Nolwenn Leroy - French Singer & Song Writer

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(born September 28, 1982 in Saint - Renan, Brittany, France) is a French singer, revealed by Star Academy, a popular French TV show, in 2002.

Early years

Between 1982, when she left Saint-Renan and1993, when she arrived with her family in her grandparents' house in St-Yorre, Nolwenn moved out several times, living in Paris, Lille, Guingamp and other places. Her father, professional footballer Jean-Luc Le Magueresse had deserted the family in 1992, when she was 10 years old.
Nolwenn went to study at the Collège des Célestins in Vichy and, at the age of 11, her music teacher detected her skills for music. Following her advice, Nolwenn started to learn how to play the violin. When she was 13, she won the "Les écoles du désert" contest sponsored by the Cora Supermarket Chain, and went on a humanitarian mission from Gao to Timbuktu, in Mali when she later claimed had a profound influence on her.

Beginning in July 1998, she was sponsored by the Vichy Rotary Club on a one-year student exchange to the United States, in Cincinnati, Ohio. During that stay, she attended a two-day workshop in the Hamilton High School, a performing arts school. When she came back to France, she spoke fluent English, and decided to attend classical singing classes in the Vichy music conservatory.In 2001, she enrolled in the university of Clermont Ferrand, where she studied law, hoping to lay down an alternative career in the diplomatic services.

Star Academy

Watching the first edition of Star Academy in 2001, Nolwenn became fascinated by Armande Altai, a singing teacher and one of the show's judges. She decided to enroll in her class. She later was cast for the second edition of the show and her family has denied that Armande Altaï pulled strings for her to be selected as a candidate. The public chose her as the winner on December 21, 2002.

Debut Album & Tour

Her first album, Nolwenn, was released in March 2003 and certified platinum (more than 400,000 sold) in November. As of 2006, Universal Music claims that more than 700,000 albums have been sold, but no other official certification has been made by the SNEP (Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique). Four singles: "Cass'e", "Une Femme Cachée", "Suivre Une Etoile" and "Inévitablement" have also been released. On December 6, 2003, Nolwenn Leroy started a tour throughout France, Belgium and Switzerland.

Histoires Naturelles and Tour

Her latest album, Histoires Naturelles, was produced by Laurent Voulzy and released in December 2005. Four singles were released from the album; the lead single, "Nolwenn Ohwo!", written by Alain Souchon and Voulzy, immediately hit number 1 in the French music charts. The second was the title track song, "Histoire Naturelle". Both released with music videos, "Histoire Naturelle"'s music video carried the theme of the album. Portraying her being treated as a Natural History gallery asset, she also appears as a spider and a cocoon which gradually turns into a butterfly in the music video. The third single, "Mon Ange", only had a digital release and the fourth single was "J'aimais tant l'aimer". On September 30, 2006, Leroy began her second tour, during which she would perform songs from both albums. Her first live album, entitled Histoires Naturelles Tour, was released in late October 2007.

Research

The music of Nolwenn Leroy has been studied for its neurological impact in geriatric populations. The researchers have discovered that Leroy's music may have more of an impact than other music, noting that "the music of Nolwenn Leroy was found to be significantly superior to other music tested" (in Abrahams, 2008). The researcher coined the term "the Nolwenn Effect" to describe the phenomenon, noting that "the music of Nolwenn Leroy appears to have a different effect on brain based modulation of gait and stance than other music tested to date" (in Abrahams, 2008). Mozart is the only other test music specified. As of 2-18-08, the U.S. study is complete and no substantial results appear to be published. The NIH credits the chair of the study as a chiropractor associated with his own chiropractic school in Florida.