Matthieu Chedid

Matthieu Chedid was born in Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France. His father Louis Chedid is a singer from a family of Lebanese and Syrian extraction, of Maronite and Greek Orthodox Christian background.{{Cite web |last=BRETON |first=Benoit LE |date=2013-05-23 |title=Le chanteur M fait un triomphe à Villejean |url=https://www.ouest-france.fr/bretagne/rennes-35000/le-chanteur-m-fait-un-triomphe-villejean-956188 |access-date=2024-08-25 |website=Ouest-France.fr |language=fr}}{{Cite book |last=Chedid |first=Andrée |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S44xO4zSVcMC&q=andre%C3%A9+chedid+lebanon+and+Syria&pg=PA4 |title=The Prose and Poetry of Andrée Chedid: Selected Poems, Short Stories, and Essays |date=1990 |publisher=Summa Publications, Inc. |isbn=978-0-917786-78-5 |language=en}} Louis Chedid's mother Andrée (née Saab) was an Egyptian-born French writer and poet, who has written lyrics for Matthieu Chedid's songs. Matthieu Chedid's sisters are the music video and concert director Émilie Chedid (born in 1970) and French singer Anna Chedid (born in 1987), also known by her stage name Nach. His brother Joseph "Selim" Chedid (born in 1986) is also a French singer and a guitar and drums player.

Chedid took an interest in music early on. In 1978, at the age of six, Chedid lent his voice to the chorus of his father's hit song T'as beau pas être beau alongside older sister, Émilie. During his teenage years and early twenties, Chedid was part of short-lasting groups such as Tam Tam, Les Bébés fous and Les Poissons Rouges with Mathieu Boogaerts, as well as Julien Voulzy and Pierre Souchon (respectively the sons of singers Laurent Voulzy and Alain Souchon) who went on to form the duo Les Cherche Midi.

He has collaborated with a number of artists, both on stage and in the recording studio. Early into his solo career, Chedid was the opening act for Texas concerts. He has recorded with NTM, Sinclair, Billy Ze Kick, Brigitte Fontaine, Sean Lennon, Vanessa Paradis, and Johnny Hallyday.

Until 2008, Chedid was in a relationship with French actress Audrey Tautou.{{Cite web|language=fr |date=27 June 2016|title=Audrey Tautou est en couple |trans-title=Audrey Tautou is in a relationship |url=https://www.lalibre.be/lifestyle/people/audrey-tautou-est-en-couple-5770e76b35705701fd9025bd|access-date=19 June 2023 |website=LaLibre}}{{Additional citation needed|date=June 2023}}

Chedid performs and records under the stage name -M-. Chedid created -M- as means of overcoming his shyness on stage and also as a way of distancing his work from that of his father and grandmother. The pseudonym comes from Chedid's first initial but also refers to the similar-sounding French word aime, meaning love. The character -M- is a superhero, noted for having a playful nature, and recognized for his flamboyant costumes (primarily monochrome suits with slim trousers and long jackets with upward pointed collars) and hair styled into the shape of an M.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}

In 1997, -M- released his first solo album Le Baptême. During this time; he played mainly solo or with the cellist Vincent Ségal. The album received overall positive critical reception, but public recognition only came a few months later, with the release of the single "Machistador".{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}

File:Matthieu Chedid 2014.jpg

In 1999, -M- published his second album, Je dis aime a title that puns 'aime' (like/love) with 'M'. A few months later, the album was 11th on the French Charts, with more than 500,000 albums sold, thanks to a number of successful songs ("Je dis aime", "Onde Sensuelle", "Monde Virtuel", "Le complexe du corn-flakes", "Mama Sam").

Live, -M- played with Cyril Atef, Vincent Segal and DJ Shalom for the samples on some songs. He still works with his sister Emilie Chedid for the realisation of the clips. His live performance largely contributed to his success, playing on his character of -M- to transform every concert into a show. He won his first Victoire de la Musique awards for Male Artist of the Year and Concert of the Year.

-M- gained international exposure through his recording of the song "Belleville Rendez-vous" for the soundtrack of the 2003 Sylvain Chomet animated film The Triplets of Belleville in both French and English. The song, with lyrics by Chomet and music by Benoit Charest, was nominated for a 2003 Academy Award. The music video for "Belleville Rendez-vous" uses both a live-action depiction of -M- and an animated depiction incorporated into footage from the film.

In autumn 2003, he released his 3rd album Qui de nous deux (Which one of us two) with the singles "Qui de nous deux", "La bonne étoile", "Mon ego". Softer, this album saw the birth of his first daughter, Billie, for whom an all-pink guitar was built by instrument-maker Cyril Guérin. A pink guitar can be seen in the video for "Qui de nous deux".

In 2007, he worked once again with Vanessa Paradis on her album Divinidylle, released in September 2007.

Rumors circulated before the release of his 2009 studio album, Mister Mystère, that Chedid had decided to drop the character -M- to record and perform under his given name.{{cite web|language=fr |url=https://www.7sur7.be/musique/matthieu-chedid-range-le-gel-et-tue-m~a5a1ef31/ |title=Matthieu Chédid range le gel et tue -M- |date=26 June 2008 |website=7sur7.be |access-date=19 June 2023}} The album, however, was released under the name -M- but included photographs of the singer without the wild costumes and hair associated with the -M- character. The music video for the first single, "Le Roi des ombres", showed Chedid burning a tiny effigy of his alterego.[http://www.2yeuxet1plume.com/article-35049832.html Review on 2yeuxet1plume / Autour de Matthieu Chedid] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707062426/http://www.2yeuxet1plume.com/article-35049832.html |date=7 July 2011 }} (French)

Chedid was part of the musical group Louis, Matthieu, Joseph et Anna Chedid with several members of his family. They began with a tour in 2015, which was followed by a studio recording.

In autumn 2012, he released the album, Îl, played with Lawrence Clais and Brad Thomas Ackley.

He worked with Toumani Diabaté and Sidiki Diabaté on a collective album, Lamomali, released in March 2017[http://www.2yeuxet1plume.com/nouvel_album_lamomali_chedid_diabate Lamomali, futur album à la croisée des mondes, par 2yeuxet1plume / Autour de Matthieu Chedid] (French) The album also features many well regarded names from the world music scene, such as Philippe Jaroussky, Oxmo Puccino, Youssou N'Dour, Seu Jorge, and Fatoumata Diawara, lending a mesmeric world music flavour to it that celebrates cultural diversity and world peace. The album "showcases musical stylings from across the planet, whilst at its core it contains a traditional West African rhythm".{{Cite web |last=Wiser |first=Danny |date=2020-07-08 |title=MALI/FRANCE: Lamomali - Toumani Diabaté, Sidiki Diabaté & -M- |url=https://www.200worldalbums.com/post/mali-lamomali-toumani-diabat%C3%A9-sidiki-diabat%C3%A9-m |access-date=2024-06-24 |website=200worldalbums.com |language=en}}

In 2019, he released the studio album, Lettre infinie, featuring collaborations from Thomas Bangalter and Phillipe Zdar.{{Cite web |date=2018-11-23 |title=Thomas Bangalter a co-produit un titre avec Matthieu Chedid |url=https://www.tsugi.fr/thomas-bangalter-a-co-produit-un-titre-avec-matthieu-chedid/ |access-date=2022-03-15 |website=TSUGI |language=fr-FR}} His album Rêvalité was released in June 2022.{{Cite web |title=-M- Matthieu Chedid on Instagram: "R Ê V A L I T É nouvel album le 03 juin 2022 💜✨ . Photo/artwork: @yannorhan pour Slo Slo" |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/CbH8HT9Nql4/ |access-date=2022-03-15 |website=Instagram |language=en}}

File:Festival des Vieilles Charrues 2022 - -M- - 066.jpg

Chedid is mostly known for his on-stage persona -M- whose signature hairstyle is reminiscent of the letter M and was initially achieved using hair wax.{{cite AV media |lang=fr |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFRrtvh3bCY |title=Matthieu Chédid donne le secret derrière sa coupe de cheveux ! // Extrait archives M6 Video Bank |date=8 May 2022 |website=YouTube |publisher=M6 Video Bank |access-date=19 June 2023}} According to Chedid, the hairstyle was inspired by the ear tufts of certain species of owls, from a lithography of an owl given by his grandmother Andrée.{{cite news|language=fr |url=https://www.lexpress.fr/culture/musique/matthieu-chedid-en-dix-mots-qu-il-m_784241.html |title=Matthieu Chedid en dix mots qu'il M |date=5 September 2009 |work=L'Express |accessdate=19 June 2023}} The letter M also appears as a pattern in the character's clothes, in music videos and stage sets. With his energetic personality, eccentric outfits and hairstyle, the character has drawn comparisons with English musician David Bowie's stage persona Ziggy Stardust.{{cite news|language=fr |url=https://www.larepubliquedespyrenees.fr/culture-et-loisirs/musique/en-images-le-concert-onirique-de-matthieu-chedid-au-zenith-14884071.php |title=En images : le concert onirique de Matthieu Chedid au Zénith |date=22 April 2023 |work=La République des Pyrénées |accessdate=19 June 2023}}{{cite news|language=fr |url=https://www.sudouest.fr/culture/francofolies/le-retour-de-matthieu-chedid-sur-les-scenes-de-la-region-10042388.php |title=Le retour de Matthieu Chedid sur les scènes de la région |last=Jonathan |first=Stéphane C. |date=5 May 2010 |work=Sud Ouest |accessdate=19 June 2023}}{{cite news|url=https://www.scmp.com/magazines/hk-magazine/article/2029651/upclose-m |title=Upclose with -M- |date=17 June 2010 |work=South China Morning Post |accessdate=19 June 2023}} Besides Matthieu Chedid, the character -M- has also been portrayed by actor Vincent Lindon in the music video for Chedid's song La bonne étoile.{{cite AV media |lang=fr |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TWfDO_-NnI |title=-M- La bonne étoile (Making of) |date=24 September 2020 |website=YouTube |publisher=100% Chanson Française |access-date=19 June 2023}} In promotional material and music videos for his 2009 album Mister Mystère, Chedid is seen with natural hair instead of the signature M-shaped hairstyle.{{cite news|language=fr |url=https://musique.rfi.fr/musique/20090907-joli |title=Un joli M |last=De la Haye |first=Fleur |date=7 September 2009 |work=Radio France Internationale |accessdate=19 June 2023}} The lyrics of some of the songs, and the music video of Le Roi des Ombres ending with Chedid burning a tiny effigy of the -M- character, led to speculation about whether he would abandon his alter ego. Chedid eventually kept performing the character, showing his natural hair or wearing M-shaped wigs or helmets.{{cite news|language=fr |url=https://www.dhnet.be/medias/musique/2009/12/20/m-se-demasque-magique-6DXA2GGG6JBJNO7LQFG63FKXZQ/ |title=M se démasque : magique - La DH/Les Sports+ |last=Volders |first=Géraldine |date=20 December 2009 |work=La Dernière Heure |accessdate=19 June 2023}}

Matthieu Chedid holds the gold place in number of Victoires de la Musique awards, with 13 awards{{cite web |title= Victoires de la musique 2018 : découvrez les principaux lauréats |url= https://www.francetvinfo.fr/culture/musique/victoires-de-la-musique/victoires-de-la-musique-2018-decouvrez-les-principaux-laureats_2603268.html |website= francetvinfo.fr |date= 2018-03-16 |access-date= 2018-03-16 }}

File:Matthieu Chedid 20071103 Chateauroux 1.jpg at Châteauroux in November 2007]]

Studio albums

Collaborations

Live albums

Soundtracks

Rereleases

• 2016: "Vole" (with Nolwenn Leroy, Alain Souchon, Laurent Voulzy...)

• Les Âmes de Mogador (2003), with Patrice Renson : tribute to Essaouira (Maroc). A CD of ten unreleased tracks is included.
• -M-, qui de nous deux (2004), with Claude Gassian : book produced during the recording of the album Qui de nous deux
• -M- de A à Z (2005), by Mathias Goudeau
• Le monde de -M- (2005), with Marianne Chedid, Sonia Rachline and Sophie Laurent : insight on his career, with a lot of pictures
• -M- le mot dit : esthétique d'un funkistador by Marc Borbon: analysis of M's world through a fan's own experience
• Le Livre Extraordinaire de -M- by Lisa Roze: package of an archival photographs, unpublished shootings, a book, postcards, a pop-up, a new song (Si Si No No), etc.

{{Reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20150517051556/http://www.labo-m-music.com/ Official website (flash)] (French)
• [http://www.myspace.com/matthieuchedid Myspace site, including links and concert dates] (French)
• [http://www.rfimusique.com/musique/siteen/biographie/biographie_6124.asp RFI Biography]{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=Darkmorpher |fix-attempted=yes }} (English)
• [http://www.volubilis.net/interviews/i_m.php Interview with ‑M-] (French)
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20140201171229/http://www.matthieuchedidweb.tk/ -M- Chedid Online] (Spanish)
• [http://www.europopmusic.eu/Reviews/ReviewsQ4_09.html#Review_mistermystere Review of 'Mister Mystère'] (English)
• [http://www.2yeuxet1plume.com Reference website (2yeuxet1plume / Autour de Matthieu Chedid)] (French)

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{{succession box|before=Alain Bashung|title=Victoires de la Musique
Male artist of the year|years=2000|after=Henri Salvador}}

{{succession box|before=Calogero|title=Victoires de la Musique
Male group or artist of the year|years=2005|after=Raphaël}}

{{s-end}}

{{Matthieu Chedid}}

{{César Award for Best Original Music}}

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Category:1971 births

Category:Living people

Category:Musicians from Boulogne-Billancourt

Category:French people of Syrian descent

Category:French people of Lebanese descent

Category:French rock guitarists

Category:French male guitarists

Category:21st-century French singers

Category:21st-century French guitarists

Category:21st-century French male singers

Category:French male singer-songwriters

Category:French singer-songwriters

Category:César Award winners