Etienne Daho, who surfaced from the rock scene in Rennes, is one of the most influential rock stars to have appeared on the French music scene over the last 30 years. With a dozen albums and many hits to his name, this "rock child", whose path is paved with gold and platinum, leads the field in French pop.
Born in Oran, Etienne Daho grew up in Rennes, the main base for the French post-punk scene: it was on the stage of the famous Transmusicales in 1980, that this young fan of English music began his career. Inaugurating the Virgin France catalogue the following year, he straightaway defined his world with a debut album, Mythomane, recorded with Jacno and the musicians from the group Marquis de Sade. In 1983, Etienne achieved his first hits with Le Grand Sommeil andWeek-end à Rome (from the album La Notte, La Notte). In 1986, his third album, Pop Satori, set a new direction. Produced in London with the members of the group Torch Song (including William Orbit, future godfather of techno and producer of Blur and Madonna), this disc was an ambitious attempt to blend the French language with electronic music: ten years later, the album Eden, brought the rhythms of trip hop or drum'n'bass into his songs, masterfully driving the point home. In the meantime, Pop Satori and his string of hits (Tombé pour la France, Epaule Tattoo, Duel au soleil) marked above all the start of what was called "Dahomania", a popularity which 20 years later, has never faltered. Hugely popular with a wide audience for his unusual personality, Etienne Daho's reconciles the independent trends with "variety", and has been the inspiration for many musicians.
A man of taste and generous middle man who takes advantage of his influence to write for others (Jane Birkin, Jacques Dutronc, Marianne Faithfull…), Daho stands out as a complete musician - author, composer, producer and performer. His musical career has been enriched by collaborations as evidenced by the list of artists he has worked with, including musicians (from Serge Gainsbourg to Air and including Brigitte Fontaine, Bashung, Dutronc) and visual artists (Guy Peellaert, Michel Gondry, Nick Night, M/M's, Pierre & Gilles,…). He's an artist who is both discreet and omnipresent, constant yet elusive, he questions himself with each album and revels in reaching out to others. In 1991, Daho was in New York, where he recorded the album Paris, ailleurs, a colossal success (with singles Saudade, Comme un igloo…) which paid tribute to the Stax and Motown labels. Four years later, after a new triumph thanks to covering Edith Piaf's songs (Mon manège à moi) and several pop productions for other artists, he could be found in London, where he collaborated with the pop group Saint-Etienne: the result Reserection, an EP with a strong electro-pop content, including Eden, He’s on the phone, a remix of his Week-end à Rome, which reached number 1 on the British charts. In 2000, Corps et armes created an orchestral opulence illuminated by the sun of Ibiza, while Réévolution (2003), his eighth studio album, saw him renew fifteen years later with the rock tonalities of Pour nos vies martiennes. In 2008, "L'invitation" (L'adorer), rewarded at the Les Victoires de la Musique (French music awards) and a platinum album would be followed by the sound track to "Condamné à mort" (2010) by Jean Genet, with Jeanne Moreau. Hailed unanimously by the critics, the show triumphed at the Théâtre de l'Odéon, the Salle Pleyel and in the main courtyard at the Papal palace in Avignon.
Etienne Daho's unusual career, both faultless and without concession, is like a fairy tale: the story of a child of Velvet and Punk, whose tracks, from Heures hindoues to If and not forgetting Le premier jour and Comme un boomerang, have entered into the Pantheon of French music.
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