Corneille

Cornelius Nyungura (born 24 March 1977), known by his stage name Corneille, is a German-Rwandan naturalized Canadian R&B singer. He was born in West Germany to Rwandan parents. He spent most of his childhood in Rwanda, and eventually emigrated to Quebec, Canada, in 1997. He sings in French and English. His work is greatly influenced by American funk and soul music; he is inspired by Prince, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder.

Early life Corneille was born in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, although he spent much 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. He 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, Canada, to attend Concordia University. During this time, he founded O.N.E., an R&B band, with Pierre Gage and Gardy Martin, whom he had met shortly after arriving in Quebec. In April 2003, Corneille sang with Craig David, repeating a verse in French in the song Rise and Fall. He undertook his first tour during May 2003, playing to full houses in Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Bordeaux. In March 2005, the singer participated in the concert Africa Live, which was organised to fight against (malaria) paludism.

In 2014, he participated in the fifth season of Danse avec les stars – the French version of Dancing with the Stars. He was partnered with professional dancer Candice Pascal. On November 8, 2014, they were eliminated finishing 6th out of 11 contestants.

Personal life Corneille married Canadian model and actress Sofia de Medeiros in 2006; they now have two children.

Discography Albums Studio albums

Special editions 2003: Parce qu'on vient de loin (édition deluxe) (two discs) 2006: Parce qu'on vient de loin / Les marchands de rêves (double album rerelease)

Live albums and DVDs YearAlbumChartsCertificationBEL Wa FR SWI 2005Live (double album)109

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

As featured artist Did not appear in the official Belgian Ultratop 50 charts, but rather in the bubbling under Ultratip charts.

DVDs 2005: Live (coinciding with Live album)

Awards 2005 NRJ Music Awards Video of the Year for Parce qu'on vient de loin 2005 EBBA Award.