Yseult Marie Onguenet[1] (French pronunciation: [isœlt maʁi ɔ̃ɡne], [izœlt]; born 19 August 1994), known mononymously as Yseult, is a French singer-songwriter and model. She rose to prominence after becoming the runner-up on the tenth season of Nouvelle Star, a French singing reality competition television series. She subsequently signed to Polydor Records, before releasing her debut album, Yseult, in 2015. Since leaving Polydor, she has released three extended plays as an independent artist: Rouge (2019), Noir (2019) and Brut (2020). She performed the song "My Way" for the 2024 Summer Olympics Closing Ceremony. [2] She also worked with artists such as Kanye West, Black Eyed Peas, Rema, Anitta, Sevdaliza, Pabllo Vittar, and Ty Dolla Sign.
Yseult | |
|---|---|
 Yseult at the Paris Fashion Week, 2024 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Yseult Marie Onguenet |
| Born | 19 August 1994 Tergnier, Picardy, France |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Labels |
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Life and career
edit1994–2013: Early life
editYseult Onguenet was born on 19 August 1994, to Cameroonian parents in Tergnier, Hauts-de-France, France.[3][4] She realized her talent at a young age, however, her father did not allow her to make music,[5] prompting Onguenet to skip classes[6] to audition for Nouvelle Star in Paris.
2013–2017: Nouvelle Star and career beginnings
editIn February 2014, Yseult competed in the final of Nouvelle Star, having auditioned and made her way through the competition since the show aired in October 2013. She competed in the final against Mathieu Saikaly, the winner of the season, and performed songs such as "Roar", "Feeling Good", and "Wasting My Young Years" throughout her duration on the show.[7]
Following the show, Onguenet signed to Polydor Records under the name Yseult, and announced that she was preparing her debut album, working with French composer and singer Emmanuel da Silva.
In May 2014, Yseult released the lead single to her album, "La Vague", the video to which she later posted on her Vevo channel. As of December 2020, the music video just had over 1 million views.[8] Prior to the release of her album, she uploaded covers to "It's a Man's Man's Man's World"[9] and "La Mamma"[10] on YouTube.
On 5 January 2015, she released her debut album, titled Yseult. The album peaked at no. 69 on the French album chart, selling just 5,000 copies.[11] The album's commercial performance was a disappointment for both Onguenet and her label, and influenced her decision to end her contract with Polydor a couple years later. Nevertheless, Yseult went on to release three videos for "Bye Bye Bye", "Pour l'impossible", and "Summer Love", all songs from her album, across 2015.
In March 2017, Yseult released her final single with the label, a cover of Blondie's "Heart of Glass".[12] In April 2017, she worked in a writing seminar for the Black Eyed Peas,[13] organised by Polydor, after which she decided to end her contract with the label later that year.[14]
2018–present: Rouge, Noir and other projects
editAfter leaving Polydor Records, Yseult signed with IMM management.[15] She modeled for the ASOS Autumn campaign in 2018,[16] starring in several commercials and magazine advertorials. Yseult has since modeled for a number of campaigns, and featured on the cover of French fashion magazine Antidote in 2020.[17]
In 2018, Yseult also established her independent label, YYY, having moved to Brussels, Belgium.[18] The first single under her independent record label, "Rien à prouver", was released in January 2019; the song serves as the lead single to her debut extended play, Noir. The music video for "Rien à prouver" has accumulated over 1.9 million views as of December 2020.[19]
Yseult's second extended play, Rouge, was released as a surprise project in May 2019.[20] The record had no lead single, and was not promoted, rather Yseult described Rouge as "a project that makes a separation between the early Yseult"[21] in the Enfnts Terribles magazine.
In 2021, French multinational L'Oréal selected Yseult as an international spokesperson for L'Oréal Paris.[22]
In 2022, she was cast in her first acting role, playing herself in Maïmouna Doucouré's film Hawa.[23]
In 2024, Iranian-Dutch singer Sevdaliza released the viral song "Alibi" featuring Yseult and Brazilian singer and drag queen Pabllo Vittar. On August 11, she performed “My Way” at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, as the final bouquet for the closing ceremony. On September 20, she released her latest album “mental”.
References
edit- ^ "BYE BYE BYE". ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ Brightman • •, Brendan (11 August 2024). "Here's why Frank Sinatra's 'My Way' sung at the Olympic Closing Ceremony". NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- ^ "Exclu : Yseult n'a plus "Rien à prouver" dans un clip planant". Konbini - All Pop Everything : #1 Media Pop Culture chez les Jeunes (in French). 25 January 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
- ^ "YSEULT, LA CHANTEUSE CAMEROUNAISE DÉCOMPLEXÉE QUI PRÔNE L'ACCEPTATION DE SOI". 26 July 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
- ^ "Yseult - Biographie : naissance, parcours, famille…". NRJ.fr (in French). Retrieved 15 December 2020.
- ^ "Yseult - Biographie : naissance, parcours, famille…". NRJ.fr (in French). Retrieved 15 December 2020.
- ^ "Yseult - biographie, news, clips, paroles de chansons..." NRJ.fr (in French). Retrieved 15 December 2020.
- ^ "Yseult - La Vague - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
- ^ "Yseult - It's A Man's Man's Man's World (Covered By Yseult) - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
- ^ "Yseult - La mamma - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
- ^ à 13h00, Par Tanneguy de KerpoissonLe 15 juillet 2019 (15 July 2019). "Depuis "Nouvelle Star", Yseult a suivi sa voix". leparisien.fr (in French). Retrieved 15 December 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Shazam". Shazam. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ^ "Meet Yseult, the french triple threat". ASOS. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ^ "Meet Yseult, the french triple threat". ASOS. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ^ "IMM - YSEULT". www.immbruxelles.com. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ^ "Meet Yseult, the french triple threat". ASOS. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ^ "IMM - YSEULT". www.immbruxelles.com. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ^ "Yseult: "I'm Always Searching for My Identity"". Enfnts Terribles. 31 March 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ^ "Yseult - Rien à prouver - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ^ Rouge, retrieved 18 December 2020
- ^ "Yseult: "I'm Always Searching for My Identity"". Enfnts Terribles. 31 March 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ^ Weil, Jennifer (27 June 2021). "Yseult Named L'Oréal Paris Ambassador". WWD. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
She [French singer-songwriter Yseult] joins the team of L'Oréal Paris ambassadors that includes Kate Winslet, Jane Fonda, Céline Dion, Elle Fanning and Amber Heard.
- ^ "Après «Mignonnes», Maïmouna Doucouré met Oumou Sangaré et Yseult à l'affiche". Paris Match, 24 April 2022.