Marie-Mai is a pop/rock singer from Quebec who rose to fame as a finalist on the reality show Star Académie in 2003 before embarking on a career as a popular recording artist the following year. Born Marie-Mai Bouchard on July 7, 1984, in Varennes, Quebec, she took an early interest in music and was encouraged by her grandmother, who recommended that she audition for Star Académie, a Pop Idol-style reality show in its first season. Though Marie-Mai didn't win the competition, she was a finalist and made a strong impression with her pop/rock style. A performance tour followed in the wake of her appearance on the 2003 season of Star Académie, as did a recording contract and an acting role in the musical Rent at the Olympia Theatre in Montreal. Released in 2004, Marie-Mai's full-length album debut, Inoxydable, was a commercial blockbuster in Quebec, spawning a two-year series of hit singles ("Il Faut Que Tu T'en Ailles," "Tu T'en Fous," "Encore une Nuit," "Rien," "Chanson Pour Hier et Demain," "Tous les Chemins"), several of which topped the regional singles chart. In 2006 the album was released in France and supported by a European tour. Marie-Mai's follow-up album, Dangereuse Attraction (2007), continued her success in Quebec, spawning another series of chart-topping regional hit singles ("Qui Prendra Ma Place," "Mentir," "Emmène-Moi"). ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide