With its Afro-Cuban beats and lyrics in Portuguese, Spanish, English and French, the title “Alibi” has accumulated more than 80 million listens on Spotify and is gaining fans on TikTok. At the helm of this hit: Iranian-Dutch artist Sevdaliza, Brazilian drag queen Pabllo Vittar and French singer-songwriter Yseult. At 29, the latter thus becomes the most streamed French-speaking artist on the platform, surpassing Indila (10.8 million monthly streams) and Aya Nakamura (9.8 million). And on Sunday, August 11, she closed the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games by performing “My Way”.
La newsletter culture
Every Wednesday at 4 p.m.
Receive the cultural news of the week not to be missed as well as investigations, analyses, portraits, trends, etc.
Merci !
Your registration has been taken into account with the email address:
To discover all our other newsletters, go here: MonCompte
By registering, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.
�� The singer Yseult now sings My Way, the classic by Claude François revisited by Paul Anka and Frank Sinatra, a perfect link between France and the United States.#CeremonieDecloture since JO Paris 2024 pic.twitter.com/Ko1pRjMQ2B
— Info France 2 (@infofrance2) August 11, 2024
A huge success, and perhaps a snub to her parents, both of Cameroonian origin, who had opposed her desire to become an artist. Born in Aisne on August 18, 1994, Yseult grew up in Paris, lulled by her mother’s love of French variety. It’s simple: at home, we listened to Edith Piaf and Barbara as well as Lara Fabian or Patricia Kaas. As for the teenager, she chose her idols and covered the walls of her room with posters of Lorie, Alizée and Matt Pokora.
A first album that does not “represent” her
2014. With her baccalaureate in her pocket, Yseult heads towards a BTS in real estate. And pursues her musical ambition, despite the reluctance of those close to her. She publishes a few videos on Youtube, tries several auditions, then passes the castings of New Star.
It was in this talent show on D8 (ex-C8) that the general public discovered her powerful and comforting voice. Right from the audition opposite Sinclair, Maurane, André Manoukian and Olivier Bas, Yseult impressed with her a cappella cover of Larusso’s “Tu m’oublieras”. The young woman stole the show, although she also showed a certain shyness. The one, perhaps, that characterizes the very first times.
video-dailymotion-unloaded" data-playerid="x9fof" data-videoid="x89t0or" data-ads-params=""/>A notable candidate of this tenth season, her covers of “Papaoutai” by Stromae, “Feeling Good” by Nina Simone, or “Lettre à France” by Michel Polnareff, leave their mark. Yseult then made it to the final, without however managing to win. She signed with Universal, and very quickly released an album. A few titles, including “La Vague”, which remained anonymous.
She herself admits, five years later, that this set does not “represent” her. “It does not call into question the love I have for the people who worked on this album, but I would have liked not to do it,” she says on the set of Click TV. It wasn’t me, but I didn’t have the keys to this profession – so I forgive myself for that.”
A fiery temperament
After this first album, the years went by without Yseult managing to make herself heard in the music world. Then began a period of depression and loss of inspiration. The former finalist of the New Star admits to working odd jobs rather than going to the studio.
In 2018, her career took a turn when she definitively broke with Universal to found her own company: YYY A way to assert her independence. She then composed for others, such as Jenifer, Chimène Badi or Dinos. And also rediscovered the taste for writing her own songs.
It was within her label that the singer released her EPs in 2019. She radically changed her style, talking about “Y-Trap” – a mix of pop and trap, Yseult sauce. In her video “Rien à obtenir”, which marks her big comeback, the artist now sports a new look. Gone are the wise shirts buttoned up to the top of the collar, make way for loose clothing, which highlights her body.
Because her whole body, precisely, is political. Her skin color. Her afro haircut. Her curves. A very intimate subject that runs through her EP Noir. She says she frees herself from the gaze of others. An act that is also reflected in the photo on this album, in which the singer poses naked.
ALSO READ “Star Academy”, “The Price is Right”…: why does TV recycle its old programs? For this work, she will be crowned female revelation in 2021, during the 36th edition of the Victoires de la Musique. In her speech, she talks about the responsibility of being a black artist in France. “Success is a duty,” she says. The road is long as a black woman. The road is long as a fat woman. As a woman forgotten by society, forgotten by culture. Here we are. […] Our anger is legitimate, and I would like all of France to hear it this evening. […]. It is a victory, not only for me, but it is a victory for my brothers and sisters. For our freedom and our independence. We went to snatch this place, we deserve it.
A desire to control everything
These remarks earned her a wave of racist harassment on social networks. Yseult then multiplied her media appearances. Not without sparking controversy. As in March 2021, when she confided to the Guardian having moved to Belgium to feel freer. “In France, I feel blamed for simply being who I am,” she said. “In Brussels, people welcome diversity and come to terms with their colonial past. Which is still a blind spot in French history.” Her remarks were shocking and had a strong impact in the French media – some detractors even going so far as to accuse her of tax exile.
His behavior could also have been deeply shocking. The proof, a few months later, in May 2021, following an interview given to Monde. When the article was published, Yseult called out the newspaper on social media to denounce its desire to “harm” and fat-phobic comments, the singer believing that too much of her interview was devoted to her relationship with food and her obesity. The artist’s attitude did not fail to offend.
Her desire to control everything – from her music to her image – has tarnished her reputation. Backstage, she is said to be difficult to manage: Yseult has a temper, doesn’t mince her words and can sometimes be annoying. Since then, spotted by L’Oréal, where she has become one of the muses, she has walked for several major fashion houses, including Alexander McQueen and Balenciaga. A journey that has led her to the stage of the Olympic Games.
Related posts:
The movie's original survival horror PC version "Alien Isolation" is now available for free for 24 h...motorist suspected of hitting a four-month-old baby surrendered to the policeXbox Reveals Exciting Plans for Future Consoles: What to Expect from the Next Generation of Hardware"AEW: Fight Forever" Adds Dynamite and Beat the Elite Content and Bundles for Nintendo Switch
