Marie Benoit briefly traces the life-story of Vanessa Paradis the French icon who has been selected for Chanel’s latest campaign
Singer-actress Vanessa Paradis is the spokeswoman-model for Chanel’s newest lipstick. Paradis is a confessed fan of Karl Lagerfeld, whom she calls a man who ‘looks well beyond fashion.’
From a very tender age, Vanessa dreamed of Marilyn Monroe, both as a singer and in her films. She had made some charming appearances on TV, but it was at the age of 14 that she truly made it onto the French and international music scene with Joe le Taxi. The song was a huge success in France but also hit No 1 in 25 countries. She went on to release the hit album M&J (initials of Marilyn and John, one of the songs on the album).
In 1989, she made her movie debut, also a success in Jean-Claude Brisseau’s Noces Blanches where she played a high school student who falls in love with her teacher. The critics unanimously hailed her performance.
In 1990, Vanessa met Serge Gainsbourg who honoured her with an entire album, Variations sur le même t’aime. The video for one of the songs from the album, Tandem, directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino, left a lasting impression.
She also won her first Victoire de la Musique – a French music industry award – in 1990, Female Performer of the Year, and, for her screen performance, won the César award for Most Promising Actress and the Prix Romy Schneider, a prestigious award for talented upcoming actresses.
It was at the César Ceremony that Jacques Helleu, at the time Artistic Director of Chanel, and Jean-Paul Goude were taken with the young woman and launched the idea of Vanessa becoming the face of the fragrance Coco. You surely remember the beautiful campaign in which Vanessa played a ‘bird of paradise’ whistling and swinging on a trapeze under the watchful eye of a hungry cat?
In 1992 Vanessa returned to music, but in English this time, releasing the album simply entitled Vanessa Paradis, written by Lenny Kravitz. It was a hit, She began her first tour in France – including The Olympia – and abroad.
Then another triumph on the silver screen with Elisa, another film by Jean Becker also starring Gérard Depardieu, followed by Un amour de sorcière by René Manzor with Jeanne Moreau and Une chance sur deux by Patrice Leconte starring Alain Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo. She continued her work with Patrice Leconte in the beautiful film La Fille sure le Pont with Daniel Auteuil. She was nominated for a César award for Best Actress for her performance in this film.
Vanessa went on to make Bliss, an album considered to be more personal, since she wrote some of the songs herself. M – Matthieu Chedid, Alain Bashung and even Johnny Depp – or long time partner - worked on this album with her.
Then came Atomik Circus, a ‘wild’ film by Alain and Didier Poiraud co-starring Jean-Pierre Marielle and Benoît Poelvoorde, and Mon Ange by Serge Frydman, who wrote the screenplay for La Fille sur le Pont.
In 2005, she posed for Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel as the face of the ‘Cambon’ and ‘Mademoiselle’ lines of handbags.
In 2007, after a long break from music, she came out with her fifth album, Divinidylle, which she produced and co-wrote with Matthieu Chedid. It was a huge public success, winning her two Victories de la Musique awards in 2008: Female Performer of the Year and Pop Album of the Year.
Alongside Matthieu Chedid, she played the role of the doll, Asia, in a few performances of the children’s musical Le Soldat Rose by Louis Chedid.
She then went on an extensive tour across France, Belgium and Switzerland. The tour was immortalized on DVD.
In the following months, Vanessa combined music, films and beauty with the release of a best-of compilation of her already well established music career, L-arnacoeur, a film by Pascal Chaumeil and a new Chanel campaign as the beautiful égérie or icon, of Rouge Coco.
Projects keep on following with the release of the DVD/CD Une nuit à Versailles, and the anthology of her best TV moments. And there’s more to come.