Who is Christophe Mae | French Singer

Christophe Mae, born Christophe Martichon, is a multi-talented musician and songwriter from Carpentras, a town in the Provence region of southeast France. A self-taught musician, he plays guitar and harmonica. He also played drums and violin, starting at the age of 6, after inheriting a love of music from his father, a jazz saxophonist.

Mae is heavily influenced by Stevie Wonder, along with Bob Marley, Tracy Chapman, Otis Redding, Ben Harper and Jack Johnson, and one can hear threads of them woven throughout his music. He performs acoustic Pop infused with Folk, Reggae, Blues and Soul, all delivered with his signature rasp, and heaps of forceful emotion and playful energy.

Christophe Mae was months away from becoming a certified pastry chef at his family's patisserie when he decided to hit the road and try to break into the music industry. After a few false starts (a failed bid on a TV talent competition, a shelved Warner album), his music connections eventually led to him to the producer of a play, and the rest is history -- a history that you can explore in detail below.

Christophe Mae's Breakout

Beginning in 2005, Christophe Maé starred in a French stage musical called Le Roi Soleil (the Sun King), about Louis XIV. The play was embraced by the French public. Le Roi Soleil enjoyed a sold-out run in Paris and returned for a second run. The production toured in Belgium, Switzerland, and across France. It was one of the most successful musicals in French history.

King Louis XIV was played by Emmanuel Moire -- another breakout star from the play who has since enjoyed success as a Pop star in France. But it was Christophe Mae who stole the show in the role of Monsieur, King Louis' brother.

See Christophe's showstopping numbers from Le Roi Soleil, and get the soundtrack below.

    Christophe Mae, Mon Paradis  

After charming French audiences in Le Roi Soleil, the public was primed for Christophe Maé's debut album, Mon Paradis.

His unique brand of acoustic Soul made Christophe nothing short of a phenomenon. Mon Paradis was France's third best selling album of 2007. It went diamond (more than platinum), and sold over 1.5 million copies in France. The album also went platinum in Belgium.

Watch the videos for some of Christophe Mae's hit French songs from Mon Paradis, including "On S'Attache," "Mon Paradis," "Ça Fait Mal," and "Belle Demoiselle."

    Christophe Maé, On Trace La Route  

Now an established, adored, and highly acclaimed artist, Christophe Mae raised the bar with his second studio album, On Trace La Route, which was France's best-selling album of 2010. For a second time, Mae went diamond, selling over 600,000 copies to date, including mine. (Je vous en prie, Christophe!) It's still a top 5 album, as of this writing, and it's no wonder why. The hits just keep on coming.

On Trace La Route includes the number one hit "Dingue Dingue Dingue," along with the hit singles "J'ai Laisse," "Je Me Lâche," "Pourquoi C'est Beau," and the new single, "La Rumeur."

Watch the videos for some of Christophe Mae's hit French songs from On Trace La Route below.

2006

Won an NRJ Music Award for Duo/Group of the Year as a cast member of Le Roi Soleil

2007

Won an NRJ Music Award for Best New Artist

Awarded IFPI Platinum Europe Award for selling a million copies of Mon Paradis across Europe

2008

Won a Victoire de la Musique (French equivalent of a Grammy) for Best New Artist (People's Choice)

Nominated for a Victoire de la Musique for Best Album by a New Artist for Mon Paradis

Won an NRJ Music Award for Best Male Artist

Won an NRJ Music Award for Song of the Year for "On s'attache"

Won a World Music Award for Best Selling French Artist

Won Song of the Year on TF1's annual Chansons d l'anee competition for "Belle Demoiselle"

2009

Nominated for a Victoire de la Musique for Best Male Artist

Nominated for a Victoire de la Musique for Best Concert/Tour

Nominated for a Victoire de la Musique for Best Music DVD for Comme a la Maison

Won an NRJ Music Award for Best Male Artist

Won an NRJ Music Award for Song of the Year for "Belle Demoiselle"

2011

Named a Chevalier des Arts et Lettres (knight), one of France's highest honors, for his contributions to the arts

Nominated for an NRJ Music Award for Best Male Artist

Nominated for an NRJ Music Award for Best Concert

Nominated for an NRJ Music Award for Best Video for "Je Me Lache"

Nominated for a Victoire de la Musique for Best Male Artist

Nominated for a Victoire de la Musique for Best Variety Album

Nominated for a Victoire de la Musique for Best Concert/Tour

Watch a collection of great performances by Christophe Mae:

1. "Je me Lache," at 2010 Fete de la Musique
2. "Ca Fait Mal," in rehearsal, with a beautiful orchestra arrangement, for the Violon sur le Sable classical music festival
3. "Belle Demoiselle," at the NRJ Music Awards
4. "On S'attache" on "Chanson l'annee" 2007
5. A rendition of George Brassen's "Je me suis fait tout petit" on Les Annees Bonheur
6. "Mon Paradis" acoustic performance on Direct 8's TNT Show
7. Bob Marley's "Could You Be Loved" on Tubes des Tubes
8. "Dingue Dingue Dingue" (at the 2010 NRJ Music Awards)
9. Performing Tracy Chapman's "Revolution" (and doing a spot-on impersonation of her voice, also)
10. "La Rumeur" at the 2011 Victoires de la Musique"

* Chrisophe Mae on Myspace
* Christophe Mae's official site (in French)
* Christophe Mae's Facebook page (in French)
* Christophe Mae on Wikipedia