Barbara

Barbara was a French singer and songwriter who rose to fame in the 1960s with her poignant and personal songs that touched on themes such as love, solitude, childhood, and memory. She was also known for her distinctive voice and piano style, as well as her collaborations with other artists such as Georges Brassens, Jacques Brel, and Serge Gainsbourg. Barbara was born as Monique Andrée Serf in Paris on June 9, 1930. Her Jewish family had to flee from the Nazis during World War II, and she experienced trauma and abuse during her childhood. She started singing in cabarets and nightclubs in the 1950s, and adopted the stage name Barbara, after her grandmother. She married a Belgian lawyer named Claude John Luc Sluys in 1953, but they divorced three years later. She moved back to Paris and signed a contract with Philips Records in 1961. She released her first album, Barbara chante Barbara, in 1964, which included some of her most famous songs, such as Dis quand reviendras-tu ?, Nantes, and Göttingen. The latter song was a tribute to the German city where she performed in 1964, and became a symbol of Franco-German reconciliation. She also wrote songs for other singers, such as Johnny Hallyday, Juliette Gréco, and Yves Montand. In 1965, she met Georges Moustaki, a singer-songwriter of Greek origin, who became her lover and musical partner. They co-wrote and performed the song La Dame brune in 1968. Barbara also had a brief affair with Serge Gainsbourg in 1969, and recorded a duet with him called L'Aigle noir in 1970. This song became one of her biggest hits, selling over a million copies. Barbara continued to record and perform throughout the 1970s and 1980s, exploring various musical genres and themes. She also ventured into acting, appearing in films such as François Truffaut's The Last Metro (1980) and Jacques Rivette's La Belle Noiseuse (1991). She also wrote an autobiography called Il était un piano noir... (There Was a Black Piano...) in 1998. Barbara died of respiratory failure due to lung cancer on November 24, 1997, at the age of 67. She was buried at Bagneux Cemetery in Hauts-de-Seine. She is widely regarded as one of the most influential and beloved French singers of all time. Her songs have been covered by many artists, such as Patrick Bruel, Vanessa Paradis, Zazie, and Jane Birkin. She has also received many honors and awards, such as the Grand Prix du Disque de l'Académie Charles Cros in 1965 and 1967, the Prix de l'Académie du Jazz in 1988, and the Victoire de la Musique for best female artist in 1992. In 2010, a museum dedicated to her life and work was opened in Précy-sur-Marne, where she lived from 1973 to 1997.