Zazie

The new album by Zazie is called Totem. The one before was called Rodeo. "First she did cowboys, now she's doing indians", Isabelle de Truchis de Varennes (aka Zazie) joked about what people might think of those titles. As far as I know, Zazie does not sing about cowboys, great plains or indians, but about human relations, gender and raison d'être. She studied piano, violin and guitar but was trained as a psycho therapist. Just like Carla Bruni, the tall Zazie worked as a model before she started her musical career - first album Je, Tu, Ils was recorded in Peter Gabriel's studio in 1992, and first single Sucré Salé was an instant-hit. The album won her various prizes, and the trust of her record company to make a follow up. Zen, a better, richer album than her debut, sported a beautiful tribute to Serge Gainsbourg called Je t'aime Mais. Later, she would record Requiem pour un con for a SG-tribute album. Another thing Carla Bruni shares with Zazie is that they both write songs for other people: Johnny Hallyday, Jane Birkin and Pascal Obispo all have Zazie-songs on their albums.
Made in Love, her third album (Made in Live is the live-counterpart), showed an electronically enhanced Zazie. Technochansons, her music was dubbed. More albums followed, the succes stayed. Just five months after the birth of her daughter Lola she kicked off a new tour, and after that recorded Rodeo (2004). Now there's Totem, less electronics, more basic, but still great. I must admit that at times, het voice tends to go to Céline Dion-like heights, but does not stay there very long, and her songs have nothing to do with the Canadian witch, luckily.

Zazie - Sucré Salé(from Je, Tu, Ils)
Zazie - Je t'aime Mais (from Zen)
Zazie - Requiem pour un Con (Gainsbourg-cover)
Zazie - Cyber(from Made in Love)
Zazie - Rue de la Paix (from La Zizanie)
Zazie - Lola Majeure (from Rodéo)
Zazie - Duo (featuring Paolo Nutini) (from Totem)
Zazie - Vu de Ciel (from Totem)