Patrick Fiori

Patrick Jean-François Chouchayan, better known as Patrick Fiori, took to singing and songwriting from an early age. Born in Marseille, France on September 23rd, 1969, he performed in his first musical when he was twelve years old, later penning his first single, “Stéphanie”, at sixteen. After opening shows for the likes of Barry White and Gilbert Montagné, he further widened his audience at the 1992 Fenouillèdes Song Contest with his winning rendition of “Au fil de l'eau”. Consequently taking up the mantle as France’s Eurovision Song Contest participant in 1993 with the bilingual song “Mama Corsica”, he made history as the show’s first contestant to sing in Corsican, paying homage to his mother's lineage in the process. The single was his first to enter the national charts, peaking at number 40. Fiori’s first two albums, 1994’s Puisque c’est l’heure and 1995’s Le cœur à l'envers, ensued, although both failed to chart. However, after successfully auditioning for the part of Phoebus in the musical Notre Dame de Paris, he went on to top the national charts in 1997 with a song from the soundtrack, the Daniel Lavoie and Garou collaboration “Belle”. Picking up two Victoires de la Musique awards for the song, he signed to Sony in 1998, marking a turning point in his long and illustrious career. Having now released eleven albums, many of which are Gold and Platinum-certified, he has since gone on to serve as a coach in two seasons of The Voice Kids, later securing two #2 albums in his home country with 2014’s Choisir and 2020’s Un air de famille.