Matthieu Chedid
Matthieu Chedid (born 21 December 1971) is a French multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter.
Matthieu Chedid -M- | |
|---|---|
 Chedid at Eurockéennes 2013 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Matthieu Chedid |
| Also known as | -M- |
| Born | 21 December 1971 Boulogne-Billancourt, France |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) |
|
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | labo-m.net |
Chedid began his career as a session musician playing both acoustic and electric guitar. In the late 1990s, he rose to fame as a singer-songwriter and musician under the alias M (often stylized as -M-), blending Nouvelle Chanson, electronic and rock music. In studio, he experiments with various instruments and electronic music, while on tour as -M- he mostly plays the guitar, and is known for his eccentric outfits and dramatic live performances, sometimes including special effects.
Chedid has also performed in the 2005 stage musical Le soldat rose and is part of French-Malian band Lamomali. Since 2018, he has been the most awarded artist at the Victoires de la Musique Awards with 13 awards, tied with Alain Bashung.
Biography
Matthieu Chedid was born in Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France. His father Louis Chedid is a singer from a family of Lebanese extraction, of Maronite and Greek Orthodox Christian background. Louis Chedid's mother Andrée (née Saab) was an Egyptian-born French writer and poet, who has written lyrics for Matthieu Chedid's songs. Matthieu Chedid's sisters are the music video and concert director Émilie Chedid (born in 1970) and French singer Anna Chedid (born in 1987), also known by her stage name Nach. His brother Joseph "Selim" Chedid (born in 1986) is also a French singer and a guitar and drums player.
Chedid took an interest in music early on. In 1978, at the age of six, Chedid lent his voice to the chorus of his father's hit song T'as beau pas être beau alongside older sister, Émilie. During his teenage years and early twenties, Chedid was part of short-lasting groups such as Tam Tam , Les Bébés fous and Les Poissons Rouges with Mathieu Boogaerts, as well as Julien Voulzy and Pierre Souchon (respectively the sons of singers Laurent Voulzy and Alain Souchon) who went on to form the duo Les Cherche Midi.
He has collaborated with a number of artists, both on stage and in the recording studio. Early into his solo career, Chedid was the opening act for Texas concerts. He has recorded with NTM, Sinclair, Billy Ze Kick, Brigitte Fontaine, Sean Lennon, Vanessa Paradis, and Johnny Hallyday.
Until 2008, Chedid was in a relationship with French actress Audrey Tautou.[1]
-M-
Chedid performs and records under the stage name -M-. Chedid created -M- as means of overcoming his shyness on stage and also as a way of distancing his work from that of his father and grandmother. The pseudonym comes from Chedid's first initial but also refers to the similar-sounding French word aime, meaning love. The character -M- is a superhero, noted for having a playful nature, and recognized for his flamboyant costumes (primarily monochrome suits with slim trousers and long jackets with upward pointed collars) and hair styled into the shape of an M.
In 1997, -M- released his first solo album Le Baptême. During this time; he played mainly solo or with the cellist Vincent Ségal. The album received overall positive critical reception, but public recognition only came a few months later, with the release of the single "Machistador".
Je dis aime
In 1999, -M- published his second album, Je dis aime a title that puns 'aime' (like/love) with 'M'. A few months later, the album was 11th on the French Charts, with more than 500,000 albums sold, thanks to a number of successful songs ("Je dis aime", "Onde Sensuelle", "Monde Virtuel", "Le complexe du corn-flakes", "Mama Sam").
Live, -M- played with Cyril Atef, Vincent Segal and DJ Shalom for the samples on some songs. He still works with his sister Emilie Chedid for the realisation of the clips. His live performance largely contributed to his success, playing on his character of -M- to transform every concert into a show. He won his first Victoire de la Musique awards for Male Artist of the Year and Concert of the Year.
"Belleville Rendez-vous" and Qui de nous deux
-M- gained international exposure through his recording of the song "Belleville Rendez-vous" for the soundtrack of the 2003 Sylvain Chomet animated film The Triplets of Belleville in both French and English. The song, with lyrics by Chomet and music by Benoit Charest, was nominated for a 2003 Academy Award. The music video for "Belleville Rendez-vous" uses both a live-action depiction of -M- and an animated depiction incorporated into footage from the film.
In autumn 2003, he released his 3rd album Qui de nous deux (Which one of us two) with the singles "Qui de nous deux", "La bonne étoile", "Mon ego". Softer, this album saw the birth of his first daughter, Billie, for whom an all-pink guitar was built by instrument-maker Cyril Guérin. A pink guitar can be seen in the video for "Qui de nous deux".
In 2007, he worked once again with Vanessa Paradis on her album Divinidylle, released in September 2007.
Mister Mystère
Rumors circulated before the release of his 2009 studio album, Mister Mystère, that Chedid had decided to drop the character -M- to record and perform under his given name.[2] The album, however, was released under the name -M- but included photographs of the singer without the wild costumes and hair associated with the -M- character. The music video for the first single, "Le Roi des ombres", showed Chedid burning a tiny effigy of his alterego.[3]
Louis, Matthieu, Joseph et Anna Chedid
Chedid was part of the musical group Louis, Matthieu, Joseph et Anna Chedid with several members of his family. They began with a tour in 2015, which was followed by a studio recording.
Îl, Lamomali, and Lettre infinie
In autumn 2012, he released the album, Îl, played with Lawrence Clais and Brad Thomas Ackley.
He worked with Toumani Diabaté and Sidiki Diabaté on a collective album, Lamomali, released in March 2017[4] The album also features Philippe Jaroussky as well as Oxmo Puccino lending a mesmeric world music flavour to it that celebrates cultural diversity and world peace.
In 2019, he released the studio album, Lettre infinie, featuring collaborations from Thomas Bangalter and Phillipe Zdar.[5] He announced new album, R Ê V A L I T É, to be released in June of 2022.[6]
Public image
Chedid is mostly known for his on-stage persona -M- whose signature hairstyle is reminiscent of the letter M and was initially achieved using hair wax.[2][7] According to Chedid, the hairstyle was inspired by the ear tufts of certain species of owls, from a lithography of an owl given by his grandmother Andrée.[8] The letter M also appears as a pattern in the character's clothes, in music videos and stage sets. With his energetic personality, eccentric outfits and hairstyle, the character has drawn comparisons with English musician David Bowie's stage persona Ziggy Stardust.[9][10][11] Besides Matthieu Chedid, the character -M- has also been portrayed by actor Vincent Lindon in the music video for Chedid's song La bonne étoile.[12] In promotional material and music videos for his 2009 album Mister Mystère, Chedid is seen with natural hair instead of the signature M-shaped hairstyle.[13] The lyrics of some of the songs, and the music video of Le Roi des Ombres ending with Chedid burning a tiny effigy of the -M- character, led to speculation about whether he would abandon his alter ego.[2][3] Chedid eventually kept performing the character, showing his natural hair or wearing M-shaped wigs or helmets.[14]
Awards
Matthieu Chedid holds the gold place in number of Victoires de la Musique awards, with 13 awards[15]
| Year | Catégorie des Victoires de la musique | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Best new artist[16] | Nominated |
| Best music video : Machistador (réal. Émilie Chedid)[16] | Nominated | |
| 2000 | Male artist of the year[17][18] | Won |
| Tour of the Year (Je dis aime à l'Elysée Montmartre et en tournée)[17][18] | Won | |
| Album pop-rock of the year (Je dis aime)[17][18] | Nominated | |
| 2004 | Male artist of the year[19] | Nominated |
| Tour of the Year (L'Avantour à l'Elysée Montmartre)[19] | Nominated | |
| 2005 | Male artist of the year[20][21] | Won |
| Album of the year (Qui de nous deux?)[20][21] | Won | |
| Tour of the Year (M à l'Olympia et en tournée)[20][21] | Won | |
| Best music videos on DVD : Les Leçons de musique de -M- (réal. : Émilie Chedid]])[20][21] | Won | |
| Best music video (Ma Mélodie, réal. : Cyril Houplain)[20][21] | Nominated | |
| 2006 | Best music video (La Bonne Étoile, réal. : Laurent Seroussi)[22] | Nominated |
| Best music video (Est-ce que tu aimes ? par Arthur H et -M-, réal. : Rodolphe Pauly)[22] | Won | |
| 2007 | Best music videos on DVD (tournée En tête à tête, réal.: Thierry Gautier et Sylvain Leduc)[23][24] | Nominated |
| Best score soundntrack of the year (B.O. de Ne le dis à personne)[23][24] | Won | |
| 2010 | Album of the year (Mister Mystère)[25] | Nominated |
| Tour of the Year (M à la Cigale - Auguri Productions)[25] | Nominated | |
| 2011 | Tour of the Year (-M- au château de Versailles - Auguri Productions)[28] | Won |
| 2012 | Best music video (La Seine par Vanessa Paradis et -M-, réal. : Bibo Bergeron)[29][30] | Won |
| Best music videos on DVD (Les Saisons de passage, réal. : Laurent Thessier)[29][30] | Won | |
| 2013 | Male artist of the year[31] | Nominated |
| Album of the year (Îl)[31] | Nominated | |
| Best music video (Mojo, réal. : Beryl Koltz)[31] | Nominated | |
| 2014 | Tour of the Year (Îl(s) - Labo M / Auguri Productions)[32] | Won |
| 2016 | Tour of the Year (Louis, Matthieu, Joseph et Anna Chedid à l'Olympia, à l'Opéra Garnier et en tournée - Auguri Productions)[33] | Nominated |
| 2018 | World music album of the year (Lamomali avec Toumani et Sidiki Diabaté, Fatoumata Diawara)[34] | Won |
Discography
Albums
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Peak positions | Certifications | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FRA [35] |
BEL (Wa) [36] |
SWI [37] | |||
| 1997 | Le Baptême | 35 | – | – | |
| 1999 | Je dis aime | 11 | – | – | |
| 2003 | Labo M (instrumental) | 27 | – | – | |
| Qui de nous deux | 1 | 4 | 76 | ||
| 2009 | Mister Mystère | 1 | 3 | 16 | |
| 2012 | Îl | 4 | 9 | 39 | |
| 2019 | Lettre infinie | 1 [38] |
7 | 11 | |
| 2022 | Rêvalité | 2 | 9 | 27 | |
Collaborations
| Year | Album | Peak positions | Certifications | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FRA [35] |
BEL (Wa) [36] |
SWI [37] | |||
| 2015 | Louis Matthieu Joseph & Anna Chedid (Louis Matthieu Joseph & Anna Chedid) |
3 | 10 | 24 | |
| 2017 | Lamomali (with Toumani Diabaté and Sidiki Diabaté) |
2 [39] |
22 | 31 | |
| Lamomali Airlines (with Toumani Diabaté and Sidiki Diabaté) |
35 [40] |
– | – | ||
Live albums
| Year | Album | Peak positions | Certifications | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FRA [35] |
BEL (Wa) [36] |
SWI [37] | |||
| 1997 | Le tour de -M- | 3 | – | – | |
| 2005 | -M- au Spectrum | – | – | – | |
| En tête à tête | 2 | 26 | 93 | ||
| 2010 | Les saisons de passage | 14 | 76 | – | |
| 2013 | Îl(s) | 27 | 145 | – | |
| 2017 | Lamomali Live | 92 [41] |
– | – | |
| 2019 | Le grand petit concert | 24 [42] |
– | – | |
Soundtracks
| Year | Album | Peak positions | Certifications | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FRA [35] |
BEL (Wa) [36] |
SWI [37] | |||
| 2007 | Ne le dis à personne (soundtrack) |
103 | – | – | |
| 2011 | Un monstre à Paris (soundtrack by Vanessa Paradis & -M- / Patrice Renson) |
7 | 10 | – | |
Rereleases
| Year | Album | Peak positions |
|---|---|---|
| FRA [35] | ||
| 2002 | Le Baptême / Je dis aime | 127 |
| 2004 | Le Baptême / Je dis aime / Labo M | 166 |
| Le tour de M / Qui de nous deux | 130 | |
| 2005 | Qui de nous deux / Je dis aime / Le Baptême | 92 |
| 2008 | Je dis aime / Qui de nous deux | 78 |
As main artist
| Single | Year | Peak positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FRA [35] |
BEL (Fl) Ultratip [43] |
BEL (Wa) Ultratop [36] |
BEL (Wa) Ultratip [36] |
SWI [37] | |||
| "Machistador" | 1998 | 83 | – | – | – | – | |
| "Onde sensuelle" / "Je dis aime" | 2000 | 46 | – | – | – | – | |
| "Qui de nous deux" | 2004 | 40 | – | – | 3 | 83 | |
| "À tes souhaits" | 78 | – | – | 16 | – | ||
| "Ma mélodie" | 67 | – | – | 12 | – | ||
| "La bonne étoile" | 2005 | 50 | – | – | – | – | |
| "Mister Mystère" | 2009 | – | – | – | – | – | Mister Mystère |
| "Le roi des ombres" | – | – | 28 | – | – | ||
| "Est-ce que c'est ça?" | – | – | – | 20 | – | ||
| "Amssétou" | 2010 | – | – | – | 20 | – | |
| "Tu peux compter sur moi" (with Louis Chedid) |
– | – | 8 | – | – | On ne dit jamais assez aux gens qu'on aime qu'on les aime | |
| "La Seine" (with Vanessa Paradis) |
2011 | 9 | 37 | 3 | – | – | Un monstre à Paris |
| "Mojo" | 2012 | 27 | – | 27 | – | – | Îl |
| "Baïa" | 137 | – | – | 31 | – | ||
| "Océan" | 2013 | – | – | – | 16 | – | |
| "Superchérie" | 2018 | 113 | – | – | 29 | – | Lettre infinie |
| "Grand petit con" | 2019 | – | – | – | – | – | |
| "Thérapie" | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| "Massaï" | – | – | – | – | – | ||
Collaborations
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FRA [35] |
BEL (Wa) Ultratip [36] | |||
| 2001 | "Y'a des zazous" (Brigitte Fontaine & -M-) |
50 | – | |
| 2007 | "L'éclipse" (Sean Lennon & -M-) |
– | 8 | |
| 2015 | "F.O.R.T." | 98 | 28 | Louis Matthieu Joseph & Anna Chedid |
| "On ne dit jamais assez aux gens qu'on aime qu'on les aime" | 132 | – | ||
| 2016 | "Baby That's You" | 151 | – | |
| "Bal de Bamako" (-M-, Toumani Diabaté & Sidiki Diabaté feat. Fatoumata Diawara & Oxmo Puccino) |
140 | 41 | ||
| 2017 | "Cet air" (-M-, Toumani Diabaté & Sidiki Diabaté feat. Fatoumata Diawara) |
– | Tip | |
Other hits
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FRA [35] |
BEL (Wa) Ultratip [36] | |||
| 1997 | "Le baptême" / "La grosse bombe" (limited release) | – | – | |
| 1998 | "Au suivant" | – | – | |
| 2000 | "Le complexe du corn flakes" | – | – | |
Charity
- 2016: "Vole" (with Nolwenn Leroy, Alain Souchon, Laurent Voulzy...)
Bibliography
- Les Âmes de Mogador (2003), with Patrice Renson : tribute to Essaouira (Maroc). A CD of ten unreleased tracks is included.
- -M-, qui de nous deux (2004), with Claude Gassian : book produced during the recording of the album Qui de nous deux
- -M- de A à Z (2005), by Mathias Goudeau
- Le monde de -M- (2005), with Marianne Chedid, Sonia Rachline and Sophie Laurent : insight on his career, with a lot of pictures
- -M- le mot dit : esthétique d'un funkistador by Marc Borbon: analysis of M's world through a fan's own experience
- Le Livre Extraordinaire de -M- by Lisa Roze: package of an archival photographs, unpublished shootings, a book, postcards, a pop-up, a new song (Si Si No No), etc.
References
- "Audrey Tautou est en couple" [Audrey Tautou is in a relationship]. LaLibre (in French). 27 June 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
- "Matthieu Chédid range le gel et tue -M-". 7sur7.be (in French). 26 June 2008. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
- Review on 2yeuxet1plume / Autour de Matthieu Chedid Archived 7 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine (French)
- Lamomali, futur album à la croisée des mondes, par 2yeuxet1plume / Autour de Matthieu Chedid (French)
- "Thomas Bangalter a co-produit un titre avec Matthieu Chedid". TSUGI (in French). 23 November 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
- "-M- Matthieu Chedid on Instagram: "R Ê V A L I T É nouvel album le 03 juin 2022 💜✨ . Photo/artwork: @yannorhan pour Slo Slo"". Instagram. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
- Matthieu Chédid donne le secret derrière sa coupe de cheveux ! // Extrait archives M6 Video Bank. YouTube (in French). M6 Video Bank. 8 May 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
- "Matthieu Chedid en dix mots qu'il M". L'Express (in French). 5 September 2009. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
- "En images : le concert onirique de Matthieu Chedid au Zénith". La République des Pyrénées (in French). 22 April 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
- Jonathan, Stéphane C. (5 May 2010). "Le retour de Matthieu Chedid sur les scènes de la région". Sud Ouest (in French). Retrieved 19 June 2023.
- "Upclose with -M-". South China Morning Post. 17 June 2010. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
- -M- La bonne étoile (Making of). YouTube (in French). 100% Chanson Française. 24 September 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
- De la Haye, Fleur (7 September 2009). "Un joli M". Radio France Internationale (in French). Retrieved 19 June 2023.
- Volders, Géraldine (20 December 2009). "M se démasque : magique - La DH/Les Sports+". La Dernière Heure (in French). Retrieved 19 June 2023.
- "Victoires de la musique 2018 : découvrez les principaux lauréats". francetvinfo.fr. 16 March 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
- "Les Victoires de La Musique - Palmarès 1999". evenements.francetv.fr.
- "Les Victoires de La Musique - Palmarès 2000". evenements.francetv.fr.
- "COUP DE JEUNE SUR LES VICTOIRES 2000" (in French). 13 March 2000. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
- "Les Victoires de La Musique - Palmarès 2004". evenements.francetv.fr.
- "Les Victoires de La Musique - Palmarès 2005". evenements.francetv.fr.
- "Victoires de la musique : sous le signe du M". Le Monde.fr (in French). 6 March 2005. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
- "Les Victoires de La Musique - Palmarès 2006". evenements.francetv.fr.
- "22èmes Victoires de la Musique 2007 - SNEP" (in French). 12 November 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
- "Les Victoires de La Musique - Palmarès 2007". evenements.francetv.fr.
- "Les Victoires de La Musique - Palmarès 2010". evenements.francetv.fr.
- "Les Victoires de La Musique - Palmarès 2011". evenements.francetv.fr.
- "Victoires 2011: M dédie son prix à Andrée Chedid, partie à la fin de l'aventure..." (in French). 1 March 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
- "Palmarès des Victoires de la Musique - Edition 2011". evenements.francetv.fr.
- "Les Victoires de La Musique - Palmarès 2012". evenements.francetv.fr.
- "Le palmarès des Victoires de la musique 2012" (in French). 3 March 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
- "Les Victoires de La Musique - Palmarès 2012". evenements.francetv.fr.
- "Les Victoires de La Musique - Palmarès 2014". evenements.francetv.fr.
- "Qui sont les nommés aux Victoires de la Musique 2016 ?". huffingtonpost.fr. 12 February 2016.
- "Les Victoires de La Musique - Palmarès 2018". evenements.francetv.fr.
- LesCharts.com: M [FR] discography
- Ultratop 50 (Wallonia): M [FR] discography
- HitParade.ch: M [FR] discography
- "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums Fusionnes – SNEP (Week 5, 2019)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on 2 February 2019. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums – SNEP (Week 15, 2017)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
- "M, TOUMANI DIABATÉ & SIDIKI DIABATÉ FEAT. FATOUMATA DIAWARA - LAMOMALI AIRLINES (ALBUM)" (in French). lescharts.com. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
- "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums – SNEP (Week 48, 2017)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on 14 December 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
- "Top Albums (Week 48, 2019)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
- Ultratop 50 (Flanders): M [FR] discography
External links
- Official website (flash) (French)
- Myspace site, including links and concert dates (French)
- RFI Biography (English)
- Interview with ‑M- (French)
- -M- Chedid Online (Spanish)
- Review of 'Mister Mystère' (English)
- Reference website (2yeuxet1plume / Autour de Matthieu Chedid) (French)