Bruno Nicolini (born 16 June 1969), better known by his stage name Bénabar, is a French songwriter and singer, who could be compared to Vincent Delerm and other singers from his generation. As many of them he was influenced by Georges Brassens, Renaud, Jacques Higelin and also Tom Waits. His songs describe day-to-day life events with humour and a tender cynicism. His songs are influenced by French chanson and a heavy influence is placed on the piano or the accordion and on typical French fanfare (brass band) for the most upbeat of them. This genre of music is very typically French and differs from most in that emphasis is placed on appreciation of the lyrics and that it is linked to a specific culture of modern "guinche" (slang for "guinguette") appreciated a lot by Bobos among others.
Biography
Bénabar began his career in the cinema, working as an assistant on Le Brasier (1991) before directing three short subjects: Nada Lezard (1991), José Jeannette (1992) and Sursum corda (1994). He then turned to music, working for some time with his friend Patchol, who gave him his nickname (Bénabar being the "verlan" of Barnabé, the name he was using on stage). With "Les associés" he sang for several years in small places in France, Belgium, and Switzerland before the release of Bénabar (2001), which raised his profile sufficiently to make him the opening act for Henri Salvador. He was nominated as a Revelation for the "Victoires de la musique 2003" but did not win it. In 2004, after the successful release of Les risques du métier, he won the award for "album "chanson/variété" of the year". His next album Reprise des négociations sold better than the previous ones: according to Le Figaro, Bénabar reached number 4 for CD sales in France, with 2.18 million euros in sales in 2006. In 2007, he won the awards for "Male group or artist of the year" and "original song of the year" (for Le dîner).
Personal life
He has two brothers named Patrick and Sébastien. He has a son born in 2004 named Manolo and a daughter born in 2009.
Philanthropy Bénabar has been a member of the Les Enfoirés charity ensemble since 2007."Bénabar" (in French). Enfoires.com. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
Discography
Studio albums Year Album FRA BEL(Wa) SWI Sales 1997 La p'tite monnaie Bénabar et associés194—— 2001 Bénabar20——France: Platinum (510,100) 2003 Les risques du métier63140France: Platinum (569,300) 2005 Reprise des négociations1525France: Diamond (1,045,400) 2008 Infréquentable116France: Platinum (200,000) 2011 Les bénéfices du doute4523France: Platinum (200,000) 2014 Inspiré de faits réels229 2018 Le début de la suite349 2021 Indocile heureux16— On lâche pas l'affaire305337
Live albums Year Album FRA BEL(Wa) SWI Sales 2004 Live au Grand Rex102841France: Gold (173,100) 2012 Bien l'bonsoir m'sieurs-dames2623—
Compilations Year Album BEL(Wa) SWI Sales 2004 Couche-tard et lève-tôt (Quebec release)—— 2007 Best Of553France: Gold (75,000)
Singles
YearSingle FRA BEL(Wa)Ultratop BEL(Wa)Ultratip SWIAlbum2003"L'itinéraire"————Les risques du métier"Dis-lui oui"————"Je suis de celles"————2005"Le dîner"————Reprise des négociations"Maritie & Gilbert Carpentier"————"Quatre murs et un toit"————2008"L'effet papillon"1694—65Infréquentable2009"À la campagne"——12 A—"Une petite cantate" (with Keim, Jenifer and Raphaël)—29——2009: Les Enfoirés font leur cinéma (Various Artists)"Pas du tout"——22 A—Infréquentable"Infréquentable"——24 A—2011"Politiquement correct"7528——Les bénéfices du doute2012"Les râteaux"——12 A—Bien l'bonsoir m'sieurs-dames"L'agneau"——9 A—2014"Paris by Night"142———
A Chart peak for Ultratip.
Other singles YearSingle FRAAlbum2013"Un arc en ciel" (Téléthon 2013)(Bénabar, Bruel, Cali & Marina)1
Filmography 2009 : Incognito 2011 : Cars 2 - sings during a montage of Paris 2015 : The Night Watchman 2019 : Beaux-parents
References
External links
Official French site Biography of Bénabar on the RFI musique Website (in English)