A crucial figure of the early '80s Rennes post-punk wave, Etienne Daho
is one of the most influential personalities to have emerged on the
French scene in the last 25 years. A dozen albums and countless hits
have turned this "enfant du rock" into the leader of French pop.
Born in Oran, Algeria, he was raised in Rennes, France. He started his
career in 1980 on the stage of Les Transmusicales, the famous annual
Rennes rock festival. He then became the first artist to sign with
Virgin Records France, who issued his debut album "Mythomane", produced
by Stinky Toys guitarist Jacno and recorded with musicians from the
band Marquis De Sade.
In 1983, Etienne Daho scored his first hits with "Le Grand Sommeil" and
"Weekend A Rome" (from the album "La Notte, La Notte), before setting
new and higher goals with his third album "Pop Satori". Recorded in
London with members of the band Torch Song (among them William Orbit,
future "godfather of techno" and Madonna producer), this album was an
ambitious attempt to marry the French language with electronic music.
Ten years later, he would try other daring productions such as "Eden",
a fantastic album heavily influenced by trip-hop and drums'n'bass.
However, "Pop Satori", with its numerous hits
((“Tombé Pour la France”, "Epaule
Tattoo, "Duel Au Soleil") ignited Dahomania, a huge and legitimate
popularity, still intact after more than twenty years. The singular
personality and natural charisma of Etienne Daho has seduced a huge
range of music lovers, from hard-core rock fans to mainstream pop
addicts; from the ones who grew up with him to a whole new generation
of admirers.
A man of many tastes, Etienne Daho has often used his influence to
launch or re-launch the careers of other artists. As an accomplished
musician, writer, composer and producer, he also like to write for his
peers (Jane Birkin, Jacques Dutronc, Marianne Faithfull...). He loves
and causes artistic encounters of all kinds, and has collaborated with
a wide variety of musicians (from Serge Gainsbourg to Brigitte Fontaine
and Air) and visual artists (Guy Pellaert, Michel Gondry, Nick Night,
Jean-Pierre Jeunet..)
Daho manages to be discrete yet omnipresent, a constant presence yet
impossible to pin down, always defying expectations. In 1991, he
recorded the album "Paris, Ailleurs" in New York (featuring the singles
"Saudade" and "Comme Un Igloo") as a vibrant tribute to the Stax and
Motown labels. Four years later he was back in the charts with a cover
of Edith Piaf's "Mon Manège A Moi”. Soon after, he
was to be found in London working with the pop duo Saint-Etienne, and
"He's On The Phone", an English-language cover of "Weekend A Rome" from
Saint-Etienne's mini-album "Reserection", attained Number 1 on the
British charts.
With its lush orchestration, the album "Corp Et Armes" was released in
2000 and three years later,
“Réévolution” saw him join
again with the basic rock sound of "Pour Nos Vies Martiennes" from 14
years before.
His career reads like a fairy tale, but it's the true story of a child
of the Velvet Underground and punk rock whose songs, from
“Heures Hindoues” and “Le Premier
Jour”, to “Comme Un Boomerang” and
“If”, have become an essential part of the French
pop pantheon.