Chantal Chamandy
Encyclopedia
Chantal Chamandy is a Canadian singer and entertainer based in Montreal
, Quebec
. She previously performed under the names Chantal Condor and Chantal.
, a disco
duo she formed with Angela Songui. In 1980, the duo released its first self-titled album, which contains the singles "Love Buzz", "Here We Are" and their most successful single, "Dancin' the Night Away". In 1983, a second album was released on Matra Records, containing the singles "I Want To Dance" and "Sunstruck Lovers". Voggue disbanded in 1984.
After Voggue, she recorded as a solo act. She released the single "Hands Up" in 1985 on Epic Records
using her full name Chantal Condor. The song would be remade by Canadian trio Sway in 1987 and become a big Canadian hit. The single led to an album deal with the label, and she released the album Chantal Condor in 1986. Her style was sometimes described as Italo disco
. Off the album came the singles "Marinero" (backed with "Don't You Want My Love") and "Nightmare". She received a Juno Award
nomination in 1986 for Most Promising Female Vocalist of the Year
, but lost to Kim Richardson.
In 1989, she dropped use of her last name, releasing Chantal, on the Columbia Records
label. The single "A Little Lovin'" became her only charting single on Canada's RPM 100 Singles chart. In 1991 she became a member of the French-Canadian dance quartet Collage and appeared on their first and only album, but soon left the group. They then became a trio and the album was re-released without Chantal on the cover.
She did not release new material again until 2006, when she released a series of singles on her own independent label Ninemuse. She also used a number of unconventional strategies to get her name and material back into the public eye, including a self-financed marketing campaign on public transit and selling her single "Feels Like Love" for $1 a copy in the Dollarama
chain of dollar store
s, which resulted in the single selling over 10,000 copies and being picked up for sale in conventional record stores. She released Love Needs You, her first new album since 1989, later the same year.
On 7 September 2007, she performed a concert in front of the Great Pyramid of Giza
in Egypt in conjunction with the Cairo Symphony Orchestra
. That performance was released on album and DVD in 2008 as Beladi, and was also made available for broadcast on PBS in the United States
.
Chamandy is also credited with some small appearances in Canadian films.
Chantal was produced by Peter Wood
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. She previously performed under the names Chantal Condor and Chantal.
Career
Her first success was as part of VoggueVoggue
Voggue was a female disco vocal duo from Canada composed of Chantal Condor and Angela Songui.In 1980, the duo released its first self-titled album, which contains the singles "Love Buzz", "Here We Are" and their most successful single, "Dancin' the Night Away". In 1983, a second album was released...
, a disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
duo she formed with Angela Songui. In 1980, the duo released its first self-titled album, which contains the singles "Love Buzz", "Here We Are" and their most successful single, "Dancin' the Night Away". In 1983, a second album was released on Matra Records, containing the singles "I Want To Dance" and "Sunstruck Lovers". Voggue disbanded in 1984.
After Voggue, she recorded as a solo act. She released the single "Hands Up" in 1985 on Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
using her full name Chantal Condor. The song would be remade by Canadian trio Sway in 1987 and become a big Canadian hit. The single led to an album deal with the label, and she released the album Chantal Condor in 1986. Her style was sometimes described as Italo disco
Italo disco
Italo disco encompasses much of the dance music output in Europe during the 1980s. It is one of the world's first forms of mostly electronic dance music and evolved during the late 1970s and early 1980s in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and other parts of Europe...
. Off the album came the singles "Marinero" (backed with "Don't You Want My Love") and "Nightmare". She received a Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
nomination in 1986 for Most Promising Female Vocalist of the Year
Juno Award for New Artist of the Year
The Juno Award for New Artist of the Year has been awarded since 1974 as recognition each year for the best new artist/musician in Canada. The category was originally divided by separate awards for men and women...
, but lost to Kim Richardson.
In 1989, she dropped use of her last name, releasing Chantal, on the Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
label. The single "A Little Lovin'" became her only charting single on Canada's RPM 100 Singles chart. In 1991 she became a member of the French-Canadian dance quartet Collage and appeared on their first and only album, but soon left the group. They then became a trio and the album was re-released without Chantal on the cover.
She did not release new material again until 2006, when she released a series of singles on her own independent label Ninemuse. She also used a number of unconventional strategies to get her name and material back into the public eye, including a self-financed marketing campaign on public transit and selling her single "Feels Like Love" for $1 a copy in the Dollarama
Dollarama
Dollarama is a chain of over 690 dollar stores across Canada. The company is headquartered in Montreal and, since 2009, is Canada's largest retailer of items for 2 dollars or less. The first Dollarama store was created at the shopping centre "Les promenades du St-Laurent" in Matane...
chain of dollar store
Dollar store
A variety store or price-point retailer is a retail store that sells inexpensive items, often with a single price for all items in the store...
s, which resulted in the single selling over 10,000 copies and being picked up for sale in conventional record stores. She released Love Needs You, her first new album since 1989, later the same year.
On 7 September 2007, she performed a concert in front of the Great Pyramid of Giza
Great Pyramid of Giza
The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis bordering what is now El Giza, Egypt. It is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one to remain largely intact...
in Egypt in conjunction with the Cairo Symphony Orchestra
Cairo Symphony Orchestra
The Cairo Symphony Orchestra, , is an orchestra based in Cairo, Egypt. It was founded in 1959 by its first music director and conductor, Franz Litschauer...
. That performance was released on album and DVD in 2008 as Beladi, and was also made available for broadcast on PBS in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Chamandy is also credited with some small appearances in Canadian films.
Albums
- Chantal Condor (1986)
- Chantal (1989)
- Love Needs You (August 15, 2006)
- Beladi (2008)
Singles
- "Hands Up" (1985)
- "Marinero" (1986)
- "Nightmare" (1986)
- "A Little Lovin'" (1989)
- "Angel In Your Eyes" (1989)
- "You Want Me" (January 1, 2006)
- "Feels Like Love" (August 8, 2006)
Chantal album (1989)
List of track titles (writers) - Chantal performs lead vocals for all songs, unless noted otherwise.- "A Little Lovin'" (Brian MacleodBrian MacLeodBrian MacLeod is a recording drummer and songwriter. He has been a member of Wire Train, Toy Matinee, and the "Tuesday Music Club" collective along with Sheryl Crow, the genesis of her album Tuesday Night Music Club....
) - "Angel in Your Eyes" (Brian MacleodBrian MacLeodBrian MacLeod is a recording drummer and songwriter. He has been a member of Wire Train, Toy Matinee, and the "Tuesday Music Club" collective along with Sheryl Crow, the genesis of her album Tuesday Night Music Club....
) - "Don't You Want My Love" (Aldo NovaAldo NovaAldo Nova is a Canadian guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist and producer, Nova gained fame with his self-titled debut album Aldo Nova in 1981, and its accompanying single "Fantasy", which climbed to #23 on the Billboard Hot 100.-Career:Signing with Portrait Records, Nova released a self-produced...
) - "Can't Dance Forever" (Ken LeRay)
- "Let Me Be the One" (Peter WoodPeter WoodPeter John Wood was an English musician, born in Middlesex, England. In his early years he lived with his parents in Hythe Field Avenue, Egham, Surrey...
, Chantal) - Duet with Chantal and Michael Ruff - "Sometimes Love Can Heal a Broken Heart" (Peter Wood, Chantal)
- "Imagination" (Ross, Bayyan)
- "You've Got Potential" (Michael Jay, Alan Scott)
- "Some Kind of Magic" (M. Mangold, Aldo NovaAldo NovaAldo Nova is a Canadian guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist and producer, Nova gained fame with his self-titled debut album Aldo Nova in 1981, and its accompanying single "Fantasy", which climbed to #23 on the Billboard Hot 100.-Career:Signing with Portrait Records, Nova released a self-produced...
) - "Ready or Note?" (Peter Wood, Chantal)
- "Bells" (D. Allen, R. Van Hoy, M. Humpris)
Chantal was produced by Peter Wood
Peter Wood
Peter John Wood was an English musician, born in Middlesex, England. In his early years he lived with his parents in Hythe Field Avenue, Egham, Surrey...
Filmography
- Scanners III: The Takeover (1992) - Female Guest. One of the sequels to ScannersScannersScanners is a 1981 science-fiction horror film written and directed by David Cronenberg and starring Jennifer O'Neill, Stephen Lack, Michael Ironside, and Patrick McGoohan...
- Crazy Moon (1987) - Cleveland's Girlfriend
- Wednesday's Children: Robert (1987) (Short film)
- Miles to Go (1986) (TV movie) - Meg
- Discussions in Bioethics: Critical Choice (1985) (Short film)
External links
- Chantal Chamandy's official website
- Chantal Chamandy on Virb
- Chantal Chamandy's Myspace
- Ninemuse's website
- Chantal Condor at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- Chantal (album) at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- "Marinero / Don't You Want My Love" at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- [ "Dancin' the Night Away"] at Allmusic