| Vital Information | |
|---|---|
| Birth Date: | August 21, 1984 |
| Full Name: | Alizée Jacotey |
| Hometown: | Ajaccio, Corsica, France |
| Relatives: | Annie-Lee- Daughter |
Alizée Jacotey (born August 21, 1984) is a French singer. Born in Ajaccio, Corsica, she is the daughter of a computer scientist and a businesswoman. Her stage name is Alizée — the feminine form of alizé, or the trade wind. She is considered to be the protégée of Mylène Farmer, a successful Quebec-born French singer.
Alizée made her debut with the single, Moi... Lolita, her most successful to date. It enjoyed success throughout most of Europe and parts of east Asia, reaching the number one spot in music charts of most countries it was released in. Indeed, Alizée's image was that of a seductive Lolita character, referring to the novel by Vladimir Nabokov. The video for the single, which incidentally was the first to be filmed on her, showed Alizée as a village girl visiting a night-club.
In 2003 she returned with her second album "Mes Courants Électriques", or "My Electric Currents" in English translation. With the release of this album, she changed her image from a 'Lolita' to that of a more toned-down teenager. This album was also written by Farmer and Boutonnat. The first single from this album, J'en Ai Marre, known as "Mon Bain de Mousse" in Japan, had some success in and outside France, but this second album, featuring English versions of four tracks, was not as well received as her first one, Gourmandises. It sold over 400,000 copies in France. The album was supported by a countrywide tour in the fall of 2003. A live CD and DVD a year later, in the fall of 2004, by the name "Alizée En Concert", followed. The DVD featured footage of her rehearsals.
Alizée has sold more than five million albums throughout Europe. She has starred in a Japanese commercial and has taken part in various stage shows and live performances outside of Japan. A dance that can be performed by the female Night Elf avatar in the computer game World of Warcraft, published by Blizzard Entertainment, closely resembles the choreography of her performance of J'en Ai Marre. The stage costume for the same performance is considered by many to be inspired by a blue sailor outfit seen in the 1997 remake of Nabokov's Lolita, due to a noticeable similarity in design.
Even though the albums have portrayed her to be in a sexy, lolita-like image, Alizée maintains a "squeaky-clean public image as the perfect teenager". A very shy and a reserved person, she likes to perform in front of audiences. Although she has a singing career, Alizée prefers dancing. She is quite proficient in classical dance, jazz, ballet, tap and flamenco. Alizée also likes football. She is a supporter of AC Ajaccio, and was once invited to kick off one of their matches.
Alizée is actively involved in charity work through Les Enfoirés, a group of French celebrities who organize fund-raising concerts every year. The proceeds from these concerts go to Les Restaurants du Coeur. The organization, set up by French comedian Coluche, helps feed the poor. Alizée participated in these concerts in 2001 and 2002.
Alizée married fellow French singer Jérémy Châtelain, whom she met at the Eurobest awards function in 2003. They were married on November 6, 2003 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. They had their first child, a girl they named Anny-Lee (Annily), on April 29, 2005.
Since her marriage, Alizée has taken a hiatus from singing (though there are reports that a third studio album, with a new producer, is in the works). She has avoided appearing in the media since February 2004. Her first television appearance since then was on MTV France on February 18, 2006. She currently resides in Paris, France.
