Manuelle "Emma" Daumas is a young French songwriter and performer, particul… Read Full Bio ↴Manuelle "Emma" Daumas is a young French songwriter and performer, particularly well known for her participation in Star Academy. Daumas grew up in a family of music lovers and the passion for music led her to write several songs by the age of 12: her parents then allowed her to record her first song Stupid boy. After the piano, she took lessons in guitar, and enrolled at the academy of Villeuneuve-lès-Avignon at the age of 15. She frequently entered contests, in particular Mon Dieu of Édith Piaf: she came in 8th in the Laudun song contest playing one of her own compositions, Dis-moi pourquoi ("Tell me why"), before 700 people.

From this point on, her potential not only as a singer but as a songwriter started to become noticed. At this time, she began to enter the scene by taking part at the galas of Pascal Fallais, her professor at the time, with songs like I'm sorry or Vivre from the musical Notre-Dame de Paris. Three years later, she eventually took first place at the song contest at Laudun.

In 2000, her perseverance paid off and she was able to take part in Graines de stars, the live show by Laurent Boyer: she fulfilled her dream of 12 years. Her performance of Barbra Streisand's "Memory" allowed her to take 4th place. Some started to believe in her; among them was François-Georges, who will later become her manager. However, she waited to complete her literary Baccalauréat so she could be finished with her studies and devote herself to her vocation. Thus Emma continued her vocal training in 2001 and 2002 by taking singing lessons from vocal coach Maguy Vilette, and took guitar courses again for two months, because the musical style of pop rock attracted her. She learned more about the music scene by opening for acts such as Carlos, Éric Colado (comic of southern France), the groups Gold and Émile et Image, Noëlle Perna (a comedian from Nice), at the casino of Juan-les-Pins, but especially Michael Jones with the cabaret Le Rouge-Gorge at Avignon in November 2001, while doing odd jobs to make money. The publicity from the casting for Star Academy 2 will mark the end of a year of rich experiences.
[edit] Star Academy

In August 2002, she endeared herself with the public, but not in sufficient measure to defeat the eventual winner Nolwenn Leroy. Nevertheless, she reached the semi-final in the contest, and had the opportunity to sing duets with Serge Lama, Patrick Bruel, Youssou N'Dour and Ray Charles.
[edit] Other causes

Since 2002, Daumas has actively embraced causes in favour of underprivileged or sick children when she became a sponsor of UNICEF. She contributed the song L'or de nos vies for the Fight Aids Monaco charity (against HIV-AIDS)

S'Il Te Plait
Emma Daumas Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Comment pourrais-je te plaire,
Je me demande,
Si je saurais le faire,
Sur commande,

Ton imagination,
Est devenue mon démon,

Comment pourrais-je te dire,
Que j'agonise,
Il y a certainement pire,
Que tes gourmandises,

Mon amour entêté,
Exige sa renommée,
Tu sais

{Refrain:}
S'il te plait, pas moi,
S'il te plait, moi pas,
Je ne suis que moi,
Et rien d'autre,

Comment pourrais-je te croire,
Plus qu'un autre,
Si tu refuses cette gloire,
Qu'est la notre,

D'avoir bâti ensemble,
L'empire qui nous rassemble,

Et comment continuer,
De me taire
Toujours sagement marcher,
A l'envers

Mon amour entêté,
Pourrait capituler,
Tu sais,

{au Refrain, x3}

Que moi.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Emma Daumas's song S'Il Te Plait talk about the struggle of trying to please someone who has become a kind of "demon" in their imagination. The singer questions whether she could please this person on command, and wonders how she could possibly tell them that she is suffering. She knows that her stubborn love demands recognition, but at the same time, she pleads with her lover not to make her someone she is not. She is simply herself and nothing else.

The chorus of the song repeats "S'il te plait, pas moi, s'il te plait, moi pas" which translates to "Please not me, me please not" in English. The singer repeats this line three times, emphasizing her plea to not be changed or turned into something she is not. She expresses her desire for honesty and authenticity in the relationship, and insists that she is not trying to compete with anyone else for her lover's attention.

Overall, the lyrics of S'Il Te Plait convey a sense of insecurity, fear, and vulnerability that many people feel in romantic relationships. The singer is struggling to balance her own desires and needs with those of her lover, and is afraid of losing herself in the process. The song is a powerful and emotional expression of the complexities of love and the difficulties of staying true to oneself in the face of someone else's expectations.

Line by Line Meaning

Comment pourrais-je te plaire,
I wonder how I could please you

Je me demande,
I ask myself

Si je saurais le faire,
If I would be able to

Sur commande,
On command

Ton imagination,
Your imagination

Est devenue mon démon,
Has become my demon

Comment pourrais-je te dire,
How could I tell you

Que j'agonise,
That I am agonizing

Il y a certainement pire,
There is certainly worse

Que tes gourmandises,
Than your indulgences

Mon amour entêté,
My stubborn love