Patrick Bruel (his real name is Patrick Benguigui) was born in Algeria, in Tlemcen (a town near Oran) on May 14 1959. He was brought up by his divorced mother, Augusta, who worked as a French teacher in a local school. When Algeria won its independence in 1962, Augusta brought her son back to France and the pair settled into a house in the Paris suburb of Argenteuil. Later they would move to Paris, where they lived in the 13th arrondissement. Patrick’s adolescence was dominated by one great passion - football - and the teenager’s greatest desire was to become a professional footballer. However, Patrick also developed a great interest in music, discovering the Brassens and Brel classics in his mother’s record collection and becoming a major rock fan. His heroes were the rock guitarists of the late 60’s and 70’s : Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and, of course, Jimi Hendrix. 

After obtaining his baccalauréat in 1978, Patrick went on to university. In his summer holidays he would work at the "Club Méditerranée", entertaining holidaymakers as a singer/guitarist.

Patrick’s acting career also got off to a flying start in 1978, after he answered an advert in the daily newspaper "France Soir" and landed a role in Alexandre Arcady’s film "Le coup de sirocco". The film, which told the story of a Pied Noir family arriving back in France after Algerian independence proved to be a great hit with cinema-goers but, unfortunately for the budding actor, offers of more screen work did not exactly come flooding in afterwards. However, Patrick Benguigui had taken a first decisive step towards his metamorphosis into the mega-star Bruel.

In 1979 Patrick decided to try his luck in New York where he spent an exciting year, hanging out in bars, cafés and nightclubs, getting a taste of the thriving New York music scene. It was during his stay in New York that Patrick would meet Gérard Presgurvic. This was a meeting which would prove decisive for the rest of his career - Presgurvic would go on to become his main songwriter and also a lifelong friend.

On his return to Paris Patrick found himself being offered a series of acting contracts in theatre and film, after being spotted by one of the most influential casting directors in the capital, Margot Capelier. In 1981 Bruel acted in Pierrette Bruno’s play "Le Chariman" and the following year landed a second film role, starring in Bertrand van Effentere’s "Le Bâtard". In 1983 he worked with Alexandre Arcady once again, appearing in "Le Grand Carnaval" (another film about French Algeria set in the 1950’s).

Bruel’s début on the music scene was rather less successful. His first single, recorded in 1981, faded into obscurity. But two years later the follow-up single, "Marre de cette nana-là!", rocketed him to the forefront of the music screen, transforming him into the idol of a million screaming girl fans almost overnight. 

In 1985 Bruel returned to the theatre, acting in Maria Pâcome’s play "On m’appelle Emilie", then he landed another film role, starring in Patrick Schulman’s "P.R.O.F.S.". Meanwhile, the multi-talented star continued his singing career, recording a second hit single "Comment ça va pour vous".

In 1986 Bruel landed his first international film role, appearing in Rida Dehi’s "La Mémoire tatouée". But 1986 proved even more important for the young star on the music front with the release of his début album, "De face". The tracks on the album, the majority of them written by Gérard Presgurvic and Bruel himself, did not include the singer’s early hits and "De face" failed to sell as well as the first singles. But the album contained some interesting songs, including a wonderful duet with the French actress Miou-Miou and "Tout le monde peut se tromper", a song which became the theme tune to Claude Lelouch’s 1987 film "Attention Bandits (a film in which, incidentally, Bruel played one of the lead roles).

In February 1987, 28-year-old Bruel was invited to perform at the prestigious Olympia music hall in Paris. This major concert experience would later result in a special live album (released in 1988).

Although Bruel was cast in serious roles in the theatre, his screen appearances were largely in action movies such as Georges Lautner’s 1988 film "La maison assassinée". In 1989, however, Bruel made his mark on the film world with two excellent performances, starring in Alexandre Arcady’s "L’union sacrée" and Pierre Jolivet’s "Force Majeure". (Bruel's performance in Jolivet's film would be highly acclaimed by the critics).

Bruel’s second album, "Alors regarde" (released in October 1989) marked a major turning-point in the singer's career. For, after the release of "Alors regarde", Bruel was transformed from successful singer to absolute megastar.

Bruel chose to record the album in two of his favourite places, working at the "Studios Polygone" in Toulouse and the "Hit Factory" in New York. He also chose his collaborators carefully, working with producer Mick Lanaro (famous for his work on Claude Nougaro’s "Nougayork") and a number of top musicians. The album featured French musicians (Philippe Saisse on brass and keyboards, Gérard Bikialo on piano and Christian Padovani on drums) as well as American musicians (Nick Moroch and Carl James). The nine tracks written by Presgurvic and Bruel and the two songs written by Bruno Garcin, all had a strongly emotional feel, revolving around the singer’s personal preoccupations : friendship ("Place des grands hommes"), love ("Je te l’dis quand même"), Brazil ("Décalé") and the environmental problems facing the planet ("Alors regarde"). Surprisingly, the album did not prove an instant hit, but the first single release, "Casser la voix" rocketed to the top of the charts, selling a phenomenal amount of copies. Bruel’s overnight success also owed much to the frenetic ambience of his live concerts.

On October 5 1990, almost a year after the release of "Alors regarde", Bruel embarked upon an extensive tour, playing more than 130 dates, both in France and abroad. Bruel’s live performances sent thousands of fans, made up of strong contingents of teenage girls, into an absolute frenzy. Indeed, on several occasions the audience would end up screaming so loudly that the musicians could hardly hear themselves play. Bruelmania swept through France and demand for concert tickets grew out of all proportion. Bruel’s original concerts at the Zénith (9-17 October 1990) were not enough to satisfy the growing demand and the singer had to return in December to play a further three dates. Bruel would also perform a special concert at the Olympia on December 16.

Bruel was nominated for three different prizes at the "Victoires de la musique" awards in February 1991, but failed to walk off with any of them. It must be said that the singer's phenomenal success with young (largely female) audiences did not always endear him to other music fans, and critics often mocked the phenomenon of Bruel-mania.

Despite snubs from professionals in the record industry, Bruel continued to attract tens of thousands of fans. When he performed at the "Printemps de Bourges" festival in May 1991, fans snapped up 8,000 tickets in just a few hours. Bruel’s singles also continued to soar to the top of the charts, both in Europe and Canada. Bruel’s videos, shot in several different languages, also proved extremely popular and the singer became a regular fixture on TV programmes and chat shows all over Europe. In June 1991 Bruel received the Vincent Scotto award from the Sacem (the French association of songwriters and composers). Bruel’s tour that summer attracted record number of fans and the singer gave a memorable performance at the "Francofolies" festival in la Rochelle. By November sales of the album "Alors regarde" had already reached two and a half million (they would eventually go on to top three million). November also saw the release of "Si ce soir", a live album recorded during the 90-91 tour, which also did extremely well, selling a cool million copies.

On February 1 1992 Bruel finally received a "Victoires de la musique" award, for Best Male Artist of The Year. The following year he returned to his film career, working on two new films, Claude Zidi’s "Profil bas" and Michel Deville’s "Toutes peines confondues". In April 94, Bruel released his third album "Bouge". Recorded in New York and, once again, produced by Mick Lanaro, "Bouge" had a much stronger rock feel than the previous album. Yet Bruel’s fans did not appear ready to relinquish their image of him as a romantic crooner and the heavy 70’s guitar riffs on "Bouge" failed to sell as well as the emotional ballads on "Alors regarde". Bruel’s record company BMG hoped that the tour set for the end of 94 would boost flagging album sales, and began a huge publicity campaign promoting the tour and a special highlight - the singer’s special appearance at Bercy stadium (the biggest music venue in Paris) between 16 and 20 September 1994.

When Bruel returned to the concert circuit it was the Zairean singer Lokua Kanza who opened the show. Bruel delighted fans by performing a series of new numbers and a few old hits, but he was also keen to cover a number of French chanson classics, including Jacques Brel’s famous hit "Jeff".

At the end of 1994 Bruel embarked upon an extensive tour, travelling to the provinces to touch base with his fans, but on the whole the tour was a lot quieter than previous years. In the spring of 95 Bruel was invited to be president of the jury at the 10th Paris Film Festival (an annual event where the members of the jury judging the competition are all adolescents).

In the summer of 95 Bruel returned to the "Francofolies" festival which paid a special tribute to the singer, hosting a special "Fête à Bruel". Bruel brought the house down when he took to the stage with rai star Khaled and the Senegalese singer Youssou N’dour to perform "Quand les hommes vivront d’amour". During that summer’s tour (July 12-August 13) Bruel, a committed human rights activist, cancelled two of his concerts in the South of France (in Orange and Toulon) to make a stand against the right-wing Front National councils. Bruel, who takes an active interest in politics and current affairs, often speaks out on political issues and he has appeared on famous French TV news programmes such as "Sept sur Sept" several times.

In the autumn of 95 Bruel flew off to South America when shooting began on Francis Veber’s film "Jaguar", in which he co-starred with French actor Jean Reno. A new live album, "On s’était dit", recorded during the 94-95 tour, was released on December 1 and the first single release "Pour exister" (written by French singing star Johnny Hallyday) followed in November.  

In January 96, Bruel returned from Venezuela where the crew had just finished shooting the final scenes of "Jaguar" and headed down to Cannes for the annual edition of MIDEM (the international record industry fair) where he was one of the guests of honour. Two of Bruel’s films hit the screens later that year. "Sabrina", directed by the American film-maker Sydney Pollack, and co-starring Harrison Ford, appeared on February 7. "Jaguar" would hit movie screens later that year, on October 9.

In October 96 Bruel went on to set up his own independent record label, launching a series of young unknowns onto the French music scene. The singer's name has also appeared on a number of charity compilation albums and he has also been closely involved in the "Restaurants du cœur" (a chain of "Meals on Wheels" restaurants set up by the late French comedian Coluche which distribute hot food to the homeless).

Bruel’s latest film, "K", a political thriller directed by Alexandre Arcady, hit the screens on August 27 1997. Meanwhile Bruel continues to devote much time and energy to his singing career - indeed, a new Bruel album is due to be released in the autumn of 98. Before going into the studio to begin work on his album, however, Bruel decided to branch out in a totally new direction, producing a play in Paris. In spite of the fact that Bruel had not acted in the theatre for a good ten years, he was won over by the script for "La Grande Magie" and persuaded his brother, David, to write the music for it.

Much to the delight of Bruel fans, the singer's eagerly-awaited new album "Juste avant" was released in October '99. Both Bruel's brothers - David and Fabrice Moreau (brothers from his mother's second marriage) - collaborated on the singer's new album, David helping with the musical arrangements and Fabrice providing backing vocals on several tracks. French songwriter Marie-Florence Gros and Bruel's favourite producer Mick Lanaro were also called in to work on "Juste avant". Felix Gray contributed "le Café des délices", a song whose Arab-sounding arrangements paid tribute to Bruel's Algerian roots. But the singer also returned to the subject matter for which he is famous - love stories with a happy or a tragic ending! On the whole, Bruel's new album was well-received by the critics who noted a certain "artistic maturity" in his style.

Bruel's tour in April 2000 is set to be a major musical event, being the first time the singer has gone out on the road since 1995. At the beginning of this year, Bruel did a spot of warm-up for his tour, hitting the road in January with Les Enfoirés (a celebrity collective of singers who perform fund-raising concerts for French Help the Homeless charity "Restaurants du cœur"). Bruel brought the house down performing a duet with Patrick Fiori and covering the Téléphone classic "La Bombe humaine" with Pascal Obispo.

On May 4th 2000 Bruel kicked off a series of eight concerts at the Zénith in Paris, then hit the road to play a series of concerts up and down France. Much to the delight of his Parisian fans, Bruel returned to the Zénith on May 15th for a special concert to celebrate his 40th birthday. A host of famous guest stars joined Bruel on stage that night, including Pascal Obispo, Nilda Fernandez, Régine, Raï star Khaled, Lââm, Line Renaud and Garou (from the hit musical "Notre-Dame de Paris). But the highlight of the evening was when legendary French chanson star Charles Aznavour took to the stage, causing a genuine ripple of amazement to run through the audience at the Zénith.

After a phenomenally successful tour throughout the summer of 2000, Bruel hit the road again in autumn of that year, playing a practically non-stop series of concerts. Bruel's hard work reaped major dividends, boosting sales of his album and in December 2000 sales of "Juste avant" topped 1 million. With sales figures like these, we predict that Bruel's official web site - patrickbruel.com – (launched in December 2000), will receive hundreds of thousands of hits from cyber-music fans.

In January 2001 the singer took part in the "Odyssée des Enfoirés", a series of charity concerts organised to raise funds for the "Restaurants du cœur" (a charitable organisation set up by the late French comedian Coluche). Then, in March 2001, Bruel hit the road once again on his own tour, bringing the house down when he performed a mini-series of concerts at Le Zénith in Paris in April. The singer also flew out to play to fans in the Indian Ocean region in June.

In May that year, Patrick Bruel released a double live album. Simply entitled "Patrick Bruel Live", the album celebrated Bruel’s comeback in the music spotlight as one of France’s most popular artists. His previous album "Juste avant" had sold 1.8 million copies and the artist’s tour had proved an impressive success, especially when his fifteen subsequent concerts at the Zenith venue in Paris were consistently sold-out.

At the same time, Bruel continued his acting career and was to be seen in two films: Dominique Cabrera’s "Le Lait de la Tendresse Humaine" (2000) and Gilles Paquet-Brenner’s "Les Jolies Choses" (2001). He also took part in the 2002 release of the Enfoirés and brought out a duet album recorded with Florent Pagny. One of the highlights of the album was a cover they did together of Charles Aznavour’s "Les Emmerdes". To add to this list was his contribution to the lyrics of "Il Faut du Temps" which was sung at the Eurovision 2002 by French candidate Sandrine François.

In Spring 2002, Patrick Bruel, who had already sporadically ventured into the mid-twentieth century Chanson repertoire, released a double album of such covers. The opus entitled "Entre-deux" features a selection of 23 songs out of the 200 that the singer had previously singled out. Some of the songs are performed in duet with singer friends such as Charles Aznavour whom with Bruel covers "Menilmontant", Francis Cabrel for "La Complainte de la Butte", and Johnny Hallyday for "Qu'est-ce qu'on attend pour être heureux". Other artists, namely Zazie, Jean-Louis Aubert, Jean-Jacques Goldman, Danielle Darrieux, Voulzy, Souchon, and Renaud also contributed to the record. Following the release, Bruel set off on a mini-tour of Belgium and France.

In August, he legally changed his name from Patrick Maurice Benguigui to Patrick Bruel Benguigui. The following year, in September, he married his partner Amanda, whom he had met in Saint-Tropez in 2001 and with whom he had a baby boy called Oscar in 2003.

In early 2005, a few weeks after the tsunami that devastated the coasts of Southeast Asia on 26 December 2004, Patrick Bruel wrote the song "Et puis la terre", recorded by an ensemble of French artists. All profits for the song went to the Red Cross. Almost at the same time, the singer kicked off a tour of the Enfoirés, with profits going to the charity Restos du Coeur.

By August of that year, Bruel had already composed a great deal of the music for his next album, "Des souvenirs devant" (which would be released in March 2006). And it was at this point that his wife, Amanda, gave him his first lyrics for the song "Je fais semblant.  She went on to write two other songs, but the lyrics for most of the rest of the album were written by Bruel himself. "Des souvenirs devant" also included a text by Victor Hugo reworked as the song "Peuple impopulaire" – a particularly topical ballad given current citizen unrest in France. Bruel continued in a topical vein on "Adieu", a song denouncing terrorism. But the majority of his new album was inspired by autobiographical events. The song "Ma maison de papier" was a tender reference to the singer’s son Oscar. And, on the whole, "Des souvenirs devant" expressed Bruel’s happiness at finally having founded a family (his second son, Léon, was born in September 2005) as well as his lucidity at the current state of the world.

March 2006