From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Diam’s | |
|---|---|
 Diam (on the left) prepares for a jump |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Mélanie Georgiades |
| Also known as | Diam’s or Diamant |
| Born | July 30, 1980 (age 32) |
| Origin | Nicosia, Cyprus |
| Genres | French Hip-Hop, R&B, hip hop soul |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Labels | Hostile, EMI |
| Associated acts | Sinik |
| Website | www.diams-lesite.com |
Diam’s (French pronunciation: [djams] ; born Mélanie Georgiades on July 30, 1980 in Nicosia, Cyprus) is a French-language rap artist of French and Greek Cypriot origin. Her family moved to Essonne in 1984. She reverted to Islam in late 2010 after studying and reading Islam.
When asked by her host about her views on Islam and the extreme fringe of fundamentalists she answered: “I think we should differentiate between the ignorant and the knowledgeable, and the ignorant should not speak about what he doesn’t know, Islam does not allow murdering innocent victims the way we see it nowadays. We can’t stereotype a whole religion because of actions of a few individuals.”
In 1998, when she was just 19, Diam’s signed a development deal with BMG Music Publishing France. With the publisher’s help, Diam’s worked on her craft and signed with Universal Records in 1999. She appeared in a song on DJ Mehdi‘s 2002 album “(The Story Of) Espion”.
2003’s Brut de Femme was her breakthrough, reaching gold and spawning the top 10 single “DJ.” In concert at the 2004 Dour Festival in Belgium, people threw objects at Diam’s when she began singing. In 2005, she cemented her importance as a songwriter with “Ma Philosophie” — a huge number one hit for Pop Idol star Amel Bent.
In 2005, she collaborated with Indonesian singer Anggun for her song “Juste Être Une Femme” (Just to be a Woman), which is featured on the French version of her current studio album Luminescence.
Dans Ma Bulle (Inside my Bubble) was released in February 2006, debuting at number one on the French album chart selling 50,000 copies in its first week. Diam’s first single from Dans Ma Bulle, La Boulette (The Moron) gained immense popularity and airtime. It stayed at number one on the French music charts for 6 consecutive weeks. Her second single Jeune Demoiselle debuted at #4. Ma France à moi and Confessions nocturnes with Vitaa also proved to popular. Dans Ma Bulle went on to be the biggest-selling French album in France in 2006 and reached diamond status (1,000,000 copies sold). Diam’s won the award for Best French Act at the 2006 MTV Europe Music Awards.
However, according to friends, Diam’s could not handle the fame resulting from her latest album and checked into a hospital for depression. In October 2009, following her previous conversion to Islam in 2000, she adopted a black covering and hijab, explaining to the French Press, “Medicine was not able to heal my soul, so I turned toward religion.” When a photo of her coming out of a Mosque wearing a veil was taken and used for an article “France and her Muslims” and a fictional interview created from the lyrics of a song emerged in the media, she declined all interviews and stayed out of the public eye.
Diam’s is known for her political activism in both her lyrics and her public persona; she is a fierce opponent not only of extreme-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen and his daughter Marine Le Pen, but also of French President Nicolas Sarkozy. In this respect she has been compared to the French rapper Keny Arkana, an anti-globalisation activist.
She is also known for her close relationship to French rapper Sinik; they have referred to one another as “brother and sister” and have collaborated extensively. She also has collaborated and appeared with Admiral T, the reggae-dance hall singer.
Contents |
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR | FR (DD)1 | BEL (WA) | SWI | ||
| 1999 | Premier mandat | – | – | – | – |
| 2003 | Brut de femme[1] | 7 | – | 45 | – |
| 2004 | Ma vie / Mon live (Live album)[2] | 53 | – | – | – |
| 2006 | Dans ma bulle[3] | 1 | – | 3 | 19 |
| 2009 | S.O.S.[4][5] | 1 | 1 | 6 | 18 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR | FR (DD)1 | BEL (WA) | SWI | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2003 | “DJ” (music video directed by J.G Biggs)[6] | 2 | – | 1 | 16 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2003 | “Incassables”[7] | 31 | – | 8 | 29 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | “Évasion” (Diam’s feat. China)[8] | 29 | – | 31 | 45 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | “La boulette (Génération nan nan)“[9][10] | 1 | 2 | 1 | 12 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | “Jeune demoiselle“[11][12] | 4 | 3 | 3 | 20 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2007 | “Ma France à moi”[13] | 11 | – | 12 | – | ||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | “I am somebody” | – | – | – | – | ||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | “Enfants du désert”[14][15] | – | 6 | 21 | 80 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | “Coeur de bombe”[16] | – | 43 | – | – | ||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | “Peter Pan” | – | – | – | – | ||||||||||||||||
| As featured artist | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003 | “Un peu de respect” (Lady Laistee feat. Diam’s)[17] | 90 | – | – | – | ||||||||||||||||
| 2003 | “Promise” (music video directed by J.G Biggs) (Kamnouze vs. Diam’s feat. Jango Jack)[18] | 50 | – | – | – | ||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | “Relève la tête” (Kery James feat. Diam’s, Passi, Matt & Kool Shen)[19] | 39 | – | – | – | ||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | “Les mains en l’air” (Admiral T feat. Diam’s)[20] | 29 | – | – | 76 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | “Non c’sera non (omri omri)” (Cheb Mami feat. Diam’s & Leslie)[21] | 30 | – | – | – | ||||||||||||||||
1 Digital Downloads
Recognitions
| Year | Award-giving Body | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Victoires de la Musique | Rap/hip-hop album of the year (Brut de Femme) | Won |
| 2006 | MTV Europe Music Awards 2006 | Best French Act | Won |
| 2007 | NRJ Music Awards | Francophone Album of the Year (Dans Ma Bulle) | Won |
| 2007 | NRJ Music Awards | Francophone Female Artist of the Year | Won |
| 2007 | NRJ Music Awards | Francophone Song of the Year (La Boulette) | Won |
| 2007 | NRJ Music Awards | Music Video of the Year (Jeune Demoiselle) | Nominated |
| 2007 | L’Année Du Hip Hop | Best Song (La Boulette) | Won |
| 2007 | L’Année Du Hip Hop | Best Rap Artist | Won |
| 2007 | L’Année Du Hip Hop | Best Album (Dans Ma Bulle) | Won |
| 2010 | NRJ Music Awards | Francophone Album of the Year (S.O.S.) | Nominated |
| 2010 | NRJ Music Awards | Francophone Female Artist of the Year | Nominated |
External links
References
- ^ “Diam’s : Brut de femme”. Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
- ^ “Diam’s : Ma vie – Mon live”. Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
- ^ “Diam’s : Dans ma bulle”. Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
- ^ “Diam’s : S.O.S.”. Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
- ^ “French Digital Albums Chart – 21 November 2009”. Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
- ^ “Diam’s : DJ”. Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
- ^ “Diam’s : Incassables”. Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
- ^ “Diam’s : Évasion”. Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
- ^ “Diam’s : La boulette”. Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
- ^ “French Digital Singles Chart – 11 March 2006”. Disqueenfrance. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
- ^ “Diam’s : Jeune demoiselle”. Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
- ^ “French Digital Singles Chart – 5 May 2006”. Disqueenfrance. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
- ^ “Diam’s : Ma France à moi”. Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
- ^ “French Digital Singles Chart – 21 November 2009”. Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
- ^ “Diam’s : Enfants du désert”. Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
- ^ “French Digital Singles Chart – 30/01/2010”. Lescharts.com. Retrieved 2010-02-26.
- ^ “Lady Laistee feat. Diam’s : Un peu de respect”. Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
- ^ “Kamnouze vs. Diam’s feat. Jango Jack : Promise”. Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
- ^ “Kery James present Lino, AP, Diam’s, Passi, Matt & Kool Shen : Relève la tête”. Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
- ^ “Admiral T feat. Diam’s : Les mains en l’air”. Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
- ^ “Cheb Mami feat. Diam’s & Leslie : Non c’sera non (omri omri)”. Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
Categories: France