Born in Cherbourg, Normandy, in 1970, Françoiz Breut owes her musical awakening to her elder sister who encouraged her to listen to Anglo-Saxon music and French chanson from an early age. At that stage of her life Françoiz was more interested in art than music, however, and at 18 she moved to Caen to study at the "Beaux-Arts". Françoiz proved to have a fertile imagination and a real talent for drawing and she soon put these to good use, working as an illustrator on children's books.

After living in Caen in her student days, Françoiz went on to spend some time in Dunkirk and then moved to Nantes where, in the early 90s, she met a young French singer-songwriter called Dominique Ane. Better known to French music fans as Dominique A, Ane encouraged Françoiz to get involved in the music world. Françoiz eventually tried her hand at singing, but did not give up her 'day job' however, continuing her work as an illustrator.

Françoiz and Dominique

Teaming up as a couple in real life as well as in the music world, Françoiz and Dominique moved to Cherbourg for a while, then spent a few months in Brussels before returning to settle in Nantes. Dominique spent much of this period writing songs, while Françoiz continued her illustrations. Joining up with a Franco-American couple known as Pério, Françoiz and Dominique soon went on to form a group together. The foursome played their first gigs on the local music scene, performing a set which revolved around covers of British and American pop classics (ranging from Jonathan Richman and The Kinks to Blondie).

The group also went into the studio together to record a series of singles which they produced and financed themselves, then released on an independent label. Françoiz - who, at this time, went under the name Françoiz Brrr - illustrated the record covers. These first singles sank without a trace, however, and Françoiz soon turned her attention to her drawing once again, going on to stage several exhibitions of her work.

After recording two solo albums, Dominique A. exploded onto the French music scene in 1995 scoring a major hit with his single, "Le Twenty-two bar". Françoiz's vocals featured at the end of the song and the public soon began wondering who this mysterious female backing singer was. When Dominique A. took to performing "Le Twenty-two bar" live, it seemed entirely natural that Françoiz should accompany him on stage and perform the song as a duet.

While still remaining very much in Dominique A.'s shadow, Françoiz eventually turned her hand to writing her own songs with Dominique's help and support. An album gradually began to take shape and Françoiz soon found herself in the studio, making her recording debut. Released in 1997, when the craze for 'minimalist pop' pioneered by Dominique A. was at its height, Françoiz Breut's debut album received positive reviews from the critics. But things were a little slower to take off with the French public. In fact, in the early days only committed Dominique A. fans seemed to appreciate Françoiz's gamine looks and melancholy songs.

Shunning the media spotlight and refusing any kind of promotional campaign, Françoiz has a reputation for keeping her personality and her private life as secret as possible. But this does not stop the fragile-looking singer from coming to life on stage, where she leaps around with boundless energy and exuberance. In the autumn of '97, Françoiz made a huge impact on the live circuit when she set off on tour with Bertrand Betsch and Mendelson (two other artists from the Lithium label). Dominique A also joined Françoiz on stage, playing guitar - although, reversing the couple's habitual roles, Dominique kept very much in the background.

2000: second album

Criticised in the past for the monochrome tone of her songs and the repetitive nature of her concerts, Françoiz took the French music world by surprise in the autumn of 2000, releasing a highly eclectic second album entitled "Vingt à trente mille jours". After the birth of her son, Youri, Françoiz separated from Dominique A and took a temporary break from her singing career to work on a children's book entitled "Ma mer a disparu". After the publication of the book, Françoiz turned her attention to her music career once again, beginning work on her new album.

Released in the autumn of 2000, the album "Vingt à Trente Mille jours" featured contributions from a host of music friends including Jérôme Minière, Katerine, Philippe Poirier (from the group Kat Onoma) as well as Françoiz's former partner, Dominique A. Françoiz wrote much of the material on her new album herself, but "Vingt à Trente Mille jours" also included two cover versions: "La chanson d'Hélène" (immortalised by actress Romy Schneider in Claude Sautet's film "Les Choses de la vie") and "Sans souci" (a French adaptation of a Peggy Lee classic).

In December 2000 Françoiz Breut appeared at the "Transmusicales" festival in Rennes, where she performed a very sober low-tech set, reciting her lyrics as often as she sang them. Fans welcomed this simple, intimate approach which was very much in keeping with Françoiz's studio work. 

In 2001 the singer illustrated a new children’s book, "Je suis un garçon" written by Arnaud Catherine. She also showed her work at a few exhibitions and sometimes during her shows. In 2002 and 2003 she toured in France, Spain and Belgium.

2005: "Une saison volée"

At the beginning of 2004, Françoiz Breut flew out to perform six concerts in Australia. On her return, she found herself dropped from her record label. This did not stop her going into the studio to record a third album, "Une saison volée" (released in March 2005 on Tôt ou Tard). The album, featuring 12 tracks and 3 bitter-sweet 'interludes', included contributions from old friends such as Dominique A, Jérôme Minière and Philippe Poirier and new (to Breut) faces including ex-Married Monk star Fabio Viscogliosi and Joey Burns, the double bass-player from Calexico. Following the release of "Une saison volée", Françoiz hit the road for a tour which included an appearance at the 'Printemps de Bourges' festival where she supported 60s icon Marianne Faithfull. The following year, Françoiz Breut continued her tour, playing dates across Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany.

January 2006