Corneille (singer)
Encyclopedia
Cornelius Nyungura is a singer who performs under the name Corneille. He was born in Germany to Rwanda
n parents, though he currently holds a Canadian passport and sings in French and English. His work is greatly influenced by American funk
and soul music
; among those he admires are Prince
, Marvin Gaye
and Stevie Wonder
.
, Germany where his parents were studying, though he spent most of his childhood in Rwanda. He discovered his passion for music in 1993, and so joined an R&B group, who won the Découverte 1993 competition. This also introduced him to songwriting and musical composition
. However, his life changed after the genocide
in 1994. His father, Émile Nyungura, was a leader of the political party (PSD); as a result, his parents and some of his relatives were killed in the Genocide. Corneille fled to Germany, where some of his parents' friends took him in.
, Quebec, Canada to attend Concordia University
. During this time, he founded O.N.E., an R&B band, with Pierre Gage
and Gardy Martin, whom he had met shortly after arriving in Quebec. Zoukin, one of the group's songs written by Corneille, rose to first place in Canadian airplay
. Then, at the beginning of 2001, Corneille left the group, wishing to pursue a solo career. He began to center his songs on his past.
During 2002, Corneille worked on various projects. He wrote and composed the songs "Ce soir" for the Cocktail R&B 2 compilation (Ghetto R&B, Sony Music) and "Si seulement on s'aimait" for Hip Hop Folies (Sony Music). Invited by Dave Stewart
, he performed at his first showcase
at the Réservoir in Paris, and had the chance to sing with Jimmy Cliff
. In January 2003, he was invited to perform the first part of Cunnie Williams at Olympia
. His first public concert at Opus Club followed shortly thereafter.
Corneille's first album, the Canadian version of Parce qu'on vient de loin, was released on 10 September 2002. It was little known. The French version, which included numerous bonuses on the second disc, was released on 20 October 2003. It quickly became successful. To date, the album sold more than a million copies.
In April 2003, Corneille sang with Craig David
, repeating a verse in French in the song Rise and Fall. He underwent his first tour during May 2003, receiving a full house in Paris, Marseilles, Lyon
and Bordeaux
. In March 2005, the singer participated in the concert Africa Live, which was organised to fight against (malaria) paludism
. This is the first time that he has returned to his home continent since the genocide.
Les marchands de rêves, Corneille's second album, was released in November 2005.
Corneille is working with the Canadian Red Cross
to raise awareness of children who are victims of war. He finished recording his first English-language album, The Birth Of Cornelius, which was released in July 2007. The first single is called "Back To Life". writting by mrs. smith
He married Sofia de Medeiros (see External Link), his girlfriend of four years, on 9 September 2006 in a small and private ceremony by the lake at the Quintessence hotel, 130 km north of Montreal. She is a model and actress of Canadian and Portuguese parentage.
Live albums & DVDs
http://lescharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Corneille
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
n parents, though he currently holds a Canadian passport and sings in French and English. His work is greatly influenced by American funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
and soul music
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
; among those he admires are Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
, Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
and Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
.
Early life
Corneille was born in FreiburgFreiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In the extreme south-west of the country, it straddles the Dreisam river, at the foot of the Schlossberg. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Breisgau region on the western edge of the Black Forest in the Upper Rhine Plain...
, Germany where his parents were studying, though he spent most of his childhood in Rwanda. He discovered his passion for music in 1993, and so joined an R&B group, who won the Découverte 1993 competition. This also introduced him to songwriting and musical composition
Musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
. However, his life changed after the genocide
Rwandan Genocide
The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days through mid-July, over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate...
in 1994. His father, Émile Nyungura, was a leader of the political party (PSD); as a result, his parents and some of his relatives were killed in the Genocide. Corneille fled to Germany, where some of his parents' friends took him in.
Career
In July 1997, Corneille decided to leave Germany in order to pursue studies in communication, and moved to MontrealMontreal
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, Canada to attend Concordia University
Concordia University
Concordia University is a comprehensive Canadian public university located in Montreal, Quebec, one of the two universities in the city where English is the primary language of instruction...
. During this time, he founded O.N.E., an R&B band, with Pierre Gage
Pierre Gage
Pierre Gage , known by his last name Gage, is a Francophone Canadian singer/songwriter of Jamaican and Haitian ancestry.- Biography :...
and Gardy Martin, whom he had met shortly after arriving in Quebec. Zoukin, one of the group's songs written by Corneille, rose to first place in Canadian airplay
Airplay (song)
Airplay is a term used in the radio broadcasting industry to state how frequently a song is being played on over-the-air radio stations. For example, a song which is being played several times every day would be classed as receiving a large amount of airplay...
. Then, at the beginning of 2001, Corneille left the group, wishing to pursue a solo career. He began to center his songs on his past.
During 2002, Corneille worked on various projects. He wrote and composed the songs "Ce soir" for the Cocktail R&B 2 compilation (Ghetto R&B, Sony Music) and "Si seulement on s'aimait" for Hip Hop Folies (Sony Music). Invited by Dave Stewart
David A. Stewart
David Allan Stewart , often known as Dave Stewart, is an English musician, songwriter and record producer, best known for his work with Eurythmics. He is usually credited as David A. Stewart, to avoid confusion with other musicians named "Dave Stewart".-Early life:Stewart was born in Sunderland,...
, he performed at his first showcase
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
at the Réservoir in Paris, and had the chance to sing with Jimmy Cliff
Jimmy Cliff
Jimmy Cliff, OM is a Jamaican musician, singer and actor. He is the only currently living musician to hold the Order of Merit, the highest honour that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievement in the arts and sciences...
. In January 2003, he was invited to perform the first part of Cunnie Williams at Olympia
Paris Olympia
The Olympia is a music hall in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. Located at No. 28, Boulevard des Capucines, its closest métro/RER stations are Madeleine, Opéra, Havre – Caumartin and Auber....
. His first public concert at Opus Club followed shortly thereafter.
Corneille's first album, the Canadian version of Parce qu'on vient de loin, was released on 10 September 2002. It was little known. The French version, which included numerous bonuses on the second disc, was released on 20 October 2003. It quickly became successful. To date, the album sold more than a million copies.
In April 2003, Corneille sang with Craig David
Craig David
Craig Ashley David is an English singer and songwriter. He has released five studio albums: Born to Do It, Slicker Than Your Average, The Story Goes..., Trust Me, Signed Sealed Delivered and a Greatest Hits album...
, repeating a verse in French in the song Rise and Fall. He underwent his first tour during May 2003, receiving a full house in Paris, Marseilles, Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
and Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
. In March 2005, the singer participated in the concert Africa Live, which was organised to fight against (malaria) paludism
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
. This is the first time that he has returned to his home continent since the genocide.
Les marchands de rêves, Corneille's second album, was released in November 2005.
Corneille is working with the Canadian Red Cross
Canadian Red Cross
The Canadian Red Cross Society is a Canadian humanitarian charitable organization and one of 186 national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies....
to raise awareness of children who are victims of war. He finished recording his first English-language album, The Birth Of Cornelius, which was released in July 2007. The first single is called "Back To Life". writting by mrs. smith
Personal life
Corneille officially became a Canadian citizen on 8 November 2004.He married Sofia de Medeiros (see External Link), his girlfriend of four years, on 9 September 2006 in a small and private ceremony by the lake at the Quintessence hotel, 130 km north of Montreal. She is a model and actress of Canadian and Portuguese parentage.
Albums
Studio albums- 2002: Parce qu'on vient de loinParce qu'on vient de loinParce qu'on vient de loin is the debut album released by Corneille at the end of 2002. It reached #4 in the French Albums Chart staying a total of 99 weeks in the chart....
- 2003: Parce qu'on vient de loin (édition deluxe)Parce qu'on vient de loinParce qu'on vient de loin is the debut album released by Corneille at the end of 2002. It reached #4 in the French Albums Chart staying a total of 99 weeks in the chart....
(two discs) - 2005: Les marchands de rêvesLes marchands de rêvesLes marchands de rêves is a 2005 studio album of Corneille that became the most successful of his albums reaching #3 in the French Albums Chart....
- 2007: The Birth of CorneilliusThe Birth of CorneilliusThe Birth of Corneillius is a 2007 studio album by Corneille released in 2007. It was an English language album in contrast to earlier Corneille albums in French language...
- 2009: Sans titreSans titre (album)Sans titre is the 2009 studio album of Corneille. It was released in 2009 reaching #21 in the French Albums Chart and staying for 10 weeks in the chart.-Tracklist:# "Elle me ment"# "En attendant"# "Sans nous"# "Ma comedie"# "Le parasite"...
- 2011: Les inséparablesLes inséparablesLes inséparables is a studio album by Corneille released on 24 October 2011. and reached #10 on the French Albums Chart.-Tracklist:#"L'espoir en stéréo" #"Le jour après la fin du monde" #"Des pères, des hommes et des frères"...
Live albums & DVDs
- 2005: LiveLive (Corneille album)Live is a live double album of Corneille, that was released in 2005 and reached #9 in the French Albums Chart, staying 35 weeks in the chart.Disc 1:# "Redemption Song" # "Terre"# "Sans rancune"# "Laissez-nous vivre"# "Toi"...
(double album) - Also a DVD
Singles
- 2004: "Parce qu'on vient de loin"
- 2004: "Rêves de star"
- 2004: "Ensemble"
- 2004: "Avec classe"
- 2004: "Seul au monde"
- 2004: "Comme un fils"
- 2005: "Le bon Dieu est une femme"
- 2006: "Les marchands de rêves"
- 2011: "Co-Pilot" (French Version) with Kristina MariaKristina MariaKristina Maria is a Lebanese Canadian pop singer-songwriter.-Early life:Maria comes from a family of musical artists...
- 2011: "Le jour après la fin du monde"
- 2011: "Des pères, des hommes et des frères" feat. La FouineLa FouineLaouni Mouhid, commonly known by his alias La Fouine or Fouiskin , is a French rapper of Moroccan origins from the city of Trappes, Yvelines in the Paris western suburbs. He is a growing figure of French rap. La Fouine signed with Sony Records in 2003 and released his debut album, Bourré au son,...
http://lescharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Corneille
Awards
- NRJ Music AwardsNRJ Music AwardsThe NRJ Music Awards, created in 2000 by the radio station NRJ in partnership with the television network TF1 takes place every year in mid-January at Cannes as the opening of MIDEM...
(le VIe)- Clip de l'année with Parce qu'on vient de loin (2005)
- MSSC Awards 2004
See also
- List of Francophone male singers
- Virginie PouchainVirginie PouchainVirginie Pouchain, born 1980 in Saint-Montan, Ardèche, is a singer and hairdresser from the département of Ardèche in southern France. On 14 March 2006 she was selected by the viewers of France 3 and a jury presided by Charles Aznavour to represent France in Eurovision Song Contest 2006. For the...
, who represented France at the Eurovision singing competition of 2006, where she finished in 22nd place on 24 with Il était temps, a song written by Corneille.
External links
- News and discussions on Corneille
- Corneille's official website
- Sofia de Medeiros official website CorneilleZone Unofficial Fan Site Corneille Online Audio Interview Red Cross Article – Corneille et des jeunes du secondaire mobilisent les élèves de l’école Le Carrefour en faveur des enfants victimes de conflits armés