M (Matthieu Chédid)

Matthieu Chedid (born 21 December 1971), better known by his stage name -M-, is a French rock singer-songwriter and guitar player. He holds the gold place in number of Victoires de la Musique awards, with 13 awards .Matthieu Chedid was born in Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France, the son of French singer Louis Chedid, and the grandson of the Egyptian-born French writer and poet of Lebanese descent Andrée Chedid who has written lyrics for him. His sister is the music video and concert director Émilie Chedid.Chedid took an interest in music early on. In 1978, at the age of six, Chedid lent his voice to the chorus of his father`s hit song T`as beau pas être beau alongside older sister, Émilie. During his teenage years and early twenties, Chedid formed a few short-lasting groups such as Tam Tam , Les Bébés fous (the crazy babies) and Les Poissons Rouges (the goldfish) with Mathieu Boogaerts and with the sons of Laurent Voulzy and Alain Souchon, Julien Voulzy and Pierre Souchon. He has collaborated with a number of artists, both on stage and in the recording studio. Early into his solo career, Chedid was the opening act for Texas concerts. He has recorded with NTM, Sinclair, Billy Ze Kick, Brigitte Fontaine, Sean Lennon, Vanessa Paradis, and Johnny Hallyday.Chedid performs and records under the stage name ‑M-. Chedid created ‑M- as means of overcoming his shyness on stage and also as a way of distancing his work from that of his father and grandmother. The pseudonym comes from Chedid`s first initial but also refers to the similar-sounding French word aime, meaning love. The character ‑M- is a superhero, noted for having a playful nature, and recognized for his flamboyant costumes (primarily monochrome suits with slim trousers and long jackets with upward pointed collars) and hair styled into the shape of an M.In 1997, -M- released his first solo album Le Baptême. During this time; he played mainly solo or with the cellist Vincent Ségal. The album received overall positive critical reception, but public recognition only came a few months later, with the release of the single `Machistador`.