Leroy's parents left Saint-Renan when she was four years old. After living in Paris, Lille, and Guingamp, her mother, Murielle, and her younger sister, Kay, settled with Leroy's grandparents in Saint-Yorre. Her mother divorced from her father, professional footballer Jean-Luc Le Magueresse, in 1993.
Nolwenn studied at the "Collège des Célestins" in Vichy. When Leroy was eleven, her music teacher noticed her musical talents and encouraged her to learn the violin. At the age of thirteen she won "Les écoles du désert", a contest sponsored by the Cora supermarket chain, which allowed her to travel with a humanitarian mission from Gao to Timbuktu, Mali; she later claimed this had a profound influence on her.
In July 1998, Leroy was awarded a scholarship by the Vichy Rotary Club to travel to Hamilton, Ohio, as an exchange student. While attending Hamilton High School, she took music lessons at the Performing Arts School and became fluent in English during her stay there.
When she returned to France, she began classical singing classes at the Vichy music conservatory.
In 2001, she enrolled in the University of Clermont-Ferrand to study law for a potential alternative career to music.
2002: Star Academy
After watching the first series of the television reality show, Star Academy, in 2001, Leroy was impressed by Armande Altaï, one of the show's judges, and decided to join Altaï's singing classes.[citation needed] In 2002, Nolwenn was selected for the second season of the show. She was declared the overall winner, ahead of her fellow finalist, Houcine,in December 2002.
2003–2004: Eponymous debut album
Leroy's first album, Nolwenn, was released in March 2003 and was certified platinum by November for sales exceeding 600,000 copies. In 2006, the album was certified two times platinum by the Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique for more than 800,000 copies sold. Four songs from the album, "Cassé", "Une Femme cachée", "Suivre une étoile" and "Inévitablement" were released as singles. Leroy went on tour in France, Belgium and Switzerland in late 2003 to promote songs from the album.
2005–2008: Histoires Naturelles
Leroy's second album, Histoires Naturelles, was produced by Laurent Voulzy. Five singles were released from the album. "Nolwenn Ohwo!", written by Alain Souchon and Voulzy, topped the French music charts.[7] The second single was the title track, "Histoire Naturelle". Music videos were made for both songs; the video for "Histoire Naturelle" expressed the main theme of the album with Leroy being portrayed as natural history museum exhibits. Of the other single releases, "Mon Ange" was distributed digitally while "J'aimais tant l'aimer" and "Reste Encore" were promotional-only. Songs from Histoires Naturelles and Nolwenn were performed on Leroy's second tour entitled "Histoires Naturelles Tour", which started in September 2006. Leroy's first live album was subsequently released in late October 2007.
2009–2010: Le Cheshire Cat & Moi
Le Cheshire Cat & Moi was a project that began in 2007, co-written by Leroy and Teitur Lassen, with contributions from Jonatha Brooke, Michelle Featherstone, Mike Errico and Rupert Hine. It was arranged and produced by Lassen, and recorded in Sweden and the Faroe Islands. Leroy was observed to feature "a lighter sound than on previous releases"and the album gave the opportunity for her to write all the lyrics.The album was released in December 2009. A tour entitled "Le Cheshire Cat & Vous" to promote the record was held in 2010.
2010–2012: Bretonne
Leroy performing at the 2010 Francofolies in Spa (Belgium).
Leroy released a fourth studio album, Bretonne, on 6 December 2010. Cover versions of traditional celtic songs such as "Mná na h-Éireann", and contemporary songs such as Christophe Miossec's "Brest" were included on the album. Most of the songs related to Brittany, the singer's birthplace, four sung in Breton. Leroy collaborated with Jon Kelly for the musical arrangements. The album topped the French album charts for 9 weeks.
The album was re-released in November 2011 as a Deluxe Edition which added 7 English language tracks, including "Amazing Grace", "Scarborough Fair" and two Mike Oldfield tracks, "Moonlight Shadow" and "To France".
2012–present: Ô Filles de l'Eau
Nolwenn Leroy will release her new album on the 26th of November 2012. In December 2012, as it sold more than 300,000 albums Ô Filles de l'Eau.
Leroy's music was studied for its neurological impact in geriatric populations. Researchers found that Leroy's recordings might have a more beneficial effect than other music, noting that: "the music of Nolwenn Leroy was found to be significantly superior to other music tested". To describe the phenomenon they coined the term the Nolwenn Effect, saying: "the music of Nolwenn Leroy appears to have a different effect on brain-based modulation of gait and stance than other music tested to date".
Mozart and Dutch and French singers were tested; only Mozart and Leroy's music were specified. The U.S. study was completed in February 2008, but no substantial results appear to be published
Juste Pour Me Souvenir
Nolwenn Leroy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Voilà que le vent rôde
Tourne contre la falaise
Que la marée taraude
Ce ne sont pas des larmes
Ni même de la rosée
Que mon visage réclame
Juste un peu de buée
Juste pour me souvenir
Que derrière les nuages du ciel
Se cache ton sourire
Juste un peu d'eau sur les lèvres
Juste pour me souvenir
De ce dernier baiser amer
Juste avant de t'enfuir
Dis moi juste que tu es ici
Sous l'océan enfoui
Dans les bras d'une sirène qui
Te chantera toute la nuit
Te chantera toute la nuit
Je marche sur la grève
Où les bateaux s'échouent
Mais jamais la marée ne ramène
Nos hommes jusqu'à nous
Vieux phare allumé
Tranchant comme une lame
Rappelle que Saint Cast avait
Laissé chez lui sa femme
Qui marchait dans le sable
Juste pour se souvenir
Que derrière les vagues du ciel
Se cachait son sourire
Juste un peu d'eau sur les lèvres
Juste pour me souvenir
De ce dernier baiser amer
Juste avant de t'enfuir
Dis moi juste que tu es ici
Sous l'océan enfoui
Dans les bras d'une sirène qui
Te chantera toute la nuit
Te chantera toute la nuit
L'océan qui t'a enlevé
Envoie son écume à mes pieds
Pourrais-je un jour lui pardonner
Juste un peu d'eau sur les lèvres
Juste pour me souvenir
De ce dernier baiser amer
Juste avant de t'enfuir
Dis moi juste que tu es ici
Sous l'océan enfoui
Dans les bras d'une sirène qui
Te chantera toute la nuit
Te chantera toute la nuit
The lyrics of Nolwenn Leroy's "Juste Pour Me Souvenir" tell the story of a lover who has been left behind by their significant other, who has gone to the embrace of a mermaid, at the bottom of the ocean. The singer seems to be dealing with the pain of the separation, and the memories that have been left behind. In the first few lines, the singer describes the feeling of the winds changing direction, and how the tide is constantly eroding the cliffs. Throughout the song, we see the theme of memory being repeated, as the singer uses water and salt as symbols of memory, and the ocean as a symbol of both loss and comfort.
The lyrics become more concrete towards the end of the song, as a story of an old lighthouse keeper is told. The story of Saint Cast and his wife becomes a symbol of the sacrifice that love can sometimes demand. Even though the singer is in pain, they seem to be holding on to the memory of their lover, and are willing to wait for them until they return from the depths of the ocean.
Overall, the lyrics of "Juste Pour Me Souvenir" are a reflection on the power of memory and love, and how they can shape and define our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Quand on souffle sur les braises
When we blow on the embers
Voilà que le vent rôde
Here comes the wandering wind
Tourne contre la falaise
Turning against the cliff
Que la marée taraude
That erodes the tide
Ce ne sont pas des larmes
These are not tears
Ni même de la rosée
Nor even dew
Que mon visage réclame
That my face craves
Juste un peu de buée
Just a little bit of mist
Un peu d'eau et de sel
A bit of water and salt
Juste pour me souvenir
Just to remember
Que derrière les nuages du ciel
That behind the clouds in the sky
Se cache ton sourire
Your smile is hidden
Juste un peu d'eau sur les lèvres
Just a little bit of water on my lips
De ce dernier baiser amer
Of that last bitter kiss
Juste avant de t'enfuir
Just before you left
Dis moi juste que tu es ici
Just tell me that you're here
Sous l'océan enfoui
Buried under the ocean
Dans les bras d'une sirène qui
In the arms of a siren who
Te chantera toute la nuit
Will sing to you all night long
Je marche sur la grève
I walk on the shore
Où les bateaux s'échouent
Where the boats shipwreck
Mais jamais la marée ne ramène
But the tide never brings back
Nos hommes jusqu'à nous
Our men to us
Vieux phare allumé
Old lighthouse lit
Tranchant comme une lame
Sharp as a blade
Rappelle que Saint Cast avait
Reminds us that Saint Cast
Laissé chez lui sa femme
Left his wife at home
Qui marchait dans le sable
Who walked in the sand
Juste pour se souvenir
Just to remember
Que derrière les vagues du ciel
That behind the waves in the sky
Se cachait son sourire
Her smile was hidden
L'océan qui t'a enlevé
The ocean that took you away
Envoie son écume à mes pieds
Sends its foam to my feet
Pourrais-je un jour lui pardonner
Could I ever forgive it
Te chantera toute la nuit
Will sing to you all night long
Lyrics © PEERMUSIC FRANCE, Peermusic Publishing, GWENWED, FRENCH FLAIR ENTERTAINMENT
Written by: ASSANE ATTYE, DAVIDE ESPOSITO, NOLWENN LEROY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lafonjeremy
Moi j'ai rien à redire sur Nolwenn. Elle est belle et talentueuse. Elle chante bien et compose des titres d'une poésie rare de nos jours. Elle reste fidèle à son personnage et sa musique de prédilection me bercent depuis toujours. J'aime !
@zoeproust8987
mais carrément !!!!
@beherecsamuel7355
Je suis de même avis ,ces chansons sont fantastiques,et ça me touche vu que je suis breton du Finistère sud🥹😏
@michelAndreguenot
@@beherecsamuel7355je ne suis pas Breton, et j'habite le Finistère Sud, tout va bien merci
@nsterea
I like French songs and movies. This song is an exceptional creation and the French woman is beautiful...brunette with blue eyes; typical for French people. High respect for France.
@plaisancepierre4748
vous êtes sérieux ? échangeons de pays alors 😂
@kikoslekistos
A chaque fois que je la vois ou l’entend chanter, parler, mon cœur s’arrête. Nolwenn est un cadeau du ciel ❤
@maeval6269
parfaite , elle chante magnifiquement bien , Bravo !
@-lefameux
Trois raison d'aimer Nolwenn Leroy :
1. Elle a une voix magnifique
2. Ses chansons sont géniales
3. Ses clip sont toujours merveilleux
@judithsoro8872
Et elle est trooop belle!