Bénabar

One of the main exponents of the French “chanson réaliste” 2000's movement, Bruno Nicolini (June 16, 1969), better known by his stage name Bénabar, went from award-winning independent filmmaker to celebrated songwriter with his poetic observations of day-to-day life. Born in the Parisian suburb, he picked up the trumpet at the age of eight, influenced by the circus arts. After graduating from high school, he spent six months studying in the US and then returned to France, where he began working as a photographer and film technician. His first short film Nada Lezard, arrived in 1991 and was followed by José Jeannette (1992), which won an award at the Montreal Film Festival. After working briefly in television as a writer for Canal+, Nicolini pivoted to music, teaching himself how to play piano and performing in small bars and venues with a friend. Adopting the names of clown act Patchol and Bénabar (“Barnabé” backwards), the duo quickly turned into a full band dubbed Bénabar et Associés, who released the album La P’tite Monnaie in 1997. Nicolini was then signed to the label Zomba and dropped an eponymous full-length in 2001 that obtained gold certification shortly after its release and helped him secure a supporting act slot for Henri Salvador. Follow-up album Les Risques du Métier (2003) further raised his profile and earned a nomination at the Victoires de la Musique Awards in the category of Revelation of the Year. A third album titled Reprise des Négociations arrived in 2005 and fared even better than its predecessor, achieving diamond status after selling over 1,2 million copies in France. Subsequently, Nicolini continued his hot streak with the double-platinum Infréquentable (2008), Les Bénéfices du Doute (2011), Inspiré de Faits Réels (2014), Le Début de la Suite (2018), and Indocile Heureux, his ninth album, released in 2021.

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