Zaz biography

The ravishing singer and songwriter ZAZ enchants the whole world with her sung joie de vivre and French esprit.

„Je veux“ – ZAZ is the new Edith Piaf of French pop music.

ZAZ songs represent the comeback of the French chanson, which already in the 19th century thrilled audiences in the cafes of the Parisian neighborhoods of Montmartre and the Latin Quarter. ZAZ was at home in this scene for many years as a street artist. The chanson is her life. ZAZ’s pop songs will transport your audience to the Parisian nightlife of times long past. Her breathtaking voice is often compared to Ella Fitzgerald and Edith Piaf and her love for blues and jazz cannot be ignored.

ZAZ – Biography

Already at the age of four, then Isabelle Geffroy, ZAZ was sure to become a singer. She was only seven when she took second place in a radio casting. ZAZ began her studies at the CIAM music school in Bordeaux at the age of 20, sang even then in the Latin rock band “Don Diego” and spent many hours a day on stage at the cabaret “Les trois Maillets” in Paris. During this time she composed “Je veux” and sang on the streets, in the piano bars and cabarets of the artists’ quarter “Monmartre”.

In 2009 ZAZ won the talent competition “Réservoir Generation” at the Paris “Olympia”. In 2010, her first single “Je veux” was released. Her debut album “ZAZ” was released in 54 countries and spent six months at #1 on the album charts in France. In Germany it reached #3 and went double platinum with 500,000 sales. ZAZ has exchanged her stages: the piano bars in Monmartre for the concert halls of the world from Japan to Latin America and numerous television appearances. ZAZ is also highly appreciated by colleagues such as Quincy Jones, Pablo

French singer and songwriter

Musical artist

Isabelle Geffroy (born 1 May 1980), known professionally as Zaz, is a French singer and songwriter who mixes jazz, French variety, soul and acoustic. She is known for her single "Je veux", taken from her self-titled debut album, released on 10 May 2010. She has five studio albums: Zaz, Recto verso, Paris, Effet miroir, and Isa, as well as two live albums: Sans tsu tsou and Sur la route. Worldwide as of February 2023 Zaz has sold over 5 million albums, including 2 million outside France.

Early life

Zaz was born in Tours, France. Her mother was a Spanish teacher, and her father worked for an electric company. In 1985, she entered the Conservatoire de Tours with her sister and her brother, attending courses from the ages of 6 to 11. She studied music theory, specifically the violin, piano, guitar, and choral singing. In 1994, she moved to Bordeaux region. In 1995, she took singing lessons and played sports for a year in Bordeaux. In 2000, she won a scholarship from the regional council, which allowed her to join a school of modern music, the CIAM (Centre for Musical Activities and Information) of Bordeaux. Her musical influences included 'Four Seasons' by Vivaldi, jazz singers such as Ella Fitzgerald, and other singers such as Enrico Macias, Bobby McFerrin, and Richard Bona, as well as African, Latin, and Cuban rhythms. In 2006, she moved to Paris.

Career

In 2001, she started her singing career in the blues band "Fifty Fingers". She sang in musical groups in Angoulême, especially in a jazz quintet. She became one of the four singers of Izar-Adatz (Basque for "Shooting Star"), a variety band which consisted of sixteen people with whom she toured for two years, especially in the Midi-Pyrenees and the Basque Country. She worked in the studio as a backing singer in Toulouse and performed with many singers, including Maeso, Art Me

Today, I would like to introduce you to a very special young lady. Her name is Isabelle Geffroy, but in France and in Europe, she is known as “Zaz.”

Zaz became a “Star” just three years ago, but she has been involved in music her whole life. She was born in the center of France, near Tours. When she was a child, she joined the renowned Tours music academy where she studied the violin, the piano, the guitar and singing. She is only 11 when she leaves the academy, but she will keep working hard at her art over the next few years, more noticeably in Bordeaux. She claims she was inspired by Vivaldi; jazz singers like Ella Fitzgerald; French singers such as Edith Piaf, Charles Aznavour; Jacques Brel; Bobby Mc Ferrin, and she loves rap, afro, latino, and cuban music. Drawing from a variety of styles and influences, she has created her own sound. They refer to it as “Zaz’s gypsy jazz sound.” Maybe. To me, her music is unique, inspired and… happy! Let me warn you, her tunes are catchy and addictive.

Here is her breakthrough single, “Je Veux” (I Want.) Zaz is not a materialistic girl and she wants the world to know!

There she is, singing in the streets, with a couple of musicians. Does she remind you of someone? Zaz has often been compared to the great Edith Piaf, who started as a street performer. Like Piaf, Zaz is renowned for her “gouaille,” a cheeky, outspoken way of expressing herself. While still an unknown singer, I suspect she did justice to all of the great Piaf’s songs, but also infused them with her own style and personality.

Even though she looks barely 20, Zaz is in her early 30s and has been performing with small bands all over Europe for ye

Isabelle Geffroy, born 1 May 1980, known by the pseudonym ZAZ, is a singer from Tours, France, who blends the styles nu jazz, soul and acoustic in her music.

In 2001, she started her singing career in the blues band "Fifty Fingers". She sang in musical groups in Angoulême, especially in a jazz quintet. She became one of the four singers of Izar-Adatz (Shooting Star), a variety band which consisted of sixteen people with whom she toured for two years, especially in the Midi-Pyrenees and the Basque Country. She worked in the studio as a chorister in Toulouse and performed with many singers including Maeso, Art Mengo, Vladimir Max, Jean-Pierre Mader and Serge Guerao.

In May 2010, French magazine Telerama announced: "Rumor has swelled in recent weeks: Zaz is a sacred voice, and she will be the revelation of the summer!". On 10 May 2010, Zaz released her first album. It contains songs written by herself ("Trop sensitible") and co-composed ("Les Passants", "Le Long de la route", "Prends garde à ta langue", "J'aime à nouveau", "Ni Oui Ni Non"). Kerredine Soltani produced the album under Play On label, and wrote and composed the hit single "Je veux". The pop singer Raphaël Haroche wrote her songs "Éblouie par la nuit", "Port Coton" and "La Fée". In 2010, she signed a contract for her tours with Caramba and publisher Sony ATV. She was invited to many TV shows (such as Taratata or Chabada) and was featured in several programs on the radio.

Zaz then toured France (Paris, La Rochelle, Montauban, Saint-Ouen, Chateauroux, Landerneau, Fécamp…), performed at the Francofolies of Montreal (Canada), Monthey (Switzerland), Brussels, Berlin, and Milan… In autumn Zaz topped the charts in Belgium, Switzerland, and Austria. Matthieu Baligand, her manager and producer at Caramba Entertainment, explained to Liberation: "We talk a lot of her right