Jean Leclerc - the future Jean Leloup - was born in Quebec on 14 May 1961. When he was just three years old, Jean's teacher parents took him and his brother Grégoire to Africa, where they set up home in Togo. The boys' father, who taught physics and their mother, an art teacher, took their sons to live in Palimé, a small village in the African bush. Over the next five years Jean would enjoy a highly adventurous childhood, his first musical memories forming as he listened to local musicians playing traditional African rhythms.

In 1969 the Leclerc family returned to Quebec. However, after just a few months the family re-packed their bags and set off on their travels again, this time seeking new adventures in Algeria (which, after many long years of war, had just won independence from France). Jean, who was by this time in his early teens, was already a passionate music fan. On moving to his new home he devoted precious time and energy to perfecting his guitar skills and setting up a series of bands with his newfound friends. One of Jean's first groups was the Blue Faces - so-called because they daubed their faces with blue methylene before taking to the stage! The band soon built up a reputation for themselves on the local music scene, performing covers of Anglo-Saxon hits from the 60's.

After spending his early adolescent years in Algeria, Jean returned to Quebec in 1976 - this time for good. However, after his adventurous childhood, the 15-year-old found it hard to settle down and concentrate on his schoolwork. In fact, despite spending several years studying at school and university, Jean went on to fail most of his exams. Music remained Jean's major passion in life and the young singer soon decided to try and launch a professional career come what may.

Jean finally managed to gain access to a number of record companies and spent the next few months trailing his demo tape up and down record company corridors. The young singer even went so far as to make a few tentative recordings, but none of his debut efforts made any impact on the Quebecois music scene.

In 1983 Jean Leloup did manage to make his mark at the "Festival de la chanson Francophone" in Granby, however, winning the contest with his distinctive style of 'nonchalant' rock (a style which led many critics to compare the 22-year-old Leloup to Velvet Underground star Lou Reed). One of the tracks, which won Leloup's early audiences over was "Alger" (Algiers), a song inspired by the singer's formative years in Algeria.

Leloup's original style proved a big hit with audiences, but it would take several more years before record companies began to take an interest in the up-and-coming young talent. Leloup's career received a major boost in 1985, however, when he was invited to record one of the album versions of Berger and Plamondon's legendary rock opera '"Starmania". (Leloup would play the role of the gay rocker Ziggy). The "Starmania" experience certainly raised Leloup's profile, but the young singer was eager to branch out on his own and begin working on more personal projects.

Over the next few years Leloup would devote himself to songwriting. Meanwhile, the singer's work was beginning to reach wider audiences thanks to his excellent music videos, which included "Alger" (in 1988). A few months after the success of this video, Leloup went on to release his debut album "Menteur", scoring a major hit with the single "Printemps-Eté". Leloup's debut album not only proved a major hit with the public, it also won esteem from the critics. And in the summer of 1989 Leloup went on to win the 'Prix spécial du jury' at the Summer Music Festival in Quebec.

In the late 80's a lovestruck Leloup left his homeland for a few months, following a former girlfriend to Europe. During his stay in Europe Leloup formed his own group, La Sale Affaire, who ended up returning to Quebec with him to record his second album, "L'amour est sans pitié". This second album would rapidly establish Jean Leloup as a major star on the Quebecois rock scene. Two single releases from the album - "Cookie" and "1990" (a song about the Gulf War) - shot straight to the top of the charts and Leloup's second album ended up going gold within a year of its release.

Meanwhile, thousands of Leloup fans turned out to give the singer a warm welcome at his live concerts. 6,000 fans attended Leloup's first concerts in Quebec with La Sale Affaire, but by the summer of '91 this figure had shot up to 40,000. And when Leloup played in Ottawa later that summer, another 36,000 fans rushed to see him.

By 1992 Leloup's fame had crossed the Atlantic and the single "1990" was shooting up the French charts. The Quebecois star was soon much in demand in France, hundreds of fans flocking to see him in concert when he performed in Paris at La Cigale in April. Leloup also appeared at a number of leading French music festivals over the summer, bringing the house down when he performed at the FrancoFolies music festival in La Rochelle.

In 1993 Leloup turned his attention to his homeland once more. After a two-year absence from the live circuit in Quebec, Leloup and La Sale Affaire joined the "Rock le Lait" tour, hitting the road with a host of famous Quebecois rock groups including France d'Amour and Vilain Pingouin. The rock caravan covered 5,000 kilometres in a few weeks, Leloup and his co-stars playing to capacity audiences in ten different towns.

After the "Rock le Lait" tour, Leloup would disappear from the forefront of the Quebec rock scene for a while, locking himself away in the studio to work on a new album. The singer would spend the next two years concentrating on his new project, only re-emerging from his studio to play one date at the FrancoFolies festival in Montreal in August. Accompanied on stage at Le Spectrum by his new group, Leloup drove the crowd wild, bringing the house down with a mix of old and new songs.

Jean Leloup's new album "Le Dôme" was finally released in November '96, much to the delight of music critics and rock fans. Indeed, critics hailed the album as one of the singer's best works to date and "Le Dôme" also proved to be a huge commercial success, going platinum two years after its release. Needless to say, it came as no surprise to anyone when Leloup carried off the Quebec music industry's "Félix" award for Best Songwriter/Composer of 1997.

Leloup was soon back on the road again. After several months' hectic touring, the singer went on to wow audiences at the 1998 edition of FrancoFolies in Montreal with his new stage show "Jean Leloup et les naufragés du Titanic". The audience at the "D'auteuil" in Quebec went wild for the show and, bowing to popular demand, Leloup went on to record a hybrid studio/live album of the show ("Les Fourmis" released in 1998).

Meanwhile, Leloup branched out in a new direction, writing a series of short stories, which he recorded, for broadcast on Radio Canada. In the course of researching his 'novellas', Leloup would return to Togo, revisiting the country where he had spent his formative childhood years.

In May '99, just as sales of his album "Les Fourmis" were about to top 90,000 in Quebec, Leloup hit the road again. Needless to say, the singer's new tour proved a huge success, thousands of committed Leloup fans flocking to the concerts. Proof - if any proof were needed! - that Jean Leloup is now one of Quebec's leading music stars.

He went on touring until July 2000; then paused for a few months and set off again in November, performing unplugged this time. On December, 22th, he put together a very special concert entitled ‘Christmas Party with Jean Leloup’ as a way of celebrating the end of the tour. After taking a well-deserved rest, the singer reappeared on stage on July 26^th 2001, playing in front of a sold-out house at the Metropolis in Montreal. His numerous fans did indeed not miss this unique opportunity to see him perform in his hometown. The gig was part of the FrancoFolies Festival in Montreal.

August 2001