François Feldman

François Feldman scored a string of hits in the 1980s, including three number-one singles. Born in Paris on May 23, 1958, to a Russian father and a Belgian mother, he grew up in Clichy-sous-Bois (Seine-Saint-Denis) and developed a passion for soul music. At the age of fourteen, his first guitar and piano lessons enabled him to compose and form a band. Winner of amateur competitions, he released his first single in 1977, featuring the title "Comme une petite fille", before recording several funk tracks with Yellow Hand. In 1982, he enjoyed success in Quebec with Ma Petite Vidéo, his first solo album, alongside a collaboration with the group Élégance, on backing vocals for the hit "Vacances, j'oublie tout". Signed to Phonogram's Big Bang label, François Feldman scores his first Top 50 hit with "Rien que pour toi" (#12), followed by the #9 album Vivre, Vivre (1987), which includes the hits "Slave" (#5), "Le Mal de toi " (#9) and "Je te retrouverai" (#19). These collaborations with lyricist Jean-Marie Moreau continued on the album Une Présence (1989, no. 2), whose release was preceded by the hits "Joue pas" (no. 2), a duet with American singer Joniece Jamison, and the romantic "Les Valses de Vienne", first at no. 1 for six weeks. The series continues in 1990 with three more samples, "C'est toi qui m'a fait" (no. 2), "Petit Frank" (no. 1 for three weeks) and the duet "J'ai peur" (no. 7), with the same performer. Building on this success, rewarded by a diamond album (one million copies sold), François Feldman broadened his range on the album Magic' Boul'vard (1991, No. 4), featuring the hits "Le Serpent qui danse" (No. 15), based on the poem by Charles Baudelaire, the title track at No. 12, "Joy " (third and final No. 1 for eight weeks) and "Tombé d'amour " (No. 8). After the live album Feldman à Bercy (1992), the singer again tasted the joys of the charts with the album Indigo (1993), which reached No. 13 on its release. After failing to return to the top of the charts, he went on to record another album, À Contre-Jour (1995), Couleurs d'Origine (1997) and Des Larmes et de l'Amour (2004). Remaining true to his danceable style, he took part in the RFM Party 80 tours (2007, 2010) and the films Stars 80 (2012) and Stars 80, la suite (2017), separated by new performances in 2015. In 2018, he returned to the studio with the album Vivant, followed by the reggaeton-tinged Latino (2020) and L'Origine (2021), which sees the return of Joniece Jamison.