Kendzhi Zhirak ( fr. Kendji Girac , real name Kendji Maillé ; born July 3, 1996 , Perigueux ) - French singer. The winner of the third season of the French version of the television show "The Voice" (The Voice, la plus belle voix).
| Kendji Girac | |
|---|---|
| basic information | |
| Birth name | |
| Date of Birth | July 3, 1996 (23 years old) |
| Place of Birth |  France , Perigueux |
| A country | |
| Professions | singer , musician |
| Years of activity | 2014 - present |
| Instruments | and |
| Genres | pop music , flamenco , gypsy music |
| Aliases | |
| Labels | |
| Official site | |
Content
Biography
Kenji Maye (Zhirac - mother's maiden name) was born July 3, 1996 in the south of France in the city of Perigueux (department of Dordogne ) in a family of nomadic Catalan gypsies ( feces ). He speaks Spanish and French, but the first language is Catalan . [2] . As Kenji admits, his family led a traditional lifestyle, in the warmer summer months setting off in camps to roam the territory of France. At 16, he left school and began working with his father and brother [3] . From childhood he was fond of music, his grandfather taught him to play the guitar. Uses traditional gypsy motifs and flamenco in his compositions. Some of his songs are bilingual, mainly in Spanish and French.
In January 2014 he began participating in the third season of the French program The Voice: La Plus Belle Voix , the French version of the television show Voice . His creative mentor was the popular French singer of British-Lebanese descent Mika . At the qualifying stage, performs the song Bella rapper Maître Gims . Earlier, in the summer of 2013, Kenji Zhirak published on YouTube a reprise for this song, played in a gypsy style, so he announced himself even before participating in the competition [4] . In May, he won the project, gaining at that time a record number of votes from viewers - 51%.
Participation in the TV show “The Voice: La Plus Belle Voix”
| Competition Stage | Performed composition | Original performer | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blind auditions | "Bella" | Maître gims | Kenji got into Miki's team |
| Duels | " Tous les mêmes " (vs. Youness) | Stromae | Saved by a mentor |
| Knockouts | " Hotel California " | The eagles | |
| First live broadcast | " Ma philosophie " | Amel Bent | Saved (Selecting Viewers) |
| Third Live | " Mad World " | Tears for fears | |
| Quarter final | " Allumer le feu " | Johnny holliday | |
| Semifinal | " Belle " | Garou , Daniel Lavoie and Patrick Fiori | Saved |
| The final | Amor de mis amores & Volare | Gipsy kings | Winner (51%) |
| Temps à nouveau (duet with Jean-Louis Aubert) | Jean-Louis Aubert | ||
| " L'Aigle noir " (duet with mentor Mika ) | Barbara |
2014 — present: Two albums and great success
In September of that year, Kenji released his first studio album, Kendji, named after him. During the week, 68,000 copies were sold and broke a record on the local Top Albums chart and left far behind the previous sales leader [5] . The song Andalouse became the hallmark of the singer.
At the beginning of 2015, Kenji released his French-language version of the song One Last Time ( Attends-moi ) ( Russian. Wait for me ), which is a duet with American singer Ariana Grande [6] , but the single was released on February 16 six days after its original release.
In September of that year, Kenji released his second album Ensemble [7] , at the NRJ Music Awards 2015, his song Conmigo received an award in the category of Best French-language song of the year .
Kenji is currently recording his third album and plans to sing on the international stage.
Discography
- 2014 - Kendji
- 2015 - Ensemble / Together
Notes
- ↑ http://www.leparisien.fr/tv/video-kendji-avant-the-voice-j-avais-une-vie-de-gitan-12-05-2014-3834509.php
- ↑ Kendji Girac et le français: "Parfois, c'est un peu compliqué pour moi" (French)
- ↑ The winner of the French Voice of 2014 is Kenji's gypsy virtuoso (May 18, 2014). Date of treatment July 6, 2016.
- ↑ fugitif73. Bella (maître Gims) version Gitane par Kendji Girac (August 10, 2013). Date of treatment July 6, 2016.
- ↑ Kendji Girac: numéro un des ventes et meilleur démarrage depuis Christophe Willem . chartsinfrance.net (SEPTEMBER 16, 2014). Date of treatment July 6, 2016.
- ↑ JM Ecoutez "One Last Time (Attends-moi)", le duo entre Ariana Grande et Kendji Girac (Fr.) . programme-tv.net (16 fevrier 2015). Date of treatment July 6, 2016.
- ↑ Kendji: découvrez le nom et la date de sortie de son album! (Fr.) . NRJ.fr (09/16/2015). Date of treatment July 6, 2016.