Rose Laurens

Best known for her 1982 hit "Africa ", Rose Laurens (née Rose Podwojny, 1953-2018) began her singing career ten years earlier. A singer with the progressive rock group Sandrose, then briefly solo under the name Rose Merryl, she met Jean-Pierre Goussaud, who composed all her first albums: Déraisonnable (1982), Vivre (1983, with "Mamy Yoko") and Écris Ta Vie Sur Moi (1986, featuring Francis Cabrel, Yves Simon and Yves Duteil). These years of international success, developed thanks to the rhythmic album Africa - Voodoo Master and the English adaptations of American Love (1986), gave way to a great emptiness when the singer decided to look after her partner, who was suffering from cancer. He composed the album J'Te Prêterai Jamais (1990, with "P'tit frère") before dying. Rose Laurens did not return to song until 1996, with the album Envie, and took part in nostalgic tours until her return to recording in 2015 with the release of the album A.D.N, written by Pierre Palmade. Stricken by a long illness, she died on the night of April 29-30, 2018, at the age of 65.