Alain Souchon

Alain Souchon (; born Alain Édouard Kienast ; 27 May 1944) is a French singer-songwriter and actor. He has released 15 albums and has played roles in seven films.

Profile Alain Souchon was born in Casablanca, Morocco. His mother’s family was of Swiss origin, and he holds dual French-Swiss nationality. When he was six months old, the family relocated to France. At age 15, Souchon's father died in an accident. Subsequently, his mother sent him to a French high school in England, but due to enrollment issues, he remained in London, where he worked for a time. Upon returning to France, he developed an interest in music, learning to play the guitar under the influence of British and American artists.

In 1970, Souchon married and had his first son. During this period, he began performing in cabarets and bars on the Rive Gauche in Paris.

In 1971, he signed his first recording contract with the Pathe-Marconi label, though it did not lead to commercial success. His career gained momentum when Bob Socquet, artistic director at RCA, encouraged him to perform the song "L'amour 1830" at the Rose d'Or festival in Antibes. Around this time, Souchon began collaborating with composer and arranger Laurent Voulzy. Although they wrote songs together, each pursued a solo recording career.

Souchon achieved his first major success with the 1974 single "J'ai 10 ans", the title track of his debut album. He continued to release albums throughout the 1970s, and in 1978 he composed the theme song for François Truffaut's film L'amour en fuite (Love on the Run). That same year, his second son was born.

In 1980, Souchon was invited to perform at l'Olympia, a prestigious Parisian concert venue. He also launched his acting career, earning critical acclaim for his role in the 1983 film L'été meurtrier. Following the release of his album On avance, Souchon left RCA and, at age 40, signed with Virgin Records. In 1989, his song "La beauté de Ava Gardner" was named Best Song of the Year by the Victoires de la Musique.

In 1993, Souchon released what would become one of his most iconic songs, "Foule sentimentale", featured on the million-selling album C'est déjà ça. At the 1995 Victoires de la Musique awards, the song won the award for Best Original Song. The following year, he received the Prix Vincent Scotto from SACEM (Société des Auteurs, Compositeurs et Éditeurs de Musique) for the song "Sous les jupes des filles".

Souchon returned in 2005 with the commercially successful album La vie Théodore, which included the hit single "...Et si en plus y'a personne".

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums Year Album Record label FRA BEL(Wa) – – 2022 Ici & là - En concert au dôme de Paris – 58 –

A Re-release

Compilations Year Album Record labelFRABELSWI Sales 1994 L'Intégral (5 CDs) – – – 1997 20 Chansons (Also known as 20 Sur 20) – – – France: Platinum (300,000) 2001 Collection (1974–1984) – 30 10France: Platinum (300,000) Collection (1985–2001)Virgin – – –France: Platinum (300,000) 2002 Par les Sentiments (2 CDs) – – – 2004 Platinum Collection – 13 – 2007 100 Chansons (5 CDs) – – –

Singles Did not appear in the official Belgian Ultratop 50 charts, but rather in the bubbling under Ultratip charts

Awards Victoires de la musique 1986: Music Video of the Year (La Ballade de Jim), directed by Philippe Bensoussan 1986: Song of the Year (Belle-Île-en-Mer) 1990: Song of the Year (Quand j'serai KO) 1991: Album of the Year (Nickel) 1994: Male Artist of the Year 1994: Song of the Year (Foule sentimentale) 1996: Album of the Year (Défoule sentimentale)

Globes de Cristal Award 2006 : Best Male Singer