Early Life
Slimane Nebchi was born on 13 October 1989 in Chelles, Seine-et-Marne, France. He is of Algerian descent. He attended Lycée Jehan de Chelles, later moving to Les Lilas, a suburb of Paris, where he worked for la société ATEED.
Singing
He started putting music online including own compositions like "Toi et moi", "Je n'y suis pour rien", "Salem" and "Amour Impossible" the latter as a duo with Princesse Sofia. Before the French The Voice, he took part in a number of music competitions; Nouvelle Star in 2009, X Factor in 2011 and Encore une chance in 2012 and in season 2 of Je veux signer chez AZ. He performed during Star Music Beach Tour in 2012 with Richard Cross.
In 2015, he obtained a secondary role in Didier Barbelivien's French musical Marie-Antoinette et le Chevalier de Maison-Rouge due to launch in 2017.
In 2016, at age 26, he auditioned for season 5 of The Voice: la plus belle voix singing "À fleur de toi" originally by Vitaa. All four judges turned their chairs, indicating in the gameshow they wished to take him through to the next round. He opted to be in Team Florent Pagny. On 14 May 2016, he won the title with 33% of the public vote, beating his fellow finalist, MB14.
In November of 2023 it was revealed that he'll be representing France in Eurovision 2024 with the song Mon Amour
L’enfant de la rue
Slimane Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
L'aiguille dans la veine et les bleus sur les bras
J'avais cinq ans à peine mais les yeux grands ouverts
Sur ce qu'étaient la vie et les larmes d'une mère
Ici nous savons la valeur de l'amour
Ici on se prive pour sa famille et on prie tous les jours
Alors oui c'est vrai
Oui c'est vrai
Mais aussi tant de je t'aime
En pansement de l'âme
En pansement de l'âme
L'enfant de la rue est devenu grand
Mais il garde dans son sac ses poèmes d'antan
L'enfant de la rue est devenu grand
Mais il garde dans son sac ses poèmes d'antan
17 ans à peine quelques morts sur les bras
Des sourires à la pelle pour faire genre que ça va
17 ans à peine et déjà dans l'urgence
De vivre à bout de rêve même vidé d'innocence
Là-bas j'ai appris à ne jamais renoncer
Tomber retomber mais toujours se relever
Alors oui c'est vrai
Enfant j'ai vu le blues couler sur les joues d'une femme
Oui c'est vrai
Mais aussi tant de je t'aime
En pansement de l'âme
En pansement de l'âme
L'enfant de la rue est devenu grand
Mais il garde dans son sac ses poèmes d'antan
L'enfant de la rue est devenu grand
Mais il garde dans son sac ses poèmes d'antan
À l'approche de la trentaine
J'me dis que c'était le destin
Qu'il fallait que j’apprenne
Que j'me rétame sur le chemin
Et si tout s'arrêtait demain
Que resterait-il
Si ce n'est des centaines de je t'aime
Mais ma vie sur un fil
Et ma vie sur un fil
Et ma vie sur un fil
L'enfant de la rue est devenu grand
Mais il garde dans son sac ses poèmes d'antan
L'enfant de la rue est devenu grand
Mais il garde dans son sac ses poèmes d'antan
The song "L'enfant de la rue" by Slimane portrays the story of a boy who grew up on the streets and had to face the harsh realities of life at a very young age. The first verse highlights the struggle of the boy's mother, who had to succumb to drug addiction in order to cope with the hardships of her life. With her tears falling down her cheeks, the boy learned the true meaning of love and sacrifice. Growing up on the street made him realize the worth of love and the importance of family. Despite the odds, he kept going and never gave up on his dreams. As he grew older, he accumulated many experiences, some of which were not pleasant, but he still refuses to let go of the precious memories he made along the way. The boy who once had nothing but his poetry now carries it with him like a prized possession.
The second verse delves deeper into the challenges the singer faced as a teenager. Despite being only seventeen, he's already seen death close up and had to put on a facade of happiness in order to survive. He learned to live life on the edge, but his dreams kept him going even when he lost his innocence. The third verse focuses on the present, where the singer is nearing thirty and contemplates what would happen if all he had left were the memories of his past. He wonders if he should have taken a different path, but ultimately realizes that his life, no matter how difficult, was always lived on his terms.
Overall, the song is a poignant and emotional tribute to all the children who have to grow up on the streets and face hardships that no child should ever have to endure.
Line by Line Meaning
J'avais cinq ans à peine, et je savais déjà
At five years old, I already knew
L'aiguille dans la veine et les bleus sur les bras
The needle in my vein and the bruises on my arms
J'avais cinq ans à peine mais les yeux grands ouverts
I was only five years old but with wide open eyes
Sur ce qu'étaient la vie et les larmes d'une mère
To what life was and the tears of a mother
Ici nous savons la valeur de l'amour
Here, we know the value of love
Ici on se prive pour sa famille et on prie tous les jours
Here, we sacrifice for our family and pray every day
Alors oui c'est vrai
So yes, it's true
Enfant j'ai vu le blues couler sur les joues d'une femme
As a child, I saw the blues flow from a woman's cheeks
Mais aussi tant de je t'aime
But also so many 'I love yous'
En pansement de l'âme
As a bandage for the soul
L'enfant de la rue est devenu grand
The child of the street has become grown
Mais il garde dans son sac ses poèmes d'antan
But he keeps his old poems in his bag
17 ans à peine quelques morts sur les bras
Only 17 years old and a few deaths on my conscience
Des sourires à la pelle pour faire genre que ça va
Smiles aplenty to seem like everything is okay
17 ans à peine et déjà dans l'urgence
Only 17 years old and already in a hurry
De vivre à bout de rêve même vidé d'innocence
To live on the edge of a dream, even if it means losing innocence
Là-bas j'ai appris à ne jamais renoncer
There, I learned to never give up
Tomber retomber mais toujours se relever
To fall and fall again, but always get back up
À l'approche de la trentaine
Approaching thirty years old
J'me dis que c'était le destin
I tell myself it was destiny
Qu'il fallait que j’apprenne
That I needed to learn
Que j'me rétame sur le chemin
To expect roadblocks on the way
Et si tout s'arrêtait demain
And if everything were to end tomorrow
Que resterait-il
What would be left
Si ce n'est des centaines de je t'aime
If not hundreds of 'I love yous'
Mais ma vie sur un fil
But my life on the line
L'enfant de la rue est devenu grand
The child of the street has become grown
Mais il garde dans son sac ses poèmes d'antan
But he keeps his old poems in his bag
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MEIR NAHUM SALAH, SLIMANE NEBCHI, YAACOV SALAH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind