Julien Doré

French singer/songwriter Julien Doré's fame grew after winning television talent competition Nouvelle Star, going from being associated mainly with the show to becoming a pop star in his own right. His stylistically varied 2008 debut Ersatz was one of the best-selling French albums of that year, but he truly found his voice on 2016's &, a slick collection of smooth pop with electronic undercurrents. Born July 7, 1982, in Alès, Gard, France, Doré studied at the college of Louis Feuillade as well as the École des Beaux-Arts of Nîmes, where he performed with the band Dig Up Elvis. He auditioned for Nouvelle Star with the initial thought of simply promoting his band. Not only was he cast on the show's fifth season (2006-2007), but he competed all the way until the season's end, beating runner-up Tigane on the night of June 13, 2007. Some of his most memorable performances over the course of the season included songs originally sung by artists as varied as Alizée, Claude François, the Kinks, and Britney Spears. As the winner of Nouvelle Star, Doré was awarded a major-label recording contract with the Jive subsidiary Sony BMG. His first officially released single was "Moi...Lolita," a cover of the 2000 smash hit by Alizée that he had performed memorably on the show. The song proved highly popular, peaking at number two on the French singles chart during its first week of release in 2007. A year later, Doré made his full-length solo album debut with Ersatz, which also peaked at number two on the French charts. Produced by Renaud Létang (whose credits include Manu Chao, Feist, and Raphaël) and Antoine Gaillet (whose credits include M83, Berg Sans Nipple, and Mademoiselle K), Ersatz spawned the hit singles "Les Limites" and "Figures Imposées." In 2010 he contributed the soundtrack to the French dark comedy film Holiday, before releasing his second studio album, Bichon, in 2011. He also recorded a number of popular duets with Francophone artistes Cœur de Pirate, Mélanie Pain, and Sylvie Vartan. His third record, 2013's Love, went two-times platinum. However, it was with his fourth release that he found the most success. & was released in 2016, and achieved the number one spot in France and Belgium, as well as achieving platinum status. The album was popular enough to merit the production of &Live the next year, a concert document of the songs. In 2018, Doré again reworked songs from his catalog with Vous & moi. This album stripped down the rhythmic pop arrangements of some of his best-loved songs in favor of more atmospheric and acoustic renditions. ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi