Garou (singer)

For other uses, see Garand (disambiguation).
This article is about the musician. For his 2006 self-titled album, see Garou (album).
Garou

Garou in 2013
Background information
Birth name Pierre Garand
Born (1972-06-26) 26 June 1972
Origin Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
Genres Pop
Occupation(s) Singer
Instruments Piano, Guitar, Trumpet
Years active 1997–present
Labels Sony Music Canada, Sony Music France
Associated acts Daniel Lavoie, Patrick Fiori, Celine Dion, Marilou, Michel Sardou, Elizabeth Blouin-Brathwaite, Notre-Dame de Paris
Website www.garouonline.com

Pierre Garand[1] (born 26 June 1972), known by his stage name Garou (a diminutive of his last name "Garand"), is a French Canadian singer from Sherbrooke, Quebec.

He is known for his work in the musical Notre-Dame de Paris (playing Quasimodo in both the original French and English casts) and the No. 1 hits "Belle", "Seul", "Sous le vent", and "La Rivière de notre enfance". He currently holds the SNEP record for most weeks at No. 1.

Profile

Garou began playing the guitar at the age of three at the encouragement of his father (he also plays piano and trumpet). He went on to serve in the military and started a band in 1992 called the Untouchables. In 1997, he was discovered by Luc Plamondon while singing American blues tunes in a Sherbrooke bar. He was drafted by Plamondon to play the role of Quasimodo in his musical Notre-Dame de Paris, which made him a star in France.[2]

His first album Seul became the best-selling French album of 2001 and remains one of the best-selling French albums of all time, achieving 2 million sales in Europe and going three times platinum in Canada.[3]

He continued his string of hits with a live album and his sophomore effort Reviens in 2003. Sales for his third album Garou remained strong and he released his English crossover Piece of My Soul in 2008. The album debuted at #2 in Canada and #3 in France. Despite this, the album became his first album in France not to reach platinum status although it became his best-selling album in North America in seven years. His next album, Gentleman cambrioleur features cover songs in French and English and became his first album to miss the top five in France, where it modestly peaked at #35, staying on the charts for 17 weeks. He released Version Intégrale in 2010 which became another Top 40 hit in France and Canada.

Garou performed the Jean-Pierre Ferland song "Un peu plus haut, un peu plus loin" (A Little Higher, A Little Farther) at the 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Vancouver, British Columbia.[4] He has also performed at the charity event Les Enfoirés for the past 13 years.

His latest effort Rhythm and Blues became his highest peaking album in four years. It is his second covers album and pays tribute to classic R&B music.

Garou on stage in 2009

Collaborations

Garou has become well known for his collaborations. He has worked with Luc Plamondon in Notre-dame de Paris. The single "Belle" was lifted from the musical and stayed atop the French charts for a record-breaking 18 weeks. The single remained the most successful song in French history until 2009.[5] In 2000, he had a successful duet with Celine Dion. "Sous le vent" became his third number one single in France. In 2004 he worked with the legendary Michel Sardou for his fourth and final number one single, "La Rivière de notre enfance". The following year he appeared with 15-year-old singer Marilou on "Tu es comme ça."

He has also worked with several popular songwriters, including Jean-Jacques Goldman and Pascal Obispo. For his first album in English, Garou collaborated with some of the biggest names in music. The single "Stand Up" was written by Rob Thomas. He also sang the song "First Day of My Life", which was a big hit all over Europe in 2006 for former Spice Girl Melanie C, written by Guy Chambers and Enrique Iglesias.

Personal life

Garou has a daughter named Emelie, with his ex-girlfriend, Ulrika, a former model. After they broke up he dated a former Yemeni singer and entertainer Arwa Jassem known as Lahlouba.[6] From 2007 to June 2010 [7] he dated French singer Lorie.[8]

Discography

Main article: Garou discography

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Garou.

References

  1. ↑ Like his ancestor Pierre Garand baptized in the parrish Sainte-Croix-des-Pelletiers at Rouen, France, who emigrated to French America in the 17th century. He is the ancestor of all the American Garands, for example the inventor of the M1 Garand rifle.
  2. ↑ "Garou Biography". Artist. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
  3. ↑ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards-2002". IFPI. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
  4. ↑ "Canada unveils its 'landscape of dreams' to welcome athletes and world at the Opening Ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games". VANOC. 12 February 2010. Archived from the original on 13 February 2010. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
  5. ↑ "Les mielleurs-singles" (in French). lescharts. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
  6. ↑ "Garou". Rfimusique.com. Retrieved 2012-02-17.
  7. ↑ "Lorie parle de sa rupture avec Garou". Staragora.com. 2012-02-01. Retrieved 2012-02-17.
  8. ↑ "Des projets de mariage pour Garou" (in French). Radioactif. 9 October 2007. Retrieved 16 December 2009.
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