Artist info:
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Albums33
Songs217
AboutJeanne Mas was born on February 28, 1958 in Alicante, Spain. She started studying languages at the University of Nanterre, near Paris. After a Bachelors degree in Spanish & Italian, she took off for Italy in order to perfect the language she had just learned. She settled in Rome when she was only 17 years old. In Rome, she took dance & acting classes. She started landing small parts in commercials as well as in full-length films & she hosted her own show on a private channel : La Uomo TV. Music was her true passion.
In 1979 she signed her first contract with the Italian RCA and recorded her first single, "On The Moon" & toured with a rock group which was rather hardcore. She recorded several 45's, one in English & the others in Italian. In 1984, she signed a contract with the Major EMI Music France. With Piero Calabrese, Roberto Zanelli & Romano Musumarra, she wrote her first French Hit "Toute Première Fois".
First time (1984-1985)
It was an instant success : she sold more than 1,500,000 copies of the single which was played on the radio all the way until December. French people discovered a young woman on their TV screen entirely dressed in black, with jet-black hair, an emaciated face & very pronounced make-up : a bland version of the punk look. Stimulating choreography with jerky gestures reinforced the image of a woman "who wants some action", almost aggressive. It is without a doubt this image that would seduce the young public. The press, the radio, the television & even the discos grabbed hold of this phenomenon.
At the beginning of the following year, she successively released a second single "Johnny, Johnny" followed by an album simply called Jeanne Mas. For this first go in the big leagues, she asked Daniel Balavoine for help. He produced 2 of the songs for the occasion. Another single "Coeur En Stéréo" was a hit in its own turn. In October, she played at Paris' Olympia for the first time for 4 triumphant concerts. A few weeks later, she won "Revelation" & "Female Artist" during the first Victoires De La Musique.
Triumphant Olympia (1986)
Made strong by this success, ravaging & full of energy, she locked herself in a studio in Denmark to record her next album. Heavily into her work, she already started writing her own lyrics. Jeanne Mas had a critical look on music & knew what she wanted. This is why she refused a song written by Musumarra which would become "Ouragan" interpreted by the gloss & glitter Princess Stéphanie of Monaco. At the beginning of 1986, it took almost a week for Femmes D'Aujourd'Hui (Jeanne's second opus) to sell more than 500,000 copies. The single from the album "En Rouge et Noir" quickly became a hit. In June, the album & the single were N°1 on the French charts. In the autumn, she played for 7 days at Paris' Palais Des Sports & continued with 40 concert dates in the rest of France.
Bercy (1987-1989)
This tour started up again in March 1987 for twenty dates, one of which was a concert in Lyon where a live record & a 90-minute film were made. She then decided to take a break & take advantage of this time to return to Italy to have her daughter named Victoria. 1988 allowed her to look closely at her career, her artistic doubts. In September she got involved publicly for a subject that she held close to her heart, crimes against children.
Jeanne nevertheless didn't stay inactive & got back to work quickly with Piero Calabrese. She went into a studio for 3 months & chose the best musicians for the recording : Manu Katche on drums, Steve Shehan on percussions, Tony Levin on bass & David Rhodes on guitar. In February 1989 a new album titled Les Crises De L'Âme was released. The lyrics seemed more committed with songs like "J'Accuse", "Tango" or still "Y'A Des Bons..." which denounced violence in the world. The latter song was in fact the first single on the album & Jeanne made the video clip. In September, she played at Bercy for 4 nights that she wished would be unforgettable. Choreography, lights, nothing was forgotten. Unfortunately, the show didn't meet with the expected success.
Her first time Los Angeles (1990-1995)
Far from letting herself be beaten, the singer gathered her team to write a new album at the beginning of 1990. Recorded in Los Angeles, L'Art Des Femmes came out in October. She re-did the beautiful "Tous Les Cris Les SOS" by Balavoine. But her record company EMI invested a lot in the promotion of the first single, "Shakespeare", trying to straighten things up. A year later, EMI put a compilation Depuis La Toute Première Fois on the market.
In 1992, Jeanne Mas gave birth to her son named Christopher. Au Nom Des Rois was her album which came out on AB Productions in September, her collaboration with EMI having ended. The first single of the album was "Au Nom Des Rois" of which the video clip was once again directed by the singer, followed by "Dors Bien Margot". In September 1993, she played 3 nights at Paris' Casino & followed with a 55-date tour. This reason that she withdrew from public life for a while & settled in the South of France.
Rocker (1996-2002)
She came back in 1996 with a new album on Arcade Records. Jeanne recorded Jeanne Mas Et Les Égoïstes in Toulouse which had 14 songs that she wrote herself, more like rock so as to return to her first love. Aware that she could disappoint the public, she still shows a new serenity on her face. Unfortunately, the record went practically unnoticed.
After this come-back, Jeanne Mas, still interested in cinema, took some screenwriting courses in Paris. She even did a short film. All the same she wrote songs without being sure to want to make a record, her former experiences having taught her a lesson. It was the record company XIII Bis that enabled her to release a record in 2000. Désir D'Insolence is therefore her seventh album. Among all of the songs, 3 have texts by the poets Paul Verlaine, Alfred De Vigny and Guillaume Apollinaire's "Le pont Mirabeau".
In 2003, Jeanne Mas returned to the forefront of the French music scene with a new album entitled Les Amants De Castille. The album, inspired by the 17th-century French dramatist Pierre Corneille's play Le Cid, was written in collaboration with the Italian songwriter Piero Calabrese (who also produced & arranged the album). 2004 & 2005 were primarily remix years for Jeanne Mas. A remix of her hit "Toute Première fois" was released to coincide with the 20th anniversary of her career & swiftly followed by a techno-dance reworking of "Johnny Johnny." Meanwhile, Jeanne & her two children headed off to live in the US in 2005, basing themselves in Santa Monica, California, where the singer started her life again from zero.
In May 2007, Jeanne Mas released a new album in France. The Missing Flowers (produced by DJ Esteban & dedicated to a recently deceased friend, Josyane Lair) struck out in a very different direction from the singer's previous albums. In fact, the album revolved around a colourful mix of dance & techno tracks suited to club dancefloors. "Sur Un Air D'Argentine" was chosen as the first single release from the album. A year on from The Missing Flowers, Jeanne Mas returned to the studio to work on another album entitled Be West. Released in May 2008 & heavily influenced, as its title suggests, by country & western music & folk, the album proves that the singer has been busy soaking up the cultural influences of her new home in Phoenix, Arizona. Jeanne Mas returned to Paris to perform at Le Trianon (25-28 June 2008).
Writing and production credits
Carole Athéna Changez Pas Le Scénario & Vicky (BMG Music)
Kate Ryan Free (ARS)
Filmography
Porca Società (Luigi Russo) - 1978
Caro Papà (Dino Risi) - 1979
Ricomincio Da Tre (Massimo Troisi) - 1981
Il Cavaliere, La Morte E Il Diavolo (Beppe Cino) - 1985
Stars 80 (Frédéric Forestier, Thomas Langmann) - 2012 (herself)
Television
The Count Of Monte-Cristo (David Greene) - 1975 (uncredited)
Malone (Franck Apprederis) - 2003 (Episode "Génération Braqueurs")
L'Instit (Jean Sagols) - 2004 (Episode "Privé D'École")
In 1979 she signed her first contract with the Italian RCA and recorded her first single, "On The Moon" & toured with a rock group which was rather hardcore. She recorded several 45's, one in English & the others in Italian. In 1984, she signed a contract with the Major EMI Music France. With Piero Calabrese, Roberto Zanelli & Romano Musumarra, she wrote her first French Hit "Toute Première Fois".
First time (1984-1985)
It was an instant success : she sold more than 1,500,000 copies of the single which was played on the radio all the way until December. French people discovered a young woman on their TV screen entirely dressed in black, with jet-black hair, an emaciated face & very pronounced make-up : a bland version of the punk look. Stimulating choreography with jerky gestures reinforced the image of a woman "who wants some action", almost aggressive. It is without a doubt this image that would seduce the young public. The press, the radio, the television & even the discos grabbed hold of this phenomenon.
At the beginning of the following year, she successively released a second single "Johnny, Johnny" followed by an album simply called Jeanne Mas. For this first go in the big leagues, she asked Daniel Balavoine for help. He produced 2 of the songs for the occasion. Another single "Coeur En Stéréo" was a hit in its own turn. In October, she played at Paris' Olympia for the first time for 4 triumphant concerts. A few weeks later, she won "Revelation" & "Female Artist" during the first Victoires De La Musique.
Triumphant Olympia (1986)
Made strong by this success, ravaging & full of energy, she locked herself in a studio in Denmark to record her next album. Heavily into her work, she already started writing her own lyrics. Jeanne Mas had a critical look on music & knew what she wanted. This is why she refused a song written by Musumarra which would become "Ouragan" interpreted by the gloss & glitter Princess Stéphanie of Monaco. At the beginning of 1986, it took almost a week for Femmes D'Aujourd'Hui (Jeanne's second opus) to sell more than 500,000 copies. The single from the album "En Rouge et Noir" quickly became a hit. In June, the album & the single were N°1 on the French charts. In the autumn, she played for 7 days at Paris' Palais Des Sports & continued with 40 concert dates in the rest of France.
Bercy (1987-1989)
This tour started up again in March 1987 for twenty dates, one of which was a concert in Lyon where a live record & a 90-minute film were made. She then decided to take a break & take advantage of this time to return to Italy to have her daughter named Victoria. 1988 allowed her to look closely at her career, her artistic doubts. In September she got involved publicly for a subject that she held close to her heart, crimes against children.
Jeanne nevertheless didn't stay inactive & got back to work quickly with Piero Calabrese. She went into a studio for 3 months & chose the best musicians for the recording : Manu Katche on drums, Steve Shehan on percussions, Tony Levin on bass & David Rhodes on guitar. In February 1989 a new album titled Les Crises De L'Âme was released. The lyrics seemed more committed with songs like "J'Accuse", "Tango" or still "Y'A Des Bons..." which denounced violence in the world. The latter song was in fact the first single on the album & Jeanne made the video clip. In September, she played at Bercy for 4 nights that she wished would be unforgettable. Choreography, lights, nothing was forgotten. Unfortunately, the show didn't meet with the expected success.
Her first time Los Angeles (1990-1995)
Far from letting herself be beaten, the singer gathered her team to write a new album at the beginning of 1990. Recorded in Los Angeles, L'Art Des Femmes came out in October. She re-did the beautiful "Tous Les Cris Les SOS" by Balavoine. But her record company EMI invested a lot in the promotion of the first single, "Shakespeare", trying to straighten things up. A year later, EMI put a compilation Depuis La Toute Première Fois on the market.
In 1992, Jeanne Mas gave birth to her son named Christopher. Au Nom Des Rois was her album which came out on AB Productions in September, her collaboration with EMI having ended. The first single of the album was "Au Nom Des Rois" of which the video clip was once again directed by the singer, followed by "Dors Bien Margot". In September 1993, she played 3 nights at Paris' Casino & followed with a 55-date tour. This reason that she withdrew from public life for a while & settled in the South of France.
Rocker (1996-2002)
She came back in 1996 with a new album on Arcade Records. Jeanne recorded Jeanne Mas Et Les Égoïstes in Toulouse which had 14 songs that she wrote herself, more like rock so as to return to her first love. Aware that she could disappoint the public, she still shows a new serenity on her face. Unfortunately, the record went practically unnoticed.
After this come-back, Jeanne Mas, still interested in cinema, took some screenwriting courses in Paris. She even did a short film. All the same she wrote songs without being sure to want to make a record, her former experiences having taught her a lesson. It was the record company XIII Bis that enabled her to release a record in 2000. Désir D'Insolence is therefore her seventh album. Among all of the songs, 3 have texts by the poets Paul Verlaine, Alfred De Vigny and Guillaume Apollinaire's "Le pont Mirabeau".
In 2003, Jeanne Mas returned to the forefront of the French music scene with a new album entitled Les Amants De Castille. The album, inspired by the 17th-century French dramatist Pierre Corneille's play Le Cid, was written in collaboration with the Italian songwriter Piero Calabrese (who also produced & arranged the album). 2004 & 2005 were primarily remix years for Jeanne Mas. A remix of her hit "Toute Première fois" was released to coincide with the 20th anniversary of her career & swiftly followed by a techno-dance reworking of "Johnny Johnny." Meanwhile, Jeanne & her two children headed off to live in the US in 2005, basing themselves in Santa Monica, California, where the singer started her life again from zero.
In May 2007, Jeanne Mas released a new album in France. The Missing Flowers (produced by DJ Esteban & dedicated to a recently deceased friend, Josyane Lair) struck out in a very different direction from the singer's previous albums. In fact, the album revolved around a colourful mix of dance & techno tracks suited to club dancefloors. "Sur Un Air D'Argentine" was chosen as the first single release from the album. A year on from The Missing Flowers, Jeanne Mas returned to the studio to work on another album entitled Be West. Released in May 2008 & heavily influenced, as its title suggests, by country & western music & folk, the album proves that the singer has been busy soaking up the cultural influences of her new home in Phoenix, Arizona. Jeanne Mas returned to Paris to perform at Le Trianon (25-28 June 2008).
Writing and production credits
Carole Athéna Changez Pas Le Scénario & Vicky (BMG Music)
Kate Ryan Free (ARS)
Filmography
Porca Società (Luigi Russo) - 1978
Caro Papà (Dino Risi) - 1979
Ricomincio Da Tre (Massimo Troisi) - 1981
Il Cavaliere, La Morte E Il Diavolo (Beppe Cino) - 1985
Stars 80 (Frédéric Forestier, Thomas Langmann) - 2012 (herself)
Television
The Count Of Monte-Cristo (David Greene) - 1975 (uncredited)
Malone (Franck Apprederis) - 2003 (Episode "Génération Braqueurs")
L'Instit (Jean Sagols) - 2004 (Episode "Privé D'École")
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