Raphaël

Raphaël's blend of pop, rock, and French chanson made him one of the best-selling French artists of the early twenty-first century. Born in Paris on November 7, 1975, Raphaël Haroche grew up in a culturally-diverse household in the Parisian suburbs, raised by an Argentinean mother and a Moroccan Jewish father. He developed a musical skillset at a young age, learning to play the guitar, piano, and saxophone as a child. A decade later, those abilities helped Raphaël attract the attention of EMI, who signed the 24 year-old and released his debut, Hôtel de l'Univers, in 2000. The platinum-selling La Réalité followed in 2003 and charted at Number 24 in France, but its success was dwarfed by 2005's Caravane. Inspired by icons like David Bowie, the album was immensely popular only in France, where it charted at Number 1 and eventually earned a diamond certification, but also in European countries like Belgium and Switzerland. Released in 2006, the concert album Resistance à la Nuit showcased Raphaël's strength as a live act, while studio albums like 2008's Je Sais Que la Terre Est Plate and 2010's rock-influenced Pacific 231 continued his streak of platinum successes. Raphaël performed every instrument on 2012's Super-Welter, then collaborated with a Parisian children's choir on 2015's Somnambules. Anticyclone followed in 2017, with the diverse Haute Fidelité, featuring Pomme and Clara Luciani, arriving in 2020.