il Divo's successful eight-year career to date, as well as four new songs including "

My Heart Will Go On "My Heart Will Go On" is a song performed by Canadian singer Celine Dion, used as the theme for the 1997 film '' Titanic''. It was composed by James Horner, with lyrics by Will Jennings, and produced by Horner, Walter Afanasieff and Simon F ...

", "

I Will Always Love You "I Will Always Love You" is a song written and originally recorded in 1973 by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. Written as a farewell to her business partner and mentor Porter Wagoner, expressing Parton's decision to pursue a solo career ...

", "

Can't Help Falling in Love "Can't Help Falling in Love" is a song written by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss and published by Gladys Music, Inc. The melody is based on " Plaisir d'amour", a popular French love song composed in 1784 by Jean-Paul-� ...

" and " Alone". On 19 July 2014, Il Divo performed before a capacity crowd at

Edinburgh Castle Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age. There has been a royal castle on the rock since the reign of Malcol ...

esplanade An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cle ...

where a pop festival took place ahead of the

2014 Commonwealth Games The 2014 Commonwealth Games (), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014 (; ), were an international multi-sport event celebrated in the tradition of the Commonwealth Games as governed by the Commonwea ...

. The group performed "

Amazing Grace "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn written in 1772 and published in 1779 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is possibly the most sung and most recorded hymn in the world, and especially popular in the Unit ...

". On 23 March 2015, it was announced that Il Divo was the winner of the 2015

Silver Clef Award The O2 Silver Clef Awards is an annual UK music awards lunch which has been running since 1976. History The Silver Clef fundraising committee was founded in 1976 by musicians and managers from across the British music industry, who wanted to hono ...

, giving them the coveted ''Classic PPL''. The gala award ceremony took place on 3 July at the

Grosvenor House Hotel ] JW Marriott Grosvenor House London, formerly the Grosvenor House Hotel, is a luxury hotel that opened in 1929 in the Mayfair area of London, England. Across from Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park, the hotel is built on the former site of the 19th ...

, a five-star hotel in London.

Record producer and composer

Izambard says that composing and writing songs is his passion, writing for the pleasure of writing. Before joining Il Divo, he wrote and produced songs for other French artists. In parallel with Il Divo, Izambard continued writing songs with pop stars in the world; as with Australian

Darren Hayes Darren Stanley Hayes (born 8 May 1972) is an Australian singer, songwriter, music producer and composer. He was the singer of the pop duo Savage Garden from their 1993 establishment until their disbandment in 2001. Their 1997 album '' Savage Ga ...

, the lead singer of

Savage Garden Savage Garden was an Australian pop duo consisting of Darren Hayes on vocals and Daniel Jones on guitar, keyboards, and vocals; they formed in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1993. They were signed to John Woodruff's talent agency and achieved int ...

; the star of ''The Phantom of the Opera''

Ramin Karimloo Ramin Karimloo (; ; born ) is a Canadian actor, singer, and songwriter known for his work on the West End theatre, West End and Broadway theatre, Broadway theatre. He has played the leading roles in both of the West End's longest running musica ...

;

Guy Chambers Guy Antony Chambers (born 12 January 1963) is an English songwriter, musician and record producer, best known for his work with Robbie Williams. Education Chambers attended Quarry Bank Comprehensive School sixth form in Liverpool. From 18, ...

; and with the lyricist Don Black. In November 2014, Izambard led the project to create an album with different Australian artists for raising money. Izambard, with the help of Sony Pictures Entertainment, produced along with the Spanish producer Alberto Quintero, producer as well of some of the albums of IL Divo, the album titled ''For Bringing Hope Isla and Jude'', which was released on 5 December 2014 with the single written by Kate Bush "This Woman's Work", for St. Filippo Foundation.

Duets and collaborations

Izambard has made many music & duets collaborations with major artists, both alone and with a member of Il Divo.

Philanthropy

Izambard is an active member of two charities: the French organization AMTM ''(Assistance Médicale Toit du Monde)'' which helps poor children in

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

and

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, where during one of his campaigns to raise funds in September 2008, Seb raffled off several of his

Armani Giorgio Armani S.p.A. (), commonly known as Armani, is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in Milan by Giorgio Armani which designs, manufactures, distributes and retails haute couture, ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes, accessories, and ...

suits, and the Australian Sanfilippo Children's Foundation organization, of which he is global ambassador. He recorded two videoclips and collaborated in solidarity projects such as the ''Noël Ensemble'', a record in which more than one hundred artists participated in order to raise funds for the fight against AIDS.

Personal life

Izambard became engaged to Australian Renée Murphy on 1 June 2007 and they married 17 August 2008 in France. Renée was a publicist for

Sony BMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout o ...

when she met Izambard in Australia in 2005, who was on a tour with the group. A few months before the wedding, on 20 March 2008, Sebastien and Renée became parents of twins, Rose and Luca,Official forum, date=2014
, thread of Izambard's announcement. who were born in Port-Royal near Paris. On 20 May 2011, the couple's third child, a son, Jude was born. On 11 September 2018, Murphy began divorce proceedings at the

Stanley Mosk Courthouse The Stanley Mosk Courthouse is a courthouse in Los Angeles, California home to the Los Angeles County Superior Court. It is located at 110 N. Grand Avenue and 111 N. Hill Street between Temple and First streets, lining Grand Park in the Civic C ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. In a

Bolivian Bolivian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Bolivia ** Bolivian people ** Demographics of Bolivia ** Culture of Bolivia * SS Bolivian, SS ''Bolivian'', later SS ''Alfios'', a British-built standard cargo ship {{disambiguation ...

interview on 29 May 2019, he confirmed he had a new girlfriend.

Discography

Singer

Solo

;Studio albums *2000 – ''

'' *2018 – ''We Came Here to Love'' *2022 �
FROM SEB WITH LOVE

Il Divo

:;Studio albums #2004 – ''

'' #2005 – '' Ancora'' #2006 – '' Siempre'' #2008 – '' The Promise '' #2011 – ''

Wicked Game "Wicked Game" is a song by American rock musician Chris Isaak from his third album '' Heart Shaped World'' (1989). It was released as a single to little attention in July 1989 but became a sleeper hit when Lee Chestnut, an Atlanta radio station ...

'' #2013 – '' A Musical Affair'' #2015 – '' Amor & Pasión'' #2018 – ''Timeless'' :;Seasonal album #2005 – '' The Christmas Collection'' :;Albums Collections #2012 -''

The Greatest Hits The Greatest Hits may refer to: * ''The Greatest Hits'' (3 Doors Down album), 2012 * ''The Greatest Hits'' (Amii Stewart 2005), 2005 * ''The Greatest Hits'' (Australian Crawl album), 2014 * ''The Greatest Hits'' (Baby Bird album), 1997 * ''The ...

'' :;Live albums #2009 – '' An Evening with Il Divo: Live in Barcelona'' #2014 – '' Live in Japan'' #2016 – '' Live in Japan 2016''

Collaborations other albums

# 2000 – ''Nöel Ensemble'' # 2005 – ''

On ne change pas ''On ne change pas'' ( ''We Don't Change'') is the first comprehensive French-language greatest hits album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released by Sony Music on 30 September 2005. It features songs recorded between 1981 and 2005, including t ...

'';

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had ...

(''Il Divo'') # 2006 – ''

'' (''Il Divo'') # 2006 – ''

'';

(''Il Divo'') # 2014 – ''Engelbert Calling''; Engelbert Humperdick, song ''" Spanish Eyes"''. (''Il Divo'') #2015 – ''Los Dúos'';

Juan Gabriel Alberto Aguilera Valadez (; 7 January 1950 – 28 August 2016), known professionally as Juan Gabriel (), was a Mexican singer-songwriter and actor. Colloquially Honorific nicknames in popular music, nicknamed Juanga () and El Divo de Juárez, ...

song "''Amor eterno''" (''Il Divo'')

Musical theater

# 2002 – ''

Le Petit Prince ''The Little Prince'' (, ) is a novella written and illustrated by French writer and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It was first published in English language, English and French language, French in the United States by Reynal & Hitchcock i ...

, (Studio version)'' # 2002 – ''

, (Full version)''

Producer

#2014 – ''Hope – This Woman's Work''

Composer

#2010 – '' Ramin'' de

#2011 – ''

Secret Codes and Battleships ''Secret Codes and Battleships'' is the fourth studio album from Australian singer-songwriter Darren Hayes. It was released 21 October 2011 on Mercury Records in Australia, on EMI Records in the United Kingdom on 24 October, and on his own label ...

'' de

Videography

Soloist

*Official video # 2004 – ''Libre''

Musical works

*Musical # 2002 –

Il Divo

*Documentary / Concert # 2004 – Live at Gotham Hall # 2005 –

Encore An encore is an additional performance given by performers at the conclusion of a show or concert, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford Universi ...

# 2005 – Mamá # 2006 – The Yule Log: The Christmas Collection # 2006 –

Live at the Greek Theater The videography of Il Divo composes by the documentaries or concerts published in format DVD, Blu-ray or Digital distribution, digital format, or by the videos musical officials, that have published by the discográficas associated to the quart ...

# 2008 – At the Coliseum # 2009 – An Evening with Il Divo: Live in Barcelona # 2011 – Live in London # 2014 – Live in Japan # 2016 – Live in Japan 2016 *Official video # 2004 – '' Regresa a mí'' # 2005 – ''

Mama Mama(s) or Mamma or Momma may refer to: Roles *Mother, a female parent * Mama-san, in Japan and East Asia, a woman in a position of authority *Maternal uncle, in some parts of South Asia Places * Mama, Russia, an urban-type settlement in the Mam ...

'' # 2006 – '' Time of our Lives''. # 2014 – '' Le Temps Des Cathédrales'' # 2014 – ''

Who Wants to Live Forever "Who Wants to Live Forever" is a song by the British rock band Queen. A power ballad, it is the sixth track on the album ''A Kind of Magic'', which was released in June 1986, and was written by lead guitarist Brian May for the soundtrack to th ...

'' # 2014 – ''

Aimer is a J-pop, Japanese pop singer and lyricist signed to Sacra Music and managed by Agehasprings. Her stage name comes from the French verb 'to love'. Aimer uses the name aimerrhythm for lyrics credits. Debuting in 2011, she has released seven ...

'' # 2014 – ''

Can You Feel the Love Tonight "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" is a song from Disney's 1994 animated feature film ''The Lion King'' composed by English musician Elton John with lyrics by Tim Rice. Released as a single in May 1994, the song was a hit in the UK, peaking at nu ...

'' # 2014 – ''

Memory Memory is the faculty of the mind by which data or information is encoded, stored, and retrieved when needed. It is the retention of information over time for the purpose of influencing future action. If past events could not be remembe ...

'' # 2015 - '' Amor & Pasión -Trailer-''

References

External links

Official website Sébastien Izambard

Official website Il Divo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Izambard, Sebastien 1973 births Living people French male singers 21st-century French male pianists French pop singers Musicians from Paris French pop guitarists French male guitarists French tenors Male actors from Paris French composers French record producers Il Divo members