Born on 20 October 1965, Valentine (better known to French music fans as Jil Caplan), spent her teenage years hanging out at the Garage Studios in Paris, where her friends from the Lycée Ravel were busy forming a group. Les Innocents, who in those days were still complete unknowns, were about to record a debut single entitled "Jodie" which scored a big hit with the French public. That was back in 1986 when the pretty brunette flitting in and out of the studio with band was still hesitating between three possible futures. Should she sign up for a literature degree at the Sorbonne, study drama at the prestigious Cours Florent or try and launch her own singing career?

It came as no surprise when Jil ended up opting for the latter, considering that she had inherited a certain music gene in her DNA. Jil's parents were not in the music business - her father made a living from doing silk-screen prints while her mother stayed at home to bring up her only child - but her grandmother, Simone Hayez, had been a professional opera singer who had worked with the likes of Lorin Maazel. But while young Jil certainly inherited her grandmother's vocal talent, her musical tastes were somewhat different. Let's just say she preferred the raucous vocals of early punk stars like Sid Vicious and the Clash to the operatic tones of Montserrat Caballe.

Hanging around the Garage Studios while her friends, Les Innocents, were recording Jil happened to bump into a young musical mastermind by the name of Jay Alanski, who was producing the band's first single. Alanski had already made his name in the French music business, launching Lio's career in the early 80s so when he turned round one day and asked her if she fancied having a go behind the mike, Jil gamely replied "OK! Why not?".

The pair went on to make a demo tape together and sent a copy to Epic. This was enough to impress studio bosses at the label who promptly allotted Caplan and Alanski the budget to make a first single. The enterprising duo took Epic's cash one step further, however, producing a whole album instead.

It was while working together on this first album that Alanski came up with his protegée's showbizz pseudonym. Alanski suggested using the androgynous-sounding Christian name, Jay, which the singer instantly snapped up. Her invented surname Caplan was inspired by George Kaplan, the hero of the Hitchcock thriller "Mort aux Trousses".

And Caplan and Alanski proved to be just as talented at rolling out the hits as they were at inventing stage names. Within weeks of launching her career as Jil Caplan, the cheeky young brunette was flirting with the Top 40 thanks to her best-selling album "A peine 21" (released in 1987).

In fact, Jil Caplan's debut album soon turned out to be a winner all round. Spawning a whole string of chart-toppers - including "Comme sur une balançoire", "Oh tous les soirs", "Cette fille n'est pas pour toi" and "Tard dans la nuit" - "A peine 21" went on to sell a staggering 120,000 copies and established Jil Caplan as one of the fastest-rising female stars on the French music scene. Indeed, within a few months of its release "A Peine 21" had earned young Jil Caplan her first gold disc.

With Alanski playing the role of Pygmalion to Caplan's muse, the partnership proved to be a winning formula. Caplan also went on to invent a captivating stage persona, adopting a cheeky, tomboy style and punk-ish haircut which marked a stark contrast with her vampish red lipstick and languorous vocals drawled out à la Arletty.

Jil Caplan returned to the forefront of the French music scene three years after her explosive debut with a second album entitled "La Charmeuse de serpent" (Snake Charmer). Once again, the musical mastermind behind the project was Jay Alanski who was responsible for writing, composing and arranging most of the tracks on the new album.

Proving that she was far from being a one-hit wonder, Jil's second album marked her out as a major new talent to be reckoned with. "Tout ce qui nous sépare", "Natalie Wood" and "As-tu déjà oublié?" were soon ringing out across the nation's airwaves, earning Jil a whole new following of fans - and a double gold disc! In 1992 Jil Caplan rounded off her hat trick by winning the award for "Best New Female Artist" at the annual "Victoires de la musique".

Following her critical and chart success, Jil embarked upon a mini tour of 20 dates, taking her songs out in front of a live audience. Unfortunately, her talent as a show-woman did not live up to her chart hype. And the shy, young pop diva who had broken down in front of the cameras at the "Victoires de la Musique" awards failed to get the crowd going at her concerts - and began her slow, and at first almost imperceptible, slide from grace.

Jil returned to the studio with Alanski in 1993 to work on an album which she hoped would be a more elaborate, personal project rather than another simple string of chart-toppers. Replacing the synthesisers and rhythm boxes she'd used in the late 80s with acoustic guitars and folk influences, Jil was determined to change her image and her tune.

However, although two songs - "La Grande malle" and "Quand est-ce qu'on passe la frontière?" - proved relatively successful on the French airwaves, Jil's third album received a general thumbs-down from the critics who accused her of returning to tired old themes (falling in love, out of love and dealing with relationship issues!) In short, the critics claimed, Jil's album was totally lacking in inspiration - and the Alanski/Caplan partnership was on the rocks!

They proved to be right too. When Caplan finally got over the failure of her 1993 album and returned to the music scene with an eponymous fourth album three years later, she chose to replace Alanski with Frank Eurly. Jil's fourth album was tinged with a gentle melancholy, Celtic flutes, violins and slide guitars replacing the synthesisers of early years. What's more, Jil wrote all the lyrics on her new album and took on an increasing share of the musical side of things, too. It was almost as if she had thrown off Alanski's masterful influence once and for all and stamped her own personal mark on her songs.

Unfortunately, Jil's record company was not looking for a complete self-reinvention - just more of the same old hits! And from this point on relations between the singer and her record label became increasingly strained. Jil did fulfil the conditions of her contract with Epic and released a 1998 compilation, rather ironically entitled "Jours de Fête" (Party Days) - which, incidentally, included a painfully botched version of the Claude Nougaro/Chico Buarque classic "Tu Verras". After this Jil appeared to enter a period of wandering in the musical wilderness.

The singer took advantage of the break in her recording career to launch her own web site (jilcaplan.com) in January '98. Interestingly enough, the site included a sort of personal "diary" which Jil used to express her reflections on and doubts about her future career. The following year the singer quit her record label, citing "irreconcilable musical differences" as the cause for the split.

Meanwhile, Jil's old school friend Jipé Nataf (from Les Innocents) was beginning to play an increasing role in putting Jil back on the road to recovery. And eventually, teaming up with Pascal Colomb and former Taxi Girl star Mirwais (before Madonna called the latter on board), Jil and Jipé went into the studio and began work on her fifth album.

Released on the East West label in 2000, "Toute crue" spawned a couple of noteworthy tracks such as "Le Lac", but failed to win widespread public support. In other words, the Jil Caplan comeback has not quite happened yet - but fans are keeping their fingers crossed that it soon will!

Jil Caplan returned to the music spotlight in May 2004 with a new album entitled "Comme elle vient". After having worked with an Innocent on her previous album, Jil continued in the same musical vein on her new one, enlisting the services of another member of les Innocents, Jean-Christophe Urbain. “Comme elle vient” featured country’n’western-style melodies, picked out on the banjo, and luminous lyrics penned by Ms. Caplan herself. In short, this new album found Jil Caplan at the top of her form.

In May 2007, Jil Caplan made a comeback on the recording front with "Derrière la porte", an album written in close collaboration with Jay Alanski. With Jil penning most of the lyrics and Jay assuring the musical side of things, this new album was a dark, poetic work which experimented with pop and jazz influences and electro beats. The first single release, "Des toutes petites choses", was a modern pop ballad about loneliness. The singer kicked off her "Derrière la porte" tour in October of that year with two dates at the Théâtre de l’Européen, in Paris (11 & 12 October 2007).

Throughout 2008, Jil Caplan continued to perform concerts across France and Belgium and she put in a memorable performance at the Francofolies music festival in La Rochelle on 14 July 2008.

September 2008