Vincent Delerm, born in Evreux on 31 August 1976, grew up as the only child of a famous French literary couple. His father, Philippe Delerm, is renowned as the author of "La Première Gorgée de Bière" (a novel which sold almost three million copies in three years). Vincent's parents, both devoted professors of literature, took an active interest in other cultural domains and they both pursued parallel careers outside university lecture halls. Philippe Delerm has enjoyed immense success as a novelist while Martine Delerm has worked as an illustrator and penned a series of detective stories for children.

Following his parents' example, Vincent explored different branches of the arts. He was passionate about music from an early age and became a regular concert-goer, attending live performances by major music stars of the day including Jean-Michel Caradec, Yves Duteil and Philippe Chatel. Vincent was also on hand to witness Les Frères Jacques on their final farewell tour. Philippe Delerm was a committed music fan himself and the novelist introduced his son to French classics such as Alain Souchon's album "Toto, 30 ans, rien que du malheur" as well as works by Barbara and Gilbert Laffaille.

In 1993, 17-year-old Vincent formed his own band with a bunch of friends from the local lycée. The band, called "Triste Sire", were heavily influenced by 80s new wave bands such as The Cure and Joy Division. Meanwhile, the budding young songwriter frequently locked himself away in his bedroom, penning romantic ballads influenced by France's "Left Bank" tradition. Vincent, a great admirer of Michel Berger and William Sheller, eventually decided to follow in the footsteps of his musical idols and teach himself to play piano. That way, he thought, he could at least accompany himself as he sang. This period of intense keyboard activity lasted up until 1997 when Vincent enrolled at Rouen University to study modern languages and literature. At this stage of his career, young Vincent firmly believed he would become a teacher one day and combine his lectures with a singing career on the side.

During his student days, Vincent became interested in the theatre and he even tried his hand at acting, taking to the stage with a local drama group. He also became passionate about film and developed a particular fascination with the work of  François Truffaut. In 1999, he chose to write a thesis about Truffaut for his master's degree. Meanwhile, Vincent practiced away on his piano, penning nostalgic songs that drew heavily on his own childhood experiences.

Vincent, who discovered that he enjoyed performing live on stage, remained dissatisfied with his acting. So the self-taught pianist decided to take to the stage as a singer-musician instead. He made a rather timid stage debut on the live music circuit and was disappointed to find that record labels were not exactly queuing up to sign him.

Vincent Delerm's first official concert as a solo artist was at the Salle Ronsard in Rouen, in 1998. Things only began taking off for him the following year, however, after he had written four of the songs that would feature on his debut album. At this stage of his career, Delerm's primary influences were Anglo-Saxon writers and British indie bands like The Smiths and Pulp. Delerm favoured a sort of anthropological approach in his own writing, exploring inter-personal relationships and the workings of society. He soon embarked upon a mini-tour of the French capital, appearing at small Parisian venues such as Le Limonaire and Le Théâtre des Déchargeurs.

After setting up home in Paris in 2000, Delerm took to walking the city street by street. One of his favourite haunts was "rue Robert-Estienne" in the 8^th arrondissement, a street where his idol, François Truffaut, once had his studios. Paris would become a constant source of fascination and inspiration for Delerm over the years. The singer developed a habit of hanging out in the Latin Quarter and roaming the Left Bank streets filled with publishers, experimental art cinemas, book-sellers and legendary Parisian cafés such as Le Flore.

Meanwhile, Delerm continued plugging away on the live circuit in Paris, performing in tiny theatres and cabarets in the Marais. It was here one fateful night that the young up-and-coming singer found himself performing in front of an audience that included the novelist Daniel Pennac, Vincent Frèrebeau (director of the Tôt ou Tard label) and French music star Thomas Fersen. The moment that really changed Delerm's life for good, however, came about in 2000 when he met François Morel, an actor with Jérôme Deschamp's famous comic troupe "Les Deschiens." Delerm presented Morel with a demo tape on this occasion and Morel was blown away by what he heard. The actor began handing out copies of Delerm's tape to venue owners on his theatre tours and also brought it to the attention of radio programmers at France Inter. It was thanks to Morel that Delerm appeared on France Inter's flagship programme "Sur le pont des artistes."

By this stage of his career Delerm had written around fifty songs, but he still had no album to his name. The young singer-songwriter continued to make a name for himself on the live circuit, however, performing once a week at the Théâtre des Déchargeurs during the winters of 2000 and 2001, where he shared the bill with Matthieu Vermeulen. Thomas Fersen happened to be in the audience one night and, impressed by what he heard, he rushed backstage after Delerm's show and invited him to be his support act at a series of concerts at La Cigale, in Paris, in June 2001. Fersen also introduced Delerm to various members of staff at his record label, Tôt ou Tard.

At the end of April 2002, Delerm's debut eponymous album was finally released on Tôt ou Tard (home to leading indie acts such as Les Têtes Raides, Thomas Fersen and Matthieu Boogaerts). Delerm recruited a host of first-class musicians in the making of his first album including Thomas Fersen's pianist, Cyrille Wambergue, the same arranger, Joseph Racaille and Yves Torchnisky on double bass. The album also showed a certain taste for Angelo Branduardi's baroque-style orchestrations (that Delerm had developed a liking for in his younger years). The album "Vincent Delerm" also featured guest appearances by French actors Fanny Ardant, Jean-Louis Trintignant (via an extract of dialogue from Claude Lelouch's cult film "Un homme et une femme") and Irène Jacob who provided guest vocals on a track entitled "Cosmopolitain."

Delerm's debut album proved to be a huge hit, selling 50,000 copies within two and a half months without any form of promotion (apart from regular play on France Inter and Delerm's four-week run at L’Européen, in Paris). Sales continued slowly but surely until they topped the 100,000 mark, putting Vincent Delerm firmly on the French music map. Delerm went on to support Julien Clerc on tour and appeared at the "Francofolies" music festival in July 2002. Delerm then embarked upon his own personal mega-tour, playing some 80 dates across the country. He wound things up with five concerts at Le Bataclan, in Paris (20 - 24 May 2003).

On 15 February 2003, Delerm won a coveted "Victoire de la Musique" award for Best Album by a Newcomer.

Delerm's second album, "Kensington Square", released in April 2004, tapped into the same elegantly melancholic style of songwriting as his eponymous debut. This second opus featured contributions from an impressive array of singer and actor friends including Irène Jacob (on "Deutsch Gramophon") and singers Keren Ann and Dominique A who joined Delerm on a song entitled "Veruca Salt et Frank Black."

Delerm enjoyed a brief theatrical interlude after the release of his second album. He finished writing a play entitled "Le fait d'habiter Bagnolet" (The Fact of Living in Bagnolet) which was staged by director Sophie Lecarpentier. Written in the same vein as most of his songs - which tend to evoke poignant vignettes of day-to-day life - the play followed the consequences of a chance encounter between a man and a woman. "Le fait d'habiter Bagnolet" enjoyed a successful run and was staged at the Théâtre du Rond-Point, in Paris, in 2004 and 2005. 

Delerm turned his hand to songwriting again after proving his talent as a playwright, penning material for his third album. "Les piqûres d'araignée" (Spider Bites), released in September 2006, was recorded in Sweden in collaboration with the Swedish singer Peter Von Poehl and his musicians. Neil Hannon (aka The Divine Comedy) also provided guest vocals on one track. Delerm's new album marked a certain shift in his songwriting with lyrics concentrating more on the present than the past. A song called "Du sépia plein les doigts" even poked fun at nostalgic yearnings for yesteryear. Musically speaking, a breath of fresh air whooshed through Delerm's new compositions, as witnessed on "Sous les avalanches", the first single release from the album.

Perhaps somewhat unfairly Delerm, a typical Parisian 30-something, has come to be labelled as a singer for "bourgeois bohemians". The veteran French protest singer Renaud even sent Delerm up on one of his new songs, "Les Bobos", complaining that "bobos" and bobo-associated topics feature in nearly every line Delerm writes. This has not stopped Delerm from continuing to enjoy mainstream popularity as a leading figure of "new French chanson" and fans flocked to see him in concert on the French tour he kicked off in October 2006.

2007 saw the release of the first two live albums of Delerm's career: "Vincent Delerm à la Cigale" and "Favourite Songs." The latter featured a series of duets recorded live at La Cigale, in Paris, with a host of prestigious guest stars including Georges Moustaki, Cali, Alain Chamfort, Katerine, Yves Simon and Alain Souchon. Delerm also teamed up for a studio duet with Helena Noguerra, "Les mots de rien", which appeared on Helena Noguerra's new album, "Fraise vanille."

2007 was also an eventful year in Vincent Delerm's personal life, the singer celebrating the birth of his first child, Sacha.

Delerm made a comeback on the recording front in November 2008 with a new album, simply entitled "Quinze chansons" (Fifteen songs). Many of the tracks on this new album were ultra-short - two of them lasting no more than 52 seconds apiece! Meanwhile, Delerm continued his habit of name-checking famous brands and celebrities in his song lyrics (as he had done on "Kensington Square" and "Les piqûres d’araignée"), making passing references to the British photographer Martin Parr, the French footballer Patrick Vierra, historian Max Gallo and actor Patrick Dewaere. Delerm also drew on recent history for inspiration, commemorating the 1970s on "Monterey" and the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the U.S. on "Allan et Louise." 

Musically speaking, Delerm's "Fifteen Songs" ranged from upbeat jazz-and-pop influenced tracks to more melancholy Leonard Cohen-style ballads. Delerm was joined in the studio by a bunch of his loyal musician, arranger and composer friends including Albin de la Simone, JP Nataf and Swedish singer Peter Von Poehl. Guest stars included trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf and the veteran French singer Alain Souchon. In January 2009, Delerm embarked upon an extensive tour, presenting his new album to fans. The singer's Parisian fanbase turned out in force to watch him perform every Monday night at La Cigale between 9 February and 9 March 2009. 

February 2009