Matthieu Tota, is the son of professional footballer André Tota and his mother is Brigitte Tota. His parents divorced in 1998 when he was just 13. As a child, he studied at an elementary school in Hohberg, and later at Collège Paul-Émile Victor in Mundolsheim, and Lycée Aristide Briand in Schiltigheim near Strasbourg. As a young man, football (soccer) became his first ambition and he wanted to be a professional player. But he opted for music.
Matthieu Tota explained about the origin of his name Pokora in an interview during the documentary Mis à jour broadcast on 26 August 2010 about him on NRJ 12 television station. He said he was searching for an artistic name and happened to be talking to his grand mother of Polish origin and the importance of humility came up. So he asked her how do we say humility in Polish language and she said "pokora". So Matthieu immediately decided to call himself Pokora. Matt came form his name Matthieu. So he became to be known by his stage name Matt Pokora.
He earned some public attention as a member of French R&B group, Mic Unity. In fall 2003, he participated in the third season of Popstars, a French talent reality television show broadcast on M6. The concept of the program was to present possible candidates the winners of which would take part in the formation of a boy band or girl band. He was a crowd and jury favourite, and became a member of a boy band called Linkup formed with Lionel and Otis, two other winners in 2003 Popstars. The female winners were formed into another group Diadems formed of Marylore, Angel, Pookie, Ophélie and Alexandra. In the final showdown, the boy band including Mattieu Tota won the series over the girl band Diadems, who ended up runners-up.
Their first Linkup single "Mon Étoile" was very successful topping French charts, and the debut album Notre Étoile was moderately successful. However the second single release "Une seconde d'éternité" was much less successful despite good sales.
The band tried again their hand in a collaboration with the British boy band Blue making a bilingual English/French version with Blue based on the latter's song "Bubblin'". The bilingual English/French Blue/Linkup version was entitled "You & Me Bubblin". Soon afterwards, Linkup disbanded due to poor performance of sales on releases
In 2004, soon after the break-up of Linkup, Mattieu started working preparing for a solo career collaborating with the producers Kore & Skalp.
Under the stage name Matt Pokora, he released his first eponymous solo album originally entitled Matt Pokora. In 2005, he was forced to change his chosen name after a lawsuit from French R&B singer Matt Houston. As a result, he changed his stage name to M. Pokora and re-released the album as M. Pokora.
The debut single from M. Pokora was the very successful. Called "Showbiz (The Battle)" it was a Top 10 hit in France, and also charted in Belgium and Switzerland. The second single Elle me contrôle featuring Sweety reached #6 in France and Pokora received two NRJ Music Awards for the single. Yet a third successful single was released called "Pas sans toi". The album released on Universal was certified gold.
He also started collaborating with Hakim Ghorab who became his long-time choreographer and took part in many of his music videos. He also developed a close collaboration with music video director Karim Ouaret who directed most of his successful videos.
Si t'es pas là
M. Pokora Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
À rêver de nous
Te raconter la vie
Comme on était fous
J'en ai chanté, des mots
Mais jamais pour toi
Ça sonnait faux, ouais
Petit bout de moi
C'est comme un monde sans ciel
L'amour sans elle
Un homme sans passion
C'est le vide à la maison
C'est comme un début sans fin
Jamais prendre la main
Avoir tout donné
Sans jamais rien gagner
Si t'es pas, pas, pas
Si t'es pas, pas là
Si t'es pas, pas, pas
Si t'es pas là
Si t'es pas, pas, pas
Si t'es pas, pas là
Si t'es pas, pas, pas
Si t'es pas là
Oh oh oh, oh
Oh oh oh, oh
Oh oh oh
Si t'es pas là
Oh oh oh, oh
Oh oh oh, oh
Oh oh oh
Si t'es pas là
J'veux me réveiller
En sachant pourquoi
Voir que tout a changé
Petit dans mes bras
J'veux pleurer d'amour
Et devenir fragile
Trembler comme une feuille
Et vivre sur un fil
C'est comme un monde sans ciel
L'amour sans elle
Un homme sans passion
C'est le vide à la maison
C'est comme un début sans fin
Jamais prendre la main
Avoir tout donné
Sans jamais rien gagner
Si t'es pas, pas, pas
Si t'es pas, pas là
Si t'es pas, pas, pas
Si t'es pas là
Si t'es pas, pas, pas
Si t'es pas, pas là
Si t'es pas, pas, pas
Si t'es pas là
Oh oh oh, oh
Oh oh oh, oh
Oh oh oh
Si t'es pas là
Oh oh oh, oh
Oh oh oh, oh
Oh oh oh
Si t'es pas là
À toi
Qui ne m'entends pas
À toi
Qui n'es toujours pas là
À toi
Qui fais valser mon cœur
Pour toi
J'n'aurai plus jamais peur
Si t'es pas, pas, pas
Si t'es pas, pas là
Si t'es pas, pas, pas
Si t'es pas là
Si t'es pas, pas, pas
Si t'es pas, pas là
Si t'es pas, pas, pas
Si t'es pas là
Oh oh oh, oh
Oh oh oh, oh
Oh oh oh
Si t'es pas là
Oh oh oh, oh
Oh oh oh, oh
Oh oh oh
Si t'es pas là
(Oh oh oh, oh) si t'es pas là
(Oh oh oh, oh) si t'es pas là
(Oh oh oh) si t'es pas là
Si t'es pas là
(Oh oh oh, oh) si t'es pas là
(Oh oh oh, oh) si t'es pas là
(Oh oh oh) si t'es pas là
Pas, pas
In M. Pokora's song "Si t'es pas là", the singer expresses his feelings of loneliness and desperation in the absence of the person he loves. He reveals that he has spent many long nights dreaming about them and talking about life as if they were crazy in love. Pokora acknowledges that he has sang a lot of words to express his feelings, but none of it ever felt true until singing about this "little piece" of himself.
The song seems to describe a relationship that is missing the vital piece that makes it all come together. It is like a world without a sky, love without the person you love, or a man without passion, and it leaves a void in the singer's home. The lyrics further emphasize this emptiness by comparing it to a beginning without an end, never holding hands, giving everything, but never receiving anything in return.
The chorus, "Si t'es pas là" translates to "If you're not here" in English signifies the singer's desperate plea for his loved one to come back to fill the void of emptiness in his life. He yearns to wake up and discover that everything has changed and that he is holding their child in his arms. He wants to cry out of love and become fragile, shivering like a leaf and living on the edge.
Overall, the song is an emotional passionate ballad that lays bare the singer's vulnerability in relationships. He acknowledges how incomplete his life is without the person he loves, and he pleads with them to come back and mend the void in his life.
Line by Line Meaning
J'en ai passé, des nuits
I have spent many nights
À rêver de nous
Dreaming of us
Te raconter la vie
Telling you about life
Comme on était fous
As if we were crazy
J'en ai chanté, des mots
I have sung many words
Mais jamais pour toi
But never for you
Ça sonnait faux, ouais
It sounded false, yeah
Petit bout de moi
A small part of me
C'est comme un monde sans ciel
It's like a world without a sky
L'amour sans elle
Love without her
Un homme sans passion
A man without passion
C'est le vide à la maison
It's emptiness at home
C'est comme un début sans fin
It's like a beginning without an end
Jamais prendre la main
Never taking the hand
Avoir tout donné
Having given everything
Sans jamais rien gagner
Without ever gaining anything
Si t'es pas, pas, pas
If you're not, not, not
Si t'es pas, pas là
If you're not here
Oh oh oh, oh
J'veux me réveiller
I want to wake up
En sachant pourquoi
Knowing why
Voir que tout a changé
Seeing that everything has changed
Petit dans mes bras
Small in my arms
J'veux pleurer d'amour
I want to cry with love
Et devenir fragile
And become fragile
Trembler comme une feuille
Trembling like a leaf
Et vivre sur un fil
And living on a wire
À toi
To you
Qui ne m'entends pas
Who doesn't hear me
Qui n'es toujours pas là
Who still isn't here
Qui fais valser mon cœur
Who makes my heart dance
Pour toi
For you
J'n'aurai plus jamais peur
I will never be afraid again
(Oh oh oh, oh) si t'es pas là
(Oh oh oh, oh) si t'es pas là
(Oh oh oh) si t'es pas là
Pas, pas
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Renaud Rebillaud, Slimane Nebchi
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Marina Yao
Que c'est agréable de t'écouter,je m'en lasse pas ❤❤
Yvonnick Metayer
Pour ma femme qui ma quitter pour le paradis repose en paix, maintenant que j'ai tout perdu, sache que tu me manques et que je t'aime énormément
Marvin Maillet
Les filles sai compliqué
Asmr emmanuelle
Rip amen
tomtom
😢
Maissetou Cisse
😢
lemondempokora
J’adore toute vos musiques elles sont magnifique les meilleurs musiques 🎶✨
Catalin Florin D.
Love this song so much ❤️ keep it up good work
Josiane Deneubourg
Pas de chichi, juste essentielle! Ça touches le coeur directement !
Merci à toi 🌹
nt1751
J'ai bientot 70 ans et suis fan de lui depuis ses débuts ! sa gestuelle, sa musique ses paroles... tout me plait ! et en prime, c'est un bel homme !