Nicole Grisoni was born in the French Alps, in Vongy in Savoie, on April 11^th 1944. She was brought up for the most part by her grandmother, a vital figure in her life and about whom she has often spoken during her career. The young Nicole completed her college education and went to the School of Fine Arts in Lyon. But her talent and passion for singing were already coming to the fore. Jazz, blues and gospel were by far her favourite musical styles and despite her very "variety" orientated career, these genres have constantly re-surfaced in her repertoire.  

At the beginning of the 60s, Nicole, still very young, "went up" to Paris where, she got jobs a disc jockey in some famous clubs in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. One thing led to another, Leo Missir, artistic director of one of the most powerful record labels, Barclay, spotted her at the time. She recorded her first single in 1966, a cover version of the famous Edith Piaf number, "L’Homme à la moto", which was itself an adaptation of an American song. On the same album, there was also a cover version of Nino Ferrer’s first release, "Pour oublier qu’on s"est aimé". Nevertheless, Nicole, now called Nicoletta, did not feel at home with the realist repertoire of the great French singer, who died three years before. 

The following year, she brought out a second 45, "La Musique". But it was above all "Il est mort le soleil", released the same year, which marked the her entry into the big league. The title was such a hit that the American singer Ray Charles decided to record an English version. 

From then on, Nicoletta earned her reputation as a singer with a demanding, even difficult temperament. The conventions of show business did not always suit her, in particular singing in playback, against which she was opposed. On the other hand, the public enormously appreciated her for her exceptional voice and her joyous and rebellious personality. 

Alongside her recording success, Nicoletta was also an excellent live performer. Very popular, she established genuine communication with her public and her strong artistic temperament fulfilled itself during these moments. Every year, she toured France, but also appeared at prestigious festivals such as San Remo in Italy or the MIDEM in Cannes (Marché International du Disque). Her popularity had crossed frontiers and she was even known even in Japan. 

In 1970 came another hit, "Ma vie, c’est un manège", an adaptation of an American song. Then, in 1971, she released another of her biggest hits, "Mamy blue". Written by Frenchman Hubert Giraud, this song was very influenced by gospel and Nicoletta’s rendition of it confirmed her talent, rare in France, for this type of music. Numerous cover versions of the hit were recorded during the following years by artists including Demis Roussos, Dalida and the Golden Gate Quartet. 

The album Nicoletta released that year, "Visages", was already her third. Accompanied by the group Zoo, she included a Leo Ferre number, "Dieu est nègre", and a song by Gilbert Bécaud, "La solitude ça n’existe pas". Julien Clerc wrote the lyrics of another song on the album. Having begun her career with a cover version, Nicoletta carried on recording already well known material. 

The beginning of the seventies was a period of constant touring for Nicoletta. In 1972, she toured in Turkey and Africa, did a 100-date tour of France during the summer and autumn and then performed in Japan and Brazil at the end of the year, accompanied at all these engagements by an eight-man group, T.N.T.H. 

During this period, she was also appearing frequently on TV, and she stepped up her fight against the virtually obligatory playback in the studios and which most of the in-vogue artists willingly complied with. This same independent spirit led her to start her own record label, Rapa Nui in 73. But more than promoting herself, her aim was to help young artists. She also began to write some of her own lyrics. 

On the album "Nicoletta 73", there was a cover version of Brazilian Jorge Ben’s "Fio Maravilla". This French adaptation by Boris Bergman was a huge hit. Let's notice the theme tune of Jean-Claude Brialy’s film, "les Volets clos" as well. 

Nicoletta continued to tour the world and record discs in different languages. In 1974, she received the Charles-Cros award for her album, "Enfants venez chanter l’espoir". She also sang the theme song of the French version of Franklin J. Schaffner’s film, "Papillon". 

Finally, having already toured throughout France and the world, Nicoletta appeared as top of the bill artist at Paris’s most prestigious music venue, l’Olympia. 

Apart form a few singles, Nicoletta released nothing until the "Palace" album in 1978. The following year, she topped the bill at the Parisian music hall, Bobino, for a series of concerts there. But for Nicoletta and her husband Patrick Chapuis, a Swiss jeweller, the big event in 79 was the birth of their son, Alexandre. 

Nicoletta released a new album entitled "Naturel ma belle" in 1980. Then in 1983 she returned to the studio to record another album, "Qu'est-ce qui m'arrive?" (which was produced by Rachid Bahri). However, neither of these albums produced a hit single. But later that year "Idées noires", a song Nicoletta recorded as a duet with Bernard Lavilliers, surprised everyone by rocketing to the top of the charts. Then came another eclipse lasting until 1985, the year of her divorce. Her new 45, "Il n’y a vraiment que l’amour", was the first to be released on her new label, Alex Productions. But no album came out with it. 

Her return to live performance in 1987 was in the role of Jenny in "Mahoganny", written in 1930 by the Germans Kurt Weil and Berthold Brecht. Two years later, singer and musician William Sheller asked her to play Esmerelada in his musical "Quasimodo", inspired by Victor Hugo’s novel, "Notre Dame de Paris". The role of a gypsy in a leather jacket fitted her like a glove and 200.000 people saw the show. 

At the end of the eighties, financial difficulties obliged Nicoletta to step up her live performances and tours, which wasn’t to her disliking. 

Years went by before Nicoletta worked on a new album. In 1995, she released "J’attends, j’apprends", with lyrics written by William Sheller, Richard Cocciante and Pierre Delanoe. The disc came out on May 17^th 95 and got only a lukewarm reception. 

After the death of her grandmother, Nicoletta experienced a renaissance of her Christian faith, and this was reflected in a fresh musical departure. She went back to singing gospel and re-recorded her old hits with a choir of French Caribbean singers. Together, they went on a long tour, performing in churches all over France but also in Switzerland and Belgium. The 180-date tour lasted more than a year, including places as far afield as the village where she was born and Japan. In Paris, the ensemble sang at the church of St-Roch, the artist’s parish, in March and October. During the March shows, recordings were made for her first live album. The disc included mostly old numbers, cover versions including Jacques Brel’s "Quand on n'a que l’amour", pure gospel songs and even classical pieces such as Charles Gounod’s "Ave Maria". 

She followed this up by co-producing a new album with friend William Sheller. Recorded during the winter of 97-98, "Connivences" was released on September 20^th 98. Nicoletta wrote the lyrics of two songs and Sheller signed the music, of course, but also Serge Perathoner, Italian Romano Mussumara and American Paul Breslin. 

Then, the singer went back to her traditional gospel shows, and fans continued to come in impressive numbers. Performing all summer long, Nicoletta took part in many Chanson or jazz-blues festivals – the Creusot Festival in 2000 or the Eté Frappé Festival in 2001. In May 2001, she also travelled to the French Indian Ocean islands of the Réunion and Mayotte. Also taking part in many charitable events, Nicoletta joined many artists for the Voix de l’Espoir concert in March 2000--given for the benefit of sick children of the Third World. Since then, Nicoletta has become a frequent guest of Princess Erika’s charitable concert that takes place every year on March 8^th. In November 2001, she was asked to join the festivities organized for the 100^th anniversary of a female Catholic group—L’Action Catholique Generale Feminine—where she sung accompanied by her gospel choir, the Gospel Voices.

In Fall 2001, Star Academy, a television show, contributed to revive Nicoletta’s fame. The winners of this show, which is dedicated to selecting future star singers, performed a cover of her 1967 hit, "La Musique". The single sold two million copies. In the wake of this revival, the singer’s record label brought out again a compilation of her hits that had previously released in 1999. Entitled "30 ans de passion", the compilation does indeed feature "La Musique".

March 2002