Isabelle Aubret (; born Thérèse Coquerelle; 27 July 1938) is a French singer best known for winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 1962 with the song "Un premier amour".

Early life

Thérèse Coquerelle was born in Lille, France, on 27 July 1938. She was the fifth of eleven children; her father was a foreman in a spinning mill, while her mother, of Ukrainian origin, was a housewife. Coquerelle trained in gymnastics as a child, and in 1952 she won the national French Gymnastics Championship. with music composed by Claude-Henri Vic and lyrics by Roland Stéphane Valade. In 1963, she was approached by director Jacques Demy and musician Michel Legrand for the main role of the film Les parapluies de Cherbourg, but Aubret was subsequently injured in a car accident when her car skidded on a bend. One person died and three were seriously injured, including pianist Serge Sentis. Aubret was hospitalized in Autun, going through multiple operations and a long rehabilitation. In 1968, she returned to Eurovision and again represented France, this time singing "La source" ("The Spring/Fountain") In 1981, Aubret had another accident. She was rehearsing a flying trapeze number for the with her partner, boxer Jean-Claude Bouttier, when she fell and broke both legs. It took two years of rehabilitation for her to walk again.

In 2001, she celebrated her forty-year career by giving a series of concerts at Bobino.

Personal life

Aubret is married to Gérard Meys.

Partial discography

  • Isabelle Aubret (1969)
  • Liberté (1981)
  • Le monde chante (1984)
  • Vague à l'homme (1987)
  • 1989 (1989)
  • Vivre en flèche (1990)
  • In love (1991)
  • Coups de cœur (1992)
  • Isabelle Aubret chante Aragon (1992)
  • Isabelle Aubret chante Ferrat (1993)
  • C'est le bonheur (1993)
  • Isabelle Aubret chante Brel (1995)
  • Isabelle Aubret chante pour les petits et les grands (1997)
  • Changer le monde (1997)
  • Parisabelle (1999)
  • Le paradis des musiciens (2001)
  • Cosette et Jean Valjean (2002)
  • Les Indispensables (2005)
  • 2006 (2006)

References

  • Official site (in French)
  • Biography from Radio France International (in English)