Teri Moïse

Terry Moise, known by her stage name Teri Moïse (March 25, 1970 – May 7, 2013) was an American singer.

Her parents emigrated from Haiti to South Central, Los Angeles. After high school she studied economics at the University of California, Berkeley. In 1990 she went to France, where she studied literature at the Sorbonne and worked as an au pair. After returning to the United States, she began studying at the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles.

In 1992, Moïse again moved to Paris and pursued a career in music working as a choir singer, bass player and songwriter. She eventually met Étienne Wersinger in Paris. They decided to record demos and Wersinger visited several music producers. Philippe Ascoli, director of the newly created “Source” label at Virgin France, when hearing the cassette, fell under the spell of Moïse.

French DJ Etienne De Crécy and Stéphane "Alf" Briat collaborated on her 1996 self-titled debut album, which sold 500,000 copies. The album and its two singles Les poèmes de Michelle (Michelle's Poems) and Je serai là (I'll Be There) were among the most influential French Soul releases of the 1990s.

Teri Moïse is the final winner of the Victoire de la musique in the category "Artiste interprète ou groupe francophone", receiving the award in 1997.

On behalf of her recording contract, her second album TERIMOÏSE was released in November 1998. The recording, according to Étienne de Crécy was difficult for Moïse. As a result, she felt more and more uncomfortable with fame and the lack of artistic freedom. In 2000, she decided to sue Virgin for unfair terms, as she did not want to record the third album mentioned in her employment contract. Although she won her lawsuit at the end of 2001, her partner at the time, Patrick Houlez, said that Moïse was disappointed that the press did not mention the fact that she had managed to stand up to the cynicism of the music industry.

Discography

Albums 1996 : Teri Moïse – #13 in Belgium, #12 in France, #27 in Quebec 1999 : Teri Moïse – #54 in France

Singles 1996 : "Les Poèmes de Michelle" – #30 in Belgium, #11 in France, #3 in Quebec 1996 : "Je serai là" – #4 in Belgium, #8 in France, #49 in Quebec 1998 : "Fais semblant" – #28 in France 1999 : "Star" – #89 in France