Yvette Giraud

As a French singer of traditional pop music, Yvette Giraud's modest success in her homeland was outshined by her longstanding popularity in Japan, where she was named the "lady ambassador of French song." She was born in Paris, France, on September 16, 1916, and made her singing debut in 1945, when she served as an entertainer for the British Army during World War II. One year later, she released her debut single, "Mademoiselle Hortensia." Her catalog of French standards quickly grew to encompass staples like "Les Lavandières du Portugal," "Ma guêpière et mes longs jupons," "L'Âme des poètes," "C'est si bon," "Les Feuilles mortes," and "Le Temps des cerises." Although Giraud's recordings were well-received in France, she made a significantly bigger splash in Japan, a country she first toured in 1955. Before retiring from her music career in 1999, Giraud made 34 additional visits to Japan, where she performed regularly and was heralded as a leader of French chanson. To commemorate her contributions to the improvement of cultural relations between Japan and French, she was awarded the "Order of the Precious Crown" by the Emperor of Japan in 1995, during the final years of her musical activity. She later received the Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres from the French Minster of Culture in August 2014. The honor was delivered posthumously, as Giraud passed several days earlier on August 3, 2014, at the age of 97.

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