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Corneille

 
Artist: Corneille
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Pop Artists

Similar Artists:

Berry, Amel Bent, Cali, John Legend, Remy Shand, Raphaël, Miossec, Maxwell, D'Angelo

Influenced By:

Stevie Wonder, Charles Aznavour, Jacques Brel, Prince, Marvin Gaye

Formal Connection With:

O.N.E.
See Corneille Lyrics
  • Born: March 24, 1977, Freiburg, Germany
  • Active: 2000s
  • Genres: Rock
  • Instrument: Main Performer
  • Representative Albums: "The Birth of Cornelius," "Parce Qu'on Vient/Marchands de Reves," "Parce Qu'on Vient de Loin"

Biography

French-Canadian R&B singer Corneille translated personal tragedy into pop music success with his 2003 debut LP, Parce Qu'on Vient de Loin, a powerful and often harrowing song cycle inspired by his family's murder at the hands of a Rwandan death squad. Born Corneille Nyungura in Freiburg, Germany, on March 24, 1977, he was born into a Rwandan family completing an overseas study program. He nevertheless spent the majority of his childhood in Africa, absorbing native musical traditions as well as the pioneering American soul of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Prince. As a teen Corneille also discovered his parents' collection of classic chanson records by Jacques Brel, Charles Aznavour, and others, and this melting pot of influences converged to form a child prodigy who first recorded his own original songs at age 16. An appearance on Rwanda's national Discovery Awards broadcast soon followed, but in April 1994 Corneille's budding music career ground to a horrifying halt when a Rwandan military team stormed his home, killing his Tutsi father, his Hutu mother, and his brothers and sisters while he looked on in terror from behind the family sofa. Still reeling from his ordeal, Corneille joined up with a group of fellow Rwandan refugees and fled to Zaire, where he located a German couple who once befriended his parents. The couple took him in and brought him to Europe, where he remained prior to moving to Canada in 1997. Upon settling in Montreal, Corneille began studying communications while moonlighting in O.N.E., an R&B trio he founded with friends from Haiti. After scoring a Quebecois hit with the single "Zoukin'," the group became fixtures of the Montreal live circuit, opening for headliners including Isabelle Boulay. Corneille split from O.N.E. in 2001 to mount a solo career, earning attention and acclaim for a breakout performance at the 2002 Francofolies festival. The appearance earned him a gig alongside Eurythmics alum Dave Stewart, and the following year he issued Parce Qu'on Vient de Loin, a wrenchingly honest roman à clef documenting the loss of his family and subsequent escape from his homeland. The title cut and "Seul au Monde" were both huge hits, and earned Corneille nominations as Best Newcomer and Best Album at the 2004 Victoires de la Musique awards. After a well-received tour that included an appearance at the Nice Jazz Festival, he returned to studio to cut "Dix ans Ensemble," a duet with mbalax pioneer Youssou N'Dour for a fund-raising LP for the AIDS activism group Ensemble Contre le Sida. At year's end, Corneille returned to Quebec to collect the prestigious Félix award for Best Male Artist of the Year. At a special ceremony, he also became an official Canadian citizen. In 2005 he made his first return trip to Africa in the decade since his family's murder, performing at the N'Dour-organized Africa Live concert to raise funds for malaria victims. Corneille's much-anticipated sophomore effort, Les Marchands de Rêves, finally hit stores that November, painting a more positive portrait of African society while further embracing the Afrobeat, reggae, and soul influences that dominated his youth. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
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Wikipedia: Corneille (singer)
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Corneille

Corneille photo session, by Victor Diaz Lamich
Background information
Born March 24, 1977 (1977-03-24) (age 32)
Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
Origin Rwanda
Genres Soul, Rhythm and Blues
Website http://www.corneillemusic.com/

Cornelius Nyungura (born March 24, 1977) [1] is a singer who performs under the name Corneille. He was born in Germany to Rwandan parents, though he currently holds a Canadian passport and sings in French and English. His work is greatly influenced by American funk and soul music; among those he admires are Prince, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder.

Contents

Biography

Early life

Corneille was born in Freiburg, Germany where his parents were studying, though he spent most of his childhood in Rwanda. He discovered his passion for music in 1993, and so joined an R&B group, who won the Découverte 1993 competition. This also introduced him to songwriting and musical composition. However, his life changed after the genocide in 1994. His father, Émile Nyungura, was a leader of the political party (PSD); as a result, his parents and some of his relatives were killed in the massacre. Corneille fled to Germany, where some of his parents' friends took him in.

Career

In July 1997, Corneille decided to leave Germany in order to pursue studies in communication, and moved to Montreal, Quebec (Canada) to attend Concordia University. During this time, he founded O.N.E., an R&B band, with Pierre Gage and Martin Gardy, whom he had met shortly after arriving in Quebec. Zoukin, one of the group's songs written by Corneille, rose to first place in Canadian airplay. Then, at the beginning of 2001, Corneille left the group, wishing to pursue a solo career. He began to center his songs on his past.

During 2002, Corneille worked on various projects. He wrote and composed the songs "Ce soir" for the Cocktail R&B 2 compilation (Ghetto R&B, Sony Music) and "Si seulement on s'aimait" for Hip Hop Folies (Sony Music). Invited by Dave Stewart, he performed at his first showcase at the Réservoir in Paris, and had the chance to sing with Jimmy Cliff. In January 2003, he was invited to perform the first part of Cunnie Williams at Olympia. His first public concert at Opus Club followed shortly thereafter.

Corneille's first album, the Canadian version of Parce qu'on vient de loin, was released on September 10, 2002. It was little known. The French version, which included numerous bonuses on the second disc, was released on October 20, 2003. It quickly became successful. To date, the album sold more than a million copies.

In April 2003, Corneille sang with Craig David, repeating a verse in French in the song Rise and Fall. He underwent his first tour during May 2003, receiving a full house in Paris, Marseilles, Lyon and Bordeaux. In March 2005, the singer participated in the concert Africa Live, which was organised to fight against paludism. This is the first time that he has returned to his home continent since the genocide.

Les marchands de rêves, Corneille's second album, was released in November 2005.

Corneille is working with the Canadian Red Cross to raise awareness of children who are victims of war. He finished recording his first English-language album, The Birth Of Cornelius, which was released in July 2007. The first single is called "Back To Life".

Personal life

Corneille officially became a Canadian citizen on November 8, 2004.

He married Sofia de Medeiros, his girlfriend of four years, on September 9, 2006 in a small and private ceremony by the lake at the Quintessence hotel, 130km north of Montreal. She is a model and actress of Canadian and Portuguese parentage.

Discography

Albums

  • 2002: Parce qu'on vient de loin (Canadian version)
  1. "Seul au monde"
  2. "Terre"
  3. "Sans rancune"
  4. "Ca m'va"
  5. "Rêves de star"
  6. "Avec classe"
  7. "Parce qu'on vient de loin"
  8. "On regarde"
  9. "Tout va bien"
  10. "Ensemble"
  11. "Toi"
  12. "Va (On se verra)"
  13. "Qu'est-ce que tu fais?"
  14. "Comme un fils"
  15. "Parce qu'on vient de loin" (version acoustique)
  16. "D'amour ou d'amitié"
  • 2003: Parce qu'on vient de loin (two discs)

Disc 1:

  1. "Seul au monde"
  2. "Terre"
  3. "Sans rancune"
  4. "Ca me va"
  5. "Rêves de star"
  6. "Avec classe"
  7. "Parce qu'on vient de loin"
  8. "On regarde"
  9. "Tout va bien"
  10. "Ensemble"
  11. "Toi"
  12. "Va (On se verra)"
  13. "Qu'est-ce que tu fais?"
  14. "Comme un fils"
  15. "Laissez-nous vivre"
  16. "Avec classe" (version acoustique)

Disc 2:

  1. "Sans rancune" (version acoustique)
  2. "Parce qu'on vient de loin" (version acoustique)
  3. "Seul au monde" (version acoustique)
  4. "Rêves de star" (version acoustique)
  5. "Qu'est-ce que tu fais?" (version acoustique)

Video bonus:

  • Clip "Avec Classe"
  • Clip "Ensemble"
  • Clip "Rêves de star"
  • Making of "Rêves de star"
  • 2005 : Live (double album)

Disc 1:

  1. "Redemption Song"
  2. "Terre"
  3. "Sans rancune"
  4. "Laissez-nous vivre"
  5. "Toi"
  6. "On regarde"
  7. "Seul au monde"
  8. "Roxanne"
  9. "Ça me va"
  10. "Rêves de star"
  11. "Avec classe"
  12. "Va (on se verra)"
  13. "Tout va bien"
  14. "Parce qu'on vient de loin"

Disc 1:

  1. "Comme un fils"
  2. "Qu'est-ce que tu te fais?"
  3. "Overjoyed"
  4. "Sexual healing / Let's get it on"
  5. "Ensemble
  • 2005: Les Marchands de rêves
  1. "Reposez en paix"
  2. "Lettre à la maison blanche"
  3. "Si tu savais"
  4. "Sur la tombe de mes gens"
  5. "Petite sœur"
  6. "Le bon Dieu est une femme"
  7. "Les marchands de rêves"
  8. "Notre jour viendra"
  9. "A vie"
  10. "Iwacu"
  11. "Toujours le même"
  12. "Ca arrive"
  13. "Quand on aime tant"
  14. "Viens"
  • 2007: The Birth of Corneillius
  1. "Back to Life"
  2. "All of My Love"
  3. "Liberation"
  4. "A Man of This World"
  5. "Murder"
  6. "Foolish Heart"
  7. "Too Much of Everything"
  8. "Home Is By You"
  9. "I'll Never Call You Home Again"
  10. "Sweet Dependency"
  11. "Heaven"
  • 2009: Sans Titre
  1. "Elle Me Ment"
  2. "En Attendant"
  3. "Sans Nous"
  4. "Ma Comedie"
  5. "Le Parasite"
  6. "Pauvre Cynique"
  7. "Voleuse De Lendemain"
  8. "Stat! Vite Fait!"
  9. "Viellir Avec Toi"
  10. "Je Me Pardonne"

Singles

  • March 20, 2006: "Les marchands de rêves"
  • November 2005: "Le bon Dieu est une femme"
  • November 15, 2004: "Comme un fils"
  • May 17, 2004: "Seul au monde"
  • January 13, 2004: "Parce qu'on vient de loin"
  • January 13, 2004: "Rêves de star"
  • January 13, 2004: "Ensemble"
  • January 13, 2004: "Avec classe"

DVDs

  • 2005: Live (Released on April 5, 2005 in Canada and February 28, 2005 in France)
  1. "Redemption Song"
  2. "Terre"
  3. 'Sans rancune"
  4. "Johnny is cool"
  5. "Toi"
  6. "On regarde"
  7. "Seul au monde"
  8. "Roxanne"
  9. "Ça me va"
  10. "Rêves de star"
  11. "Avec classe"
  12. "Va (on se verra)"
  13. "Tout va bien"
  14. "Parce qu'on vient de loin"
  15. "Comme un fils"
  16. "Qu'est-ce que tu te fais?"
  17. "Overjoyed"
  18. "Sexual healing / Let's get it on"
  19. "Ensemble"
  20. "Aids"

Awards

  • NRJ Music Awards (le VIe)
    • Clip de l'année with Parce qu'on vient de loin (2005)

MSSC Awards 2004

See also

References

  1. ^ "Official North American Corneille Website". http://www.corneille.ca. Retrieved 5 March 2009. 

External links



This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 
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