Matthieu Chedid Explained

Matthieu Chedid
-M-
Background:solo_singer
Birth Name:Matthieu Chedid
Alias:-M-
Birth Date:21 December 1971
Birth Place:Boulogne-Billancourt, France
Occupation:Singer-songwriter
Years Active:1978–present
Website:labo-m.net
Associated Acts:Brigitte Fontaine, Vanessa Paradis, Arthur H, Sean Lennon, Adanowsky

Matthieu Chedid (born 21 December 1971) is a French multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter.

Chedid began his career as a session musician playing both acoustic and electric guitar. In the late 1990s, he rose to fame as a singer-songwriter and musician under the alias M (often stylized as -M-), blending Nouvelle Chanson, electronic and rock music. In studio, he experiments with various instruments and electronic music, while on tour as -M- he mostly plays the guitar, and is known for his eccentric outfits and dramatic live performances, sometimes including special effects.

Chedid has also performed in the 2005 stage musical Le soldat rose and is part of French-Malian band Lamomali. Since 2018, he has been the most awarded artist at the Victoires de la Musique Awards with 13 awards, tied with Alain Bashung.

Biography

Matthieu Chedid was born in Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France. His father Louis Chedid is a singer from a family of Lebanese extraction, of Maronite and Greek Orthodox Christian background. Louis Chedid's mother Andrée (née Saab) was an Egyptian-born French writer and poet, who has written lyrics for Matthieu Chedid's songs. Matthieu Chedid's sisters are the music video and concert director Émilie Chedid (born in 1970) and French singer Anna Chedid (born in 1987), also known by her stage name Nach. His brother Joseph "Selim" Chedid (born in 1986) is also a French singer and a guitar and drums player.

Chedid took an interest in music early on. In 1978, at the age of six, Chedid lent his voice to the chorus of his father's hit song T'as beau pas être beau alongside older sister, Émilie. During his teenage years and early twenties, Chedid was part of short-lasting groups such as Tam Tam, Les Bébés fous and Les Poissons Rouges with Mathieu Boogaerts, as well as Julien Voulzy and Pierre Souchon (respectively the sons of singers Laurent Voulzy and Alain Souchon) who went on to form the duo Les Cherche Midi.

He has collaborated with a number of artists, both on stage and in the recording studio. Early into his solo career, Chedid was the opening act for Texas concerts. He has recorded with NTM, Sinclair, Billy Ze Kick, Brigitte Fontaine, Sean Lennon, Vanessa Paradis, and Johnny Hallyday.

Until 2008, Chedid was in a relationship with French actress Audrey Tautou.[1]

-M-

Chedid performs and records under the stage name -M-. Chedid created -M- as means of overcoming his shyness on stage and also as a way of distancing his work from that of his father and grandmother. The pseudonym comes from Chedid's first initial but also refers to the similar-sounding French word aime, meaning love. The character -M- is a superhero, noted for having a playful nature, and recognized for his flamboyant costumes (primarily monochrome suits with slim trousers and long jackets with upward pointed collars) and hair styled into the shape of an M.

In 1997, -M- released his first solo album Le Baptême. During this time; he played mainly solo or with the cellist Vincent Ségal. The album received overall positive critical reception, but public recognition only came a few months later, with the release of the single "Machistador".

Je dis aime

In 1999, -M- published his second album, Je dis aime a title that puns 'aime' (like/love) with 'M'. A few months later, the album was 11th on the French Charts, with more than 500,000 albums sold, thanks to a number of successful songs ("Je dis aime", "Onde Sensuelle", "Monde Virtuel", "Le complexe du corn-flakes", "Mama Sam").

Live, -M- played with Cyril Atef, Vincent Segal and DJ Shalom for the samples on some songs. He still works with his sister Emilie Chedid for the realisation of the clips. His live performance largely contributed to his success, playing on his character of -M- to transform every concert into a show. He won his first Victoire de la Musique awards for Male Artist of the Year and Concert of the Year.

"Belleville Rendez-vous" and Qui de nous deux

-M- gained international exposure through his recording of the song "Belleville Rendez-vous" for the soundtrack of the 2003 Sylvain Chomet animated film The Triplets of Belleville in both French and English. The song, with lyrics by Chomet and music by Benoit Charest, was nominated for a 2003 Academy Award. The music video for "Belleville Rendez-vous" uses both a live-action depiction of -M- and an animated depiction incorporated into footage from the film.

In autumn 2003, he released his 3rd album Qui de nous deux (Which one of us two) with the singles "Qui de nous deux", "La bonne étoile", "Mon ego". Softer, this album saw the birth of his first daughter, Billie, for whom an all-pink guitar was built by instrument-maker Cyril Guérin. A pink guitar can be seen in the video for "Qui de nous deux".

In 2007, he worked once again with Vanessa Paradis on her album Divinidylle, released in September 2007.

Mister Mystère

Rumors circulated before the release of his 2009 studio album, Mister Mystère, that Chedid had decided to drop the character -M- to record and perform under his given name.[2] The album, however, was released under the name -M- but included photographs of the singer without the wild costumes and hair associated with the -M- character. The music video for the first single, "Le Roi des ombres", showed Chedid burning a tiny effigy of his alterego.[3]

Louis, Matthieu, Joseph et Anna Chedid

Chedid was part of the musical group Louis, Matthieu, Joseph et Anna Chedid with several members of his family. They began with a tour in 2015, which was followed by a studio recording.

Îl, Lamomali, and Lettre infinie

In autumn 2012, he released the album, Îl, played with Lawrence Clais and Brad Thomas Ackley.

He worked with Toumani Diabaté and Sidiki Diabaté on a collective album, Lamomali, released in March 2017[4] The album also features many well regarded names from the world music scene, such as Philippe Jaroussky, Oxmo Puccino, Youssou N'Dour, Seu Jorge, and Fatoumata Diawara, lending a mesmeric world music flavour to it that celebrates cultural diversity and world peace. The album "showcases musical stylings from across the planet, whilst at its core it contains a traditional West African rhythm".[5]

In 2019, he released the studio album, Lettre infinie, featuring collaborations from Thomas Bangalter and Phillipe Zdar.[6] He announced new album, R Ê V A L I T É, to be released in June 2022.[7]

Public image

Chedid is mostly known for his on-stage persona -M- whose signature hairstyle is reminiscent of the letter M and was initially achieved using hair wax.[8] According to Chedid, the hairstyle was inspired by the ear tufts of certain species of owls, from a lithography of an owl given by his grandmother Andrée.[9] The letter M also appears as a pattern in the character's clothes, in music videos and stage sets. With his energetic personality, eccentric outfits and hairstyle, the character has drawn comparisons with English musician David Bowie's stage persona Ziggy Stardust.[10] [11] [12] Besides Matthieu Chedid, the character -M- has also been portrayed by actor Vincent Lindon in the music video for Chedid's song La bonne étoile.[13] In promotional material and music videos for his 2009 album Mister Mystère, Chedid is seen with natural hair instead of the signature M-shaped hairstyle.[14] The lyrics of some of the songs, and the music video of Le Roi des Ombres ending with Chedid burning a tiny effigy of the -M- character, led to speculation about whether he would abandon his alter ego. Chedid eventually kept performing the character, showing his natural hair or wearing M-shaped wigs or helmets.[15]

Awards

Matthieu Chedid holds the gold place in number of Victoires de la Musique awards, with 13 awards[16]

YearCatégorie des Victoires de la musiqueResult
1999Best new artist[17]
Best music video : Machistador (réal. Émilie Chedid)
2000Male artist of the year[18] [19]
Tour of the Year (Je dis aime à l'Elysée Montmartre et en tournée)
Album pop-rock of the year (Je dis aime)
2004Male artist of the year[20]
Tour of the Year (L'Avantour à l'Elysée Montmartre)
2005Male artist of the year[21] [22]
Album of the year (Qui de nous deux?)
Tour of the Year (M à l'Olympia et en tournée)
Best music videos on DVD : Les Leçons de musique de -M- (réal. : Émilie Chedid]])
Best music video (Ma Mélodie, réal. : Cyril Houplain)
2006Best music video (La Bonne Étoile, réal. : Laurent Seroussi)[23]
Best music video (Est-ce que tu aimes ? par Arthur H et -M-, réal. : Rodolphe Pauly)
2007Best music videos on DVD (tournée En tête à tête, réal.: Thierry Gautier et Sylvain Leduc)[24] [25]
Best score soundntrack of the year (B.O. de Ne le dis à personne)
2010Album of the year (Mister Mystère)[26]
Spectacle musical, tournée ou concert (M à la Cigale - Auguri Productions) Tour of the Year (M à la Cigale - Auguri Productions)
2011Spectacle musical, tournée ou concert (-M- au château de Versailles - Auguri Productions)[27] [28] Tour of the Year (-M- au château de Versailles - Auguri Productions)[29]
2012Best music video (La Seine par Vanessa Paradis et -M-, réal. : Bibo Bergeron)[30] [31]
Best music videos on DVD (Les Saisons de passage, réal. : Laurent Thessier)
2013Artiste interprète masculin de l'année[32] Male artist of the year
Album of the year (Îl)
Best music video (Mojo, réal. : Beryl Koltz)
2014Tour of the Year (Îl(s) - Labo M / Auguri Productions)[33]
2016Tour of the Year (Louis, Matthieu, Joseph et Anna Chedid à l'Olympia, à l'Opéra Garnier et en tournée - Auguri Productions)[34]
2018World music album of the year (Lamomali avec Toumani et Sidiki Diabaté, Fatoumata Diawara)[35]

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

YearAlbumPeak positionsCertifications
FRA
[36]
BEL
(Wa)

[37]

SWI
[38]

1997Le Baptême35
1999Je dis aime11
2003Labo M (instrumental)27
Qui de nous deux1476
2009Mister Mystère 1316
2012Îl4939
2019Lettre infinie1
[39]
711
2022Rêvalité2927

Collaborations

YearAlbumPeak positionsCertifications
FRA
BEL
(Wa)


SWI

2015Louis Matthieu Joseph & Anna Chedid
(Louis Matthieu Joseph & Anna Chedid)
31024
2017Lamomali
(with Toumani Diabaté and Sidiki Diabaté)
2
[40]
2231
Lamomali Airlines
(with Toumani Diabaté and Sidiki Diabaté)
35
[41]

Live albums

YearAlbumPeak positionsCertifications
FRA
BEL
(Wa)

SWI
1997Le tour de -M-3
2005-M- au Spectrum
En tête à tête22693
2010Les saisons de passage1476
2013Îl(s)27145
2017Lamomali Live92
[42]
2019Le grand petit concert24
[43]

Soundtracks

YearAlbumPeak positionsCertifications
FRA
BEL
(Wa)

SWI
2007Ne le dis à personne
(soundtrack)
103
2011Un monstre à Paris
(soundtrack by Vanessa Paradis & -M- / Patrice Renson)
710

Rereleases

YearAlbumPeak positions
FRA
2002Le Baptême / Je dis aime127
2004Le Baptême / Je dis aime / Labo M166
Le tour de M / Qui de nous deux130
2005Qui de nous deux / Je dis aime / Le Baptême92
2008Je dis aime / Qui de nous deux78

Singles

As main artist

SingleYearPeak positionsAlbum
FRA
BEL
(Fl)

Ultratip
[44]

BEL
(Wa)

Ultratop
BEL
(Wa)

Ultratip
SWI
"Machistador"199883
"Onde sensuelle" / "Je dis aime"200046
"Qui de nous deux"200440383
"À tes souhaits"7816
"Ma mélodie"6712
"La bonne étoile"200550
"Mister Mystère"2009Mister Mystère
"Le roi des ombres"28
"Est-ce que c'est ça?"20
"Amssétou"201020
"Tu peux compter sur moi"
(with Louis Chedid)
8 On ne dit jamais assez aux gens qu'on aime qu'on les aime
"La Seine"
(with Vanessa Paradis)
2011937 3 Un monstre à Paris
"Mojo"20122727 Îl
"Baïa"13731
"Océan"201316
"Superchérie"201811329Lettre infinie
"Grand petit con"2019
"Thérapie"
"Massaï"

Collaborations

YearSinglePeak positionsAlbum
FRA
BEL
(Wa)

Ultratip
2001"Y'a des zazous"
(Brigitte Fontaine & -M-)
50
2007"L'éclipse"
(Sean Lennon & -M-)
8
2015"F.O.R.T."9828Louis Matthieu Joseph & Anna Chedid
"On ne dit jamais assez aux gens qu'on aime qu'on les aime"132
2016"Baby That's You"151
"Bal de Bamako"
(-M-, Toumani Diabaté & Sidiki Diabaté feat. Fatoumata Diawara & Oxmo Puccino)
14041
2017"Cet air"
(-M-, Toumani Diabaté & Sidiki Diabaté feat. Fatoumata Diawara)
Tip

Other hits

YearSinglePeak positionsAlbum
FRA
BEL
(Wa)

Ultratip
1997"Le baptême" / "La grosse bombe" (limited release)
1998"Au suivant"
2000"Le complexe du corn flakes"

Charity

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: fr . 27 June 2016. Audrey Tautou est en couple . Audrey Tautou is in a relationship . 19 June 2023 . LaLibre.
  2. Web site: fr . Matthieu Chédid range le gel et tue -M- . 26 June 2008 . 7sur7.be . 19 June 2023.
  3. http://www.2yeuxet1plume.com/article-35049832.html Review on 2yeuxet1plume / Autour de Matthieu Chedid
  4. http://www.2yeuxet1plume.com/nouvel_album_lamomali_chedid_diabate Lamomali, futur album à la croisée des mondes, par 2yeuxet1plume / Autour de Matthieu Chedid
  5. Web site: Wiser . Danny . 2020-07-08 . MALI/FRANCE: Lamomali - Toumani Diabaté, Sidiki Diabaté & -M- . 2024-06-24 . 200worldalbums.com . en.
  6. Web site: 2018-11-23 . Thomas Bangalter a co-produit un titre avec Matthieu Chedid . 2022-03-15 . TSUGI . fr-FR.
  7. Web site: -M- Matthieu Chedid on Instagram: "R Ê V A L I T É nouvel album le 03 juin 2022 ✨ . Photo/artwork: @yannorhan pour Slo Slo" . 2022-03-15 . Instagram . en.
  8. fr . Matthieu Chédid donne le secret derrière sa coupe de cheveux ! // Extrait archives M6 Video Bank . 8 May 2022 . YouTube . M6 Video Bank . 19 June 2023.
  9. News: fr . Matthieu Chedid en dix mots qu'il M . 5 September 2009 . . 19 June 2023.
  10. News: fr . En images : le concert onirique de Matthieu Chedid au Zénith . 22 April 2023 . La République des Pyrénées . 19 June 2023.
  11. News: fr . Le retour de Matthieu Chedid sur les scènes de la région . Jonathan . Stéphane C. . 5 May 2010 . . 19 June 2023.
  12. News: Upclose with -M- . 17 June 2010 . . 19 June 2023.
  13. fr . -M- La bonne étoile (Making of) . 24 September 2020 . YouTube . 100% Chanson Française . 19 June 2023.
  14. News: fr . Un joli M . De la Haye . Fleur . 7 September 2009 . . 19 June 2023.
  15. News: fr . M se démasque : magique - La DH/Les Sports+ . Volders . Géraldine . 20 December 2009 . . 19 June 2023.
  16. Web site: Victoires de la musique 2018 : découvrez les principaux lauréats . francetvinfo.fr . 2018-03-16 . 2018-03-16 .
  17. Web site: Les Victoires de La Musique - Palmarès 1999 . evenements.francetv.fr.
  18. Web site: Les Victoires de La Musique - Palmarès 2000. evenements.francetv.fr.
  19. Web site: COUP DE JEUNE SUR LES VICTOIRES 2000. fr-FR. 2000-03-13. 2018-02-10.
  20. Web site: Les Victoires de La Musique - Palmarès 2004. evenements.francetv.fr.
  21. Web site: Les Victoires de La Musique - Palmarès 2005. evenements.francetv.fr.
  22. News: Victoires de la musique : sous le signe du M. Le Monde.fr. 6 March 2005 . fr. 2018-02-10.
  23. Web site: Les Victoires de La Musique - Palmarès 2006. evenements.francetv.fr.
  24. Web site: 22èmes Victoires de la Musique 2007 - SNEP. fr-FR. 2013-11-12. 2018-02-10.
  25. Web site: Les Victoires de La Musique - Palmarès 2007 . evenements.francetv.fr.
  26. Web site: Les Victoires de La Musique - Palmarès 2010. evenements.francetv.fr.
  27. Web site: Les Victoires de La Musique - Palmarès 2011. evenements.francetv.fr.
  28. Web site: Victoires 2011: M dédie son prix à Andrée Chedid, partie à la fin de l'aventure.... fr. 2011-03-01. 2018-02-10.
  29. Web site: Palmarès des Victoires de la Musique - Edition 2011. evenements.francetv.fr.
  30. Web site: Les Victoires de La Musique - Palmarès 2012. evenements.francetv.fr.
  31. Web site: Le palmarès des Victoires de la musique 2012. fr-FR. 2012-03-03. 2018-02-10.
  32. Web site: Les Victoires de La Musique - Palmarès 2012. evenements.francetv.fr.
  33. Web site: Les Victoires de La Musique - Palmarès 2014. evenements.francetv.fr.
  34. Web site: Qui sont les nommés aux Victoires de la Musique 2016 ?. huffingtonpost.fr. 12 February 2016 .
  35. Web site: Les Victoires de La Musique - Palmarès 2018. evenements.francetv.fr.
  36. http://lescharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=M+%5BFR%5D LesCharts.com: M [FR] discography
  37. http://www.ultratop.be/fr/showinterpret.asp?interpret=M+%5BFR%5D Ultratop 50 (Wallonia): M [FR] discography
  38. http://hitparade.ch/showinterpret.asp?interpret=M+%5BFR%5D HitParade.ch: M [FR] discography
  39. Web site: Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums Fusionnes – SNEP (Week 5, 2019). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. fr. 4 February 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190202053155/http://www.snepmusique.com/tops-semaine/top-album-megafusion/?ye=2019&we=5. 2 February 2019. dead.
  40. Web site: Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums – SNEP (Week 15, 2017). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. fr. 18 April 2017.
  41. Web site: M, TOUMANI DIABATÉ & SIDIKI DIABATÉ FEAT. FATOUMATA DIAWARA - LAMOMALI AIRLINES (ALBUM). lescharts.com. fr. 21 February 2018.
  42. Web site: Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums – SNEP (Week 48, 2017). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. fr. 5 December 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171214142252/http://www.snepmusique.com/tops-semaine/top-album-megafusion/?ye=2017&we=48. 14 December 2017. dead.
  43. Web site: Top Albums (Week 48, 2019). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. fr. 3 December 2019.
  44. http://www.ultratop.be/nl/showinterpret.asp?interpret=M+%5BFR%5D Ultratop 50 (Flanders): M [FR] discography