Nolwenn Leroy, (born 28 September 1982 in Saint-Renan, Finistère, Brittany)… Read Full Bio ↴Nolwenn Leroy, (born 28 September 1982 in Saint-Renan, Finistère, Brittany), is a French singer and songwriter, who rose to fame after winning the second series of the French television reality show, Star Academy. She has since recorded four studio albums and scored two number one singles, "Cassé" and "Nolwenn Ohwo!", on the French charts. In 2012, her album, Bretonne, was certified Four times diamond for sales exceeding Two million copies.

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

Mélusine
Nolwenn Leroy Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

J'ai gardé le silence
Et le secret de ma naissance
Tu ne sais rien de
Mon existence
Mes mystères te fascinent
Je ne sais pas ce que tu vois
Pas ce que tu crois...
Surnaturelle

Si je m'envole, si je m'envole
Et me transforme
Si je m'envole, si je m'envole
Soudainement
A tire d'aile, à tire d'aile...
Tu m'as volé notre éternité

Tu veux lire dans mon âme
Mais notre union
Sera rompue
Si dans mon bain
Tu me vois nue
Mon regard est mortel
Maudit si tu brises le charme
Je redeviens serpent...
Surnaturelle

Eti je m'envole, Oh je m'envole
Et me transforme
Et je m'envole, Oh je m'envole
Soudainement
A tire d'aile, à tire d'aile...
Tu m'as surprise
Dans ma vérité

Le désir doit rester
Pour nous le trésor à protéger
Dans ma tour je m'enferme
Et insidueusement
Dans les eaux troubles
Tel un venin
Je deviens...

Celle qui s'envole
Et se transforme
Soudainement
A tire d'aile, à tire d'aile

Très loin de toi,
Eternellement...

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Nolwenn Leroy's song "Mélusine" portray a mysterious and supernatural character who keeps the secret of her birth and existence hidden. She fascinates those around her, but they do not truly understand her true nature. The character reveals that if she were to fly away and transform, people would be startled by her sudden departure. She warns that if her mortal gaze is broken, she will turn into a serpent once again. Therefore, the desire to know her must remain hidden for her protection. She disappears, transformed and flying away, and she will remain far away from those who could endanger her forever.

It is believed that this song is about the legend of Mélusine, a female fairy creature, born from a union between a human man and a fairy woman. The character in the song is considered to be a representation of Mélusine, who must remain hidden to protect herself, and should she feel confined or exposed, she must escape and transform into her true supernatural form. The lyrics explore the idea of the supernatural and hidden identity, and how one can choose to hide and transform to avoid vulnerability.

Line by Line Meaning

J'ai gardé le silence
I have kept quiet

Et le secret de ma naissance
And the secret of my birth

Tu ne sais rien de
You know nothing about

Mon existence
My existence

Mes mystères te fascinent
My mysteries fascinate you

Je ne sais pas ce que tu vois
I don't know what you see

Pas ce que tu crois...
Or what you believe...

Surnaturelle
Supernatural

Si je m'envole, si je m'envole
If I take off, if I take off

Et me transforme
And transform

Soudainement
Suddenly