Mireille Mathieu: biography, best songs, videos, interesting facts.

Mireille Mathieu

"I see you surrounded by kings and queens, you will go around the whole world!" - once heard from a clairvoyant obscure 13-year-old girl from Avignon and ... did not believe the prophecy. The world for her was limited to the streets of her native provincial town, she only saw kings in pictures and knew for sure that nothing like this could happen to her.

History has not kept the name of the fortuneteller, but the name of the girl today is known in all corners of the globe - Mireille Mathieu. Her unusual voice with charming hoarseness is instantly recognizable. Her admirers include millions of people, including the powerful. Glory, world recognition - everything came true for this little fragile woman thanks to the extraordinary diligence and loyalty to the path once chosen: for more than half a century the song is the main thing in her life.

A brief biography of Mireille Mathieu and many interesting facts about the singer, read on our page.

short biography

The life path of Mireille Mathieu can serve as a practical guide on how to make a fairy tale come true. Mireille was born in 1946 in Avignon. In a large family, where 14 children grew up, she was the oldest child and first mate to her parents. Already at the age of 6 she had household chores to help care for her younger brothers and sisters. A large family lived in extreme poverty. But parents, deprived of the opportunity to pamper children with delicacies and expensive toys, were able to give them the most important thing - a sense of reliability of the home, warmed by love and mutual understanding.

Mireille's father was a hereditary bricklayer, but from his very youth a passionate love for singing lived in his soul. He sang everywhere - at work, household chores, and his most enthusiastic listener was the eldest daughter, who not only listened to him, but, barely learning to speak, had already tried to sing along with him. Possessing a beautiful tenor, Roger Mathieu worked part-time by singing in the church choir and once, on Christmas Eve, he took four-year-old Mireille with him, who sang with him during the night festive service. As a reward the little girl was given a candy. That was the debut of the future legend of the world stage.

But if the performance in the church remained for Mireille one of the brightest childhood memories, then schooling became an eternal nightmare for her. Her teacher, left-handed since birth, tried to force her to write with her right hand, and for greater persuasiveness she beat a "careless" pupil with a ruler. She did not manage to retrain the girl until the end, but she fully recovered her desire to study.

At the age of 13, Mireille left school and settled on a paper mill to glue envelopes. In 1962, 15-year-old Mathieu, at the initiative of her father, spoke at a local song contest. Contrary to the hopes of the family, her performance went unnoticed, but the failure only spurred the girl, for the first time discovering the firmness of her character and rare purposefulness, which will help her throughout her life. Mireille begins to seriously prepare for the next competition. She takes vocal lessons, earning them from her own work. The following year, she makes a second attempt to subdue the jury of the song contest, but only for the third time luck smiles upon her — Mireille awards the long-awaited victory in the song contest. This victory opens up a 19-year-old girl to Paris for a popular TV show.

The finest hour Mireille Mathieu struck on November 21, 1965, when she first appeared on television with the song Edith Piaf Jezebel. And in the morning, in the parents' apartment of Mireille, a telephone call rang out, which determined her further fate. The famous producer Johnny Stark expressed a desire to work with a young actress. The cooperation contract was signed, and this was the beginning of the future star's triumphal ascent to the summit of pop Olympus. True, it was impossible to call it cloudless. The girl, who grew up in the provinces and suffered from large gaps in education, had to learn not only vocals. She had no idea about the intricacies of etiquette, could not stand on the stage and conduct small talk, did not know languages, and Johnny Stark, with Pygmalion's enthusiasm, began to sculpt a pop star from Mireille. This is where her strength of will and great diligence came in handy to the girl, although at times she was overwhelmed by despair — the gulf seemed so insurmountable that she had to step over. For the rest of her life, she retained a deep sense of gratitude towards her impresario, whom she sincerely considered the second father, affectionately calling her “Papa Joe”.

Just a month later, Stark brought his ward to the stage of the most prestigious concert hall in France - Olympia. An incredible resemblance to Piaf, diminutive, low strong voice, manner of performance - everything in Mireille reminded the public of a recently deceased idol. But she did not turn into Piaf’s pale shadow — thanks to Stark, who managed to help the young singer to find her own face.

Despite the fact that the demanding Parisian public accepted the debutante with restraint, Mathieu's first solo CD sold in France with 1.7 million copies. And then began its triumphal march through cities and countries. For 15 years, starting in 1970, the singer gives concerts in different parts of the world, with the exception of her native France. Mathieu’s repertoire includes world song hits as well as songs of famous compatriots - Paul Mauriat Aznavour, Delanoe, Lemelya, and her reading of the repertoire Edith Piaf and Roy Orbinson gives the old melodies a new sound. All over the world, she is considered the "ambassador of the French song", But here's a paradox: having achieved great success abroad, she was never able to achieve unconditional recognition in her homeland. Mireille Mathieu in France with hidden irony is called the “brand for export,” although at the official level, the singer’s tribute is due. In 1989, at the initiative of President Francois Mitterrand, Mathieu performs a concert in memory of General de Gaulle. In the same year, at the celebrations for the 100th anniversary of the Eiffel Tower, it was Mathieu who was given the honorable right to perform Marseillaise.

In this small, fragile woman, much is worthy of respect and admiration, and above all her main principle is not to change yourself in anything. A characteristic feature of her nature is consistency, which is manifested in everything from affection to a hairstyle that has not changed for many years.

Today, the singer resides mainly in Los Angeles. But for her anniversary concerts in 2014, dedicated to the 50th anniversary of creative activity, she chose the scene dear to her heart of the Paris Olympia, from which half a century ago she stepped into the life she had predicted once.

Interesting Facts

• Since childhood, Mireille Mathieu has been miniature - her height is only 153 cm, she wears the 33rd shoe size. Previously, she was very worried about her small stature and even played volleyball in the hope of growing up.
• One of her first fees, a singer who grew up in poverty, spent to buy a house to her parents.
• Mathieu performed in a duet with world stars - Elvis Presley, Charles Aznavour, Placido Domingo, Frank Sinatra, Julio Iglesias, Tom Jones.

• To date, 133 million albums and over 55 million singles singles have been sold in the world, the amount of their sales is 190 million dollars.
• Mathieu sings in 9 languages ​​- French, English, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, Russian and Finnish, as well as in two dialects - Provençal and Catalan. All over 1200 songs from his repertoire, the legendary French woman knows by heart.
• The singer is a cavalier and an officer of the Legion of Honor. The first title was granted to her by President Jacques Chirac in 1999, the second was given to her by Nicolas Sarkozy in 2011.
• In 1978, the appearance of Mireille Mathieu was taken for a sculptural image of Marianne - the personification of the French Republic. Before the singer, this honor fell to the lot of actresses Brigitte Bardot and Michelle Morgan.
• In 2010, the Chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, A. Bastrykin, presented the legendary French woman with the Medal of Valor and Courage, and from the hands of Russian President D. Medvedev she received the Order of Friendship.
• The singer loves to bet on the run, but not for the money. She pays great attention to charitable work and transfers the amount of winnings to orphanages. Where she is on tour, Mireille, as a rule, takes under a personal patronage a hospital for children or a shelter.
• A fan club of Mathieu fans even exists in remote Polynesia.
• Mathieu has her portrait painted by the Russian artist Ilya Glazunov, with whom the singer was personally acquainted.
• The flowers brought to her by fans, Mathieu dries in the old Provencal way. And with rose petals, they, along with Sister Monique, decorate Parisian churches.
• The singer demonstrates amazing consistency in her passions: for many years she uses perfumes with the scent of lily of the valley, and orders clothes from her youth from Christian Lacroix.
• There is a variety of roses called Mireille Mathieu. Their orange-red color is associated with the singer's favorite shade of lipstick, which has become an integral part of her image.

• In airplanes, the singer usually reads books and does crossword puzzles - this helps, she says, broadens the mind.
• Mireille Mathieu does not like the green color, which, according to her grandmother, brings bad luck and for the same reason can not stand carnation.
• In 1991, her autobiographical book, My Destiny, was published.
• Fans of Mireille Mathieu are still buying envelopes made at the Avignon factory, where she worked for four years in her early youth.
• Once on the embankment of the Seine were filming with her participation. This saw the guide tourist boat. He instantly oriented himself in the situation and announced to the guests of the capital: “Notre Dame to your left, Notre Dame to your left, Mireille Mathieu to your right.” Tourists together rushed to the right side, almost turning over the light vessel.
• Throughout her life, Mathieu tried to get rid of her southern accent and overgrowing. But in the USSR, the singer was an object of imitation in everything. After her tour to our country, the French language teachers at Moscow State University vainly explained to the students that they should not copy the special style of grading of Mireille Mathieu, since such pronunciation is a violation of the norms of orthoepy.

Best songs

Among the 1200 songs that Mathieu performs, there are songs that even people who do not belong to the singer's fans know - they have entered our lives so much.

"Pardonne moi" - Paul Mauriat wrote the melody of the famous French waltz especially for Mireille Mathieu. Since the late 1960s, this song has been played in almost every concert of the singer.

"Pardonne moi" (listen)

"Une histoire d'amour" - the most famous masterpiece of the composer Francis Ley, whom the singer considers to be one of the creators of the performing style she gained. This composition can be heard in the cult film "Love Story".

"Une histoire d'amour" (listen)

"Ciao bambino, sorry" - Toto Kutuno’s playful song to poems by Pierre Delanoé performed by Mathieu was used in the program “Tavern 13 Chairs”, and then gained such popularity that it sounded at all discos.

"Une femme amoureuse" The original version was called "Woman in Love" and was originally part of the repertoire of Barbara Streisand. Its authors are the creators of the Bee Gees group Barry and Robin Gibb. However, it was performed by Mireille Mathieu, for whom the French version of this composition was created, she found the true power of dramatic sound.

"Une femme amoureuse" (listen)

"Une vie d'amour" - The French text of a genuine hit of all times and peoples was written by the king of French chanson Charles Aznavour. In the Russian version of the song is called "Eternal Love". Piercing and pressing, she won the hearts of millions after the release of the film "Tehran 43", where she sounded in the author's performance of the great chansonnier. But on the stage Aznavour sang it for the first time in a duet with Mireille Mathieu.

Personal life

One day, at the very beginning of his creative journey, “Papa Joe” told Mirel that sooner or later he had to choose between love and career. And she made her choice once and for all. Mirelle was never married, although there were enough contenders for the hands of a successful singer and an incredibly charming woman in all parts of her life journey. The closest people in her life were and are the members of her large family. Until recently, her mother, who passed away in 2016, usually accompanied her on all touring tours. Mathieu is very close with her younger sister Monique, acting director of the singer. And Mireille gives unspent maternal love to her numerous nephews and nieces.

She avoids crowded social gatherings, preferring to spend time with her family. Sometimes the singer attends the shows of the new collections of leading couturiers.

All the questions of journalists about the secrets of his personal life Mirel stops tactfully but firmly. But she willingly shares with the female audience the secrets of unfading beauty and youth. According to her, it's all about self-discipline. The singer does not suffer from bad habits, she prefers fish and vegetables in her food, uses the obligatory one and a half liters of water a day, tries not to expose her skin to the sun and sleep at least 10 hours a day. That's all her simple recipes.

"I am engaged to Russia!"

Mireille Mathieu has repeatedly admitted that the star for the first time she felt not in her native France, but in the Soviet Union, and still appears in Russia more often than in her homeland.

For the first time a young singer visited the USSR in 1967 together with a music hall and immediately conquered the Soviet public. At the same time, her first performance with a choir to them. Alexandrova, with whom Mathieu has been working in creative tandem for many years. When she came to Moscow for the second time in 1976 to step on the stage in a concert program organized as part of the French Television Week, she was already greeted as her own. In 2012, the singer was not limited to performances in the capital, but went inland, beyond the Urals, giving concerts in three cities - Yekaterinburg, Perm and Tyumen. She gladly sings her favorite Moscow songs “Moscow Nights”, “My dear capital” and the old romance “Black Eyes”, and in the purest Russian, which is especially appealing to viewers.

Since 2009, the singer has been a regular guest of the Spasskaya Tower International Festival. In Moscow, she has her favorite places. When she comes to the Russian capital, she invariably enters the St. Basil’s Cathedral, the Church of St. Nicholas.

Mireille Mathieu on the screen

The singer's film debut took place in the musical comedy series “The City Toast” by John Moffitt (1948-1971). In 1967 she got a small role in the drama "Journalist" by the Soviet director S. Gerasimov. In 1971, Claude Lelouch's comedy "Happy New Year!" with the participation of Mathieu.

From 1960 to 2014, the French singer played herself in 28 films and TV shows. The latitude of the geographical range of the shooting sites also shows a huge degree of popularity of the famous French singer. She can be seen in the TV shows "Mike Douglas Show" (USA), "Start, attention, march!" (UK), "This is Tom Jones" (USA, UK), Disco (Germany), "Cesar's Night" (France), in the films "Slightly Pregnant" (France, Italy), "The Art of the Fugue" (France) , the documentary "Reporters" (France) and others.

Mathieu Films

The personality of the legendary French woman and her life outside the stage have always aroused and continue to evoke a keen interest among the multinational army of her fans. In 1982, the documentary "Good evening, Mireille!" production of West Germany.

In 2007, viewers were able to learn about what the singer lives from the Russian film "Mireille Mathieu - Portrait of a Star." The latest documentaries about her were shot in 2016, also in Russia. First on the Russian television was the film "Mireille Mathieu. Waiting for Love." His story outline was an interview with Mireille Mathieu. In addition, viewers had the opportunity to go "together" with the singer in her favorite Parisian restaurant, to see the fitting of a new concert outfit and the process of choosing perfumes in your favorite perfume shop. The second Russian documentary tape is called "Mireille Mathieu. Woman of Riddle." The members of the film crew visited the star city of Avignon and met with members of its large family.

Music in movies

The strong charming voice of the French singer is able to add expressiveness and depth to any film, so the directors often used Mathieu's recordings of songs in their tapes.

Mathieu - about life, profession and love

• Ninety-nine percent of my success is work and work.
• I do not know how to do two things at once and can’t do anything in half.
• I can not imagine another fate. Every person is different. Being transformed into someone else - doesn’t it mean to give up on yourself?
• Music is the best way for me to say - I love you!
• Нелепо утверждать, будто я никого никогда не любила. Может ли быть удел более смешной и печальный?!
• Чем меньше думаешь о годах и смотришься в зеркало, тем лучше выглядишь.
• Я даже больше возмущаюсь, когда злословят о других, чем когда злословят обо мне. Потому что со мной все ясно.
• Я певица, но для меня это не просто профессия, а призвание. От профессии, конечно, можно отказаться. От призвания - нет.

Стать легендой при жизни дано не каждому. Mireille Mathieu is that lucky occasion when outstanding vocal abilities, boundless dedication to the profession, tremendous charm, multiplied by hard work, were rewarded with dignity. The secret of love that people in the most remote corners of the world have for it is simple - this love is mutual. Wherever Mireille comes in with concerts, she always tries to address her listeners in their native language, wanting the main thing to be heard. And she succeeds.