Biography
Who is Alain Souchon?
Early life and background
Born Alain Édouard Kienast in Casablanca, Morocco, he holds dual French and Swiss nationality. His mother came from a family of Swiss origin. The family moved to France when he was only six months old. At the age of fifteen, he experienced the loss of his father following an accident.
After his father passed away, his mother sent him to a French high school located in England. Due to issues with his enrollment, he stayed in London for a period where he held a job. Upon returning to his home country of France, he began to develop a deep interest in music. He taught himself how to play the guitar while listening to British and American musical artists.
Musical career beginnings
In 1970, he married and welcomed his first son into the world. During this time, he performed live in various bars and cabarets situated on the Rive Gauche in Paris. He signed his first recording contract with the Pathe-Marconi label in 1971, although this deal did not result in major commercial success.
His career trajectory changed when Bob Socquet, the artistic director at RCA, encouraged him to perform the track L'amour 1830 at the Rose d'Or festival in Antibes. Around this same time, he began a long-term collaboration with the composer and arranger Laurent Voulzy. While the two men wrote songs together, they both maintained their own individual solo recording careers.
Success and major hits
Alain Souchon achieved his first significant success with the release of the 1974 single J'ai 10 ans, which served as the title track for his debut studio album. He continued to release music throughout the rest of the 1970s. In 1978, he composed the theme song for the film L'amour en fuite, directed by François Truffaut. That same year marked the birth of his second son.
In 1993, he released the song Foule sentimentale, which became one of his most famous works. It was included on his million-selling album titled C'est déjà ça. The track later won the award for Best Original Song at the 1995 Victoires de la Musique ceremony. He returned to the charts in 2005 with the successful album La vie Théodore, which featured the popular single titled Et si en plus y'a personne.
Acting and industry awards
Beyond music, he launched a career in film. He earned critical acclaim for his performance in the 1983 movie L'été meurtrier. In 1989, his song La beauté de Ava Gardner was named Best Song of the Year by the Victoires de la Musique. He later received the Prix Vincent Scotto from SACEM for his 1996 song Sous les jupes des filles.
His industry accolades include multiple wins at the Victoires de la Musique, including the award for Male Artist of the Year in 1994. He has also been honored with the Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres.
Birthday and age
Alain Souchon was born on May 27, 1944, which makes Alain 82 years old today. That birthday falls under the Gemini sign. Alain shares the date with 60 other famous people.
Explore more
