Florent Pagny

Despite an unpredictable and often controversial career that included detours into opera, the chanson tradition, and feature films as well as myriad personal obstacles, Florent Pagny remained one of the biggest-selling recording artists in contemporary French pop for more than a quarter century. Born November 6, 1961, in Chalon-sur-Saône, Pagny was the product of a working-class background and spent the better part of his adolescence competing in local radio contests and amateur showcases. At 16 he quit school and relocated to Paris to pursue a career in music and theater, working a series of odd jobs before beginning vocal studies at the Conservatoire de Levallois-Perret. While moonlighting as a bartender Pagny befriended talent scout Dominique Besnard. Smitten with Pagny's wild, unkempt look, Besnard helped him land roles in the features La Balance and Alain Corneau's Fort Saganne, and the resulting attention also led to a record deal. Pagny issued his debut single, "N'Importe Quoi," in 1987. The anti-drug anthem proved a blockbuster success, selling in excess of one million copies and rocketing its singer to overnight superstardom. With the 1988 release of the follow-up, "Laisser Nous Respirer," Pagny solidified his image as an icon of youth rebellion and angst, although his third single, "Comme d'Habitude," unexpectedly resurrected Claude François' variété classic. Finally, in the spring of 1990 Pagny issued his first full-length LP, Merci. While music critics ridiculed his rebel stance and relationship with nubile pop sensation Vanessa Paradis, the record nevertheless proved a sizable hit, and early the following year he headlined a sold-out performance at Paris' Zénith. After a return to his movie career, Pagny resumed his musical pursuits with 1992's Réaliste, a...