Niagara

This article is about a musical duo from France and should not be confused with the singer, Niagara.

Niagara is the name of a French rock-pop duo that achieved popularity both in Europe and, to a lesser degree, North America during the late-1980s and early 1990s. The band, whose was known under the name L'Ombre jaune from 1982 to 1984, was formed in Rennes, France, in 1984, by vocalist Muriel Laporte (later known as Muriel Moreno) and keyboardist Daniel Chenevez. They were frequently compared to the UK duo Eurythmics.

Biography

They became famous in France when they issued in 1985 their first single, "Tchiki boum", which was followed in the summer 1986 by their second single, "L'amour à la plage". 200,000 copies of each single were sold in France, becoming both silver disc. Driven by exotic-looking Laporte's charisma and singing ability, the duo released their first album in 1986, Encore un dernier baiser which included their first two hits and a new single, "Je dois m'en aller". Their second and most popular release was the album Quel enfer in 1989 ; the video for the lightweight "Soleil d'hiver" received frequent airplay in Canada, leading to the group forming a following in North America. Also in 1989, their singles "J'ai vu" and "Pendant que les champs brûlent" became minor hits in central Europe.

Niagara released two more albums: Religion in 1990 (which introduced a harder-edged sound to their music) and La Vérité in 1992 before the band (and the real-life couple of Laporte/Moreno-Chenevez) separated. Both musicians went on to solo careers. In 2002, a compilation entitled Flammes was released (also released as double CD and DVD), containing all the band's hits. It hit #1 for three weeks on the French Compilations Chart.

Discography

Albums

• 1986 : Encore un dernier baiser
• 1988 : Quel enfer
• 1990 : Religion
• 1992 : La Vérité
• 2002 : Flammes (compilation)

Singles

• 1985 : "Tchiki boum"
• 1986 : "L'amour à la plage"
• 1986 : "Je dois m'en aller"
• 1987 : "Quand la ville dort"
• 1988 : "Assez !"
• 1988 : "Soleil d'hiver"
• 1989 : "Flammes de l'enfer"
• 1989 : "Baby Louis"
• 1990 : "J'ai vu"
• 1990 : "Pendant que les champs brûlent"
• 1991 : "Psychotrope"
• 1991 : "La vie est peut-être belle"
• 1992 : "La fin des étoiles"
• 1993 : "Un million d'années"
• 1993 : "Le minotaure"

External links

• Official website - French language but primarily graphical
• Muriel Moreno official website