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Biography
Pauline Croze
With her soft, crooning vocals and hip-swaying rhythms, Pauline Croze has carved out her own unique place on the new French music scene. Her collaboration with Edith Fambuena (a former member of Les Valentins) helped her make a major breakthrough at the Transmusicales festival in Rennes. And her refreshingly simple debut album has proved a hit with critics and fans alike.
Pauline Croze was born in Noisy-le-Sec, in a suburb north of Paris, on 4 May 1979. She became interested in music at an early age and by 14 was already singing and accompanying herself on guitar. Unbeknownst to her then, this would prove to be a winning formula in the years to come! Pauline began giving her first concerts in public at the age of 20, performing songs she had written with Quito (from the group Señor Holmes).
Les Transmusicales
This collaboration paved the way for another important songwriting partnership that was a major turning-point in her career. In January 2003, Pauline started working with Anne Claverie and made the acquaintance of Edith Fambuena who, in the ‘90s had been in Les Valentins (the group, protégés of Etienne Daho, had also provided a launchpad for Gérald De Palmas). Edith took charge of the arrangements of Pauline’s songs, initially working on a dozen tracks for her.
This collaboration started to open doors for young Ms. Croze and, by the end of that year, she was performing at major French music festivals such as Les Transmusicales in Rennes. Her performance impressed critics and fans alike and she was hailed as one of the hottest new discoveries of Les Trans 2003. Thanks to her two appearances in the Breton ‘capital’, Rennes, Pauline Croze began to make a name for herself as a major up-and-coming act and monthly French music magazine Les Inrockuptibles included her song "Larmes" on its "CQFD" compilation. Pauline began 2004 assuring a hectic live schedule, performing as support act for major stars such as Cali, Miossec, Lhasa and the group Tryo. Her simple guitar/vocals style proved a big hit with audiences.
La Fête de la musique
Pauline celebrated her 25th birthday in style, signing a debut recording deal with Wagram. At the same time, she received a coveted SACEM award in the new talent section at the Chorus des Hauts de Seine festival. On 21 June 2004 - a highly symbolic date being the day of the Fête de la Musique – Pauline went into the studio to record her debut eponymous album. Edith Fambuena produced the twelve-track opus, an elaborate puzzle featuring finely-crafted guitar-led arrangements and lyrics that oscillated between love and despair. Apart from the already famous "Larmes", the album included a number of other musical gems including "T'es beau", "Mise à nu ?" and "Jeunesse affamée."
Pauline’s album, released on 14 February 2005, received good reviews in the music press and also won her a nomination for the FAIR award 2005. Meanwhile, the young singer continued to make her name as a support act, performing with major French stars such as M and Bernard Lavilliers. Pauline also played a special one-off acoustic concert at the women’s prison in Rennes after which, in March 2005, she went on to perform as a headlining act in Paris for the first time, brining the house down at Le Zèbre, then at La Maroquinerie (in June) and La Cigale (in November). Pauline also did the round of that summer’s festivals, putting in appearances at Les Francofolies in La Rochelle and Montreal.
Album re-release
Pauline’s debut album was re-released at the end of 2005 in a new version featuring two previously unreleased songs ("You're The One That I Want" et "M'en voulez vous encore?") and a bonus DVD that included the video clip to "Larmes" and a 26-minute documentary ("Mise à nu?"). Meanwhile, "M'en voulez vous" was actively promoted as the new single release.
The young singer from the Paris region went on to gain further recognition the following year, winning the "Prix Adami Bruno Coquatrix 2006" (awarded by a jury of record industry professionals and media representatives). 2006 proved to be a full-on year for Ms. Croze as she also won two nominations at the Victoires de la Musique Awards 2006 in two different categories ("Breakthrough Act" voted by the public and "Album of the Year.") Although Pauline did not actually walk off with an award, her performance at the ceremony was one of the highlights of the night and considerably boosted her album sales.
Meanwhile, Pauline picked up her live schedule where she had left off, completing an extensive tour which, at the end of April 2006, took her to Chile as part of a French music showcase organised by the AFAA (Association Française d'Action Artistique).
Pauline Croze released her second album, "Un bruit qui court", on 12 November 2007. This follow-up album found the singer experimenting with a far richer musical palette than the simple guitar-vocals that had formed the basis of her eponymous debut. Pauline introduced a wide range of musical instruments on "Un bruit qui court" including the calabash, the marimbula (a traditional folk music instrument from Cuba) and the guimbri (a three-stringed lute used by Gnawan musicians). Meanwhile, Pauline also drew on different musical styles such as trip-hop, electro, funk, jazz and even bossa nova on a track entitled "Valparaiso." The singer wrote all the lyrics on her new album herself with the exception of "Baiser d'Adieu" (written by Arthur H). Taking responsibility for most of the arrangements on "Un bruit qui court", the singer co-produced her album with Jean Lamoot (renowned for his work with Alain Bashung, Salif Keita and Les Têtes Raides).
In February 2008, Pauline kicked off a major French tour which included two concerts at Le Bataclan, in Paris (10 & 11 March 2008).
August 2008
© RFI Musique
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30/11/2007 -
