Calogero Mauricci was born on 30 July 1971. His Sicilian parents were living in Echirolles, in the Grenoble suburbs, at the time. Calogero developed a passion for music at an early age and, together with his elder brother, Giaocchino (born three years earlier), he began learning to play the flute. Calogero was a gifted child who soon went on to master a variety of other instruments including organ, guitar and piano – and, of course, bass guitar, the instrument with which he would make his name! United by their common love of music, the Mauricci brothers went on to team up with a childhood friend, Francis, and the trio formed their own group. They started out performing covers of chart hits, but rapidly moved on to write their own material. The threesome soon became inseparable and their group, Les Charts, officially came into existence in 1986.

Fired by an urge to get on in life and emboldened by exuberant teenage confidence, the trio seized every opportunity they could – and this included inviting themselves to France Gall's table one night when the famous French singer turned up in a restaurant in Grenoble. Calogero, Giaocchino and Francis won France Gall over with their charm and she agreed to give them a helping hand, even though the trio did not even have a demo tape to their name at the time! It was around this period that Calogero changed his name to Charlie and grew his hair. With his long, curly locks he quickly became the lead singer and heartthrob of the band. Shortly afterwards, Les Charts moved to Paris to try their luck in the French capital. Thanks to a recommendation from France Gall, the trio hooked up with songwriter and producer Philippe Gaillard who got them into the studio to record their début album. Boosted by the success of the hit single "Je m’envole," Les Charts's first album went rocketing up the charts in no time.

Between 1989 and 1997, Les Charts recorded no less than five albums and spent intensive periods on the road, touring across Europe. Although "Notre monde à nous," released in 1991, scored a huge hit with French record-buyers, earning the group not one but two gold discs, Les Charts's career wavered from time to time. And when they faded from the limelight every now and then, Charlie was forced to fall back on odd jobs to earn a living, working as a postman, a barman and even a babysitter.

From Charlie back to Calogero

In 1992, Charlie was called in to provide backing vocals on Pascal Obispo's second album. The two singers struck up a lasting friendship (and Obispo would give a helping hand in the making of Calogero's first solo album a few years later). Meanwhile, in the late 90s, Calogero turned his hand to writing material for other artists, penning hits for the likes of major stars such as Florent Pagny, Ismaël Lô, Hélène Ségara and Patrick Fiori. He also contributed songs to the French musical "Les Dix Commandements."

Les Charts eventually split up, but this did not stop the former trio from getting together to work on compositions for Calogero's solo album, "Au milieu des autres," released in 2000. After having honed his live skills playing as a support act to Obispo and French pop diva Zazie, Calogero took to the stage alone. And he soon built up a core following of fans, made up of early admirers of Les Charts and new fans. In 2002, Calogero went on to release a second album, produced by Pierre Jaconelli, and it was this eponymous follow-up which catapulted him to fame on the musical mainstream.

Rocketing to the top of the charts

"En apesanteur", the first single release from this second album, sent Calogero rocketing up the French charts and established him as a promising solo artist. On his second album, the singer drew on a wide range of musical influences from French stars such as William Sheller and Barbara to The Cure and Ennio Morricone. Calogero made his mark with an original new repertoire that spawned a string of successive hits such as "Aussi libre que moi", "Prendre racine" and "Tien An Men." The album also featured a guest appearance by former 60s idol Françoise Hardy, who added her sultry vocals to the ballad "Une dernière chance" – a fitting gift for Calogero who had covered many of Ms. Hardy's songs at the start of his career!

Lucky Number

The figure "3" became something of a talisman in Calogero's career, not only recalling his early days as part of a trio, but also chosen as the title of his third album. This third album, which confirmed Calogero's reputation as one of the fastest rising stars on the French music scene, featured songs penned by leading lyric-writers such as Lionel Florence, Patrice Guirao and Raphaël. Released at the end of 2003 (while Calogero's second album continued its reign in the upper reaches of the French charts with sales fast approaching the million mark!), "3" broadened Calogero's appeal, attracting a new following of fans.

Meanwhile, Calogero received recognition from his peers, winning a coveted "Victoire de la musique" award as "Best Male Artist of 2003." From this point on, nothing appeared to be able to stop the remarkable rise of the French "newcomer" with eighteen years' experience behind him!

"3" spawned a series of hit singles which kept Calogero in the upper reaches of the French charts throughout 2004. "Face à la mer", Calogero's unexpected pop'n'rap duo with rap Passi was followed by "Yalla" (a tribute to the charity work of French nun Soeur Emmanuelle) and the tender love song "Si seulement je pouvais lui manquer." While some critics complained that Calogero's studio work tended towards bland popdom, there was no denying that the singer came into his own live on stage. Fuelled by vibrant energy and a touching authenticity, Calogero's live shows proved to be an absolute triumph when he kicked off an extensive national tour in the autumn of 2004. Highlights of the tour included performances at L'Européen and Le Zénith in Paris.

Calogero continued his extensive tour, playing dates in major towns and cities across France. Meanwhile, the Grenoble-born singer released "Live 1.0", the first live album of his career (recorded on 22 August 2005), featuring his greatest hits to date such as "De cendres et de Terres" and "Tien An Men" as well as duets with La Grande Sophie ("Du courage") and Raphael ("Sur la route"). In September, Calogero married Hortense, his partner of four years, with whom he had had a daughter, Nina, in 2003.

"Live 1.0" and the accompanying DVD proved to be a big hit and ended up being nominated in the "Best Music DVD of the Year" category at the "Victoires de la Musique" Awards in 2006. The DVD did not win, but Calogero walked away with another trophy at the "Victoires" instead, winning "Best Original Song of the Year" for "Si seulement je pouvais lui manquer" (dedicated to his father).

2007: "Pomme C"

Calogero took a well-deserved break after this, then headed off to Tuscany where he spent the following months in the peace and quiet of the Italian countryside, working on material for his new album. His fourth studio album, recorded with the musicians from his last tour, was released in March 2007. “Pomme C” (“Apple C” – a reference to the copy function on Mac computers) featured eleven songs all written by Calogero’s close friend, the alternative French pop diva Zazie. Outstanding tracks included “Suis-je assez clair” (a song about Calogero’s father who arrived as an immigrant in France in the 1950s), “Mélodie en sous-sol” (about the power of music as therapy, evacuating negative emotions such as violence and hate) and “Me dit-elle” (where Calogero sang from a woman’s perspective). The first single release from the album was “Le saut de l'ange.”

Influenced by bands such as Muse and Coldplay, Calogero has made no secret of the fact that he has a strong attachment to Anglo-Saxon music. His new album revolved around clear pop and rock arrangements even if he did also occasionally stray into the domain of French ‘variété.’ The melodies on “Pomme C” certainly proved to be as catchy as ever, delighting his ever-loyal fanbase.

March 2007