Alizee's Biography

Early years

Also known by her nickname "Lili", Alizée started dancing early in her life,^[6] and by age four was already proficient. A year later, she was enrolled in Corsica's Ecole de Danse Monique Mufraggi dance school, and trained there until she was 15.^[7] In 1995, at the age of eleven, she won a coloring competition organized by the French airline Air Outre Mer. Her design won first prize and was reproduced on the cabin of one of the airline's aircraft. The aircraft was subsequently named after her, and Alizée won a trip to the Maldives for her efforts.

In 1999, she appeared on the TV talent show "Graines de Star", broadcast on Métropole 6.^[2] She initially intended to sign up for the programme's dance contest, but that category was reserved for groups only. Alizée therefore joined the singing category instead, performing the song Ma Prière (a single released by Axelle Red in 1997). She went on to win the "Meilleure Graine" award for most promising young singing star of tomorrow.

Her winning performance was seen by veteran songwriters Mylène Farmer and Laurent Boutonnat, who were looking for a young, fresh voice to partake in their new project. They approached Alizée, and she was selected after studio auditions. The duo arranged her debut with a meticulously orchestrated launch, controlling her image and public appearances. In 2000, they produced her maiden album, Gourmandises which was a great success in France, Belgium, Germany, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. The first single was "Moi... Lolita", which some say portrayed Alizée as a Lolita who was capable of "melting the hearts of the local male population".^[3] Others recognized her great variation in tone and artistic talent. Alizée won the M6 award in 2000. She returned with a follow up album, Mes Courants Électriques, in 2003. This second album was also quite successful, though not to the same extent as Gourmandises. It was followed up with a live album of her countrywide tour.