French singer, songwriter and performer, Françoise Hardy is also a style icon of the sixties, whose looks continue to inspire !
Muse of the “Yéyé wave”
Françoise Madeleine Hardy was born on January 17, 1944 in Paris. Introverted teenager in an evanescent family structure, the song is for her a real escape, even a therapy. The world of operetta fascinates her, she sings for herself tunes that give her courage. The guitar, one of the few gifts his father will give her, allows him to embark on the adventure. Françoise Hardy composes melodies , however, the teenager’s fervor pays off as she manages to land a contract with a record company. “Oh oh chéri”, will be his first 45 laps. But it is above all a title that she wrote alone, “Tous les garçons et les filles” which will mark, and for a long time, the public. In a short time, she is the figurehead of the famous yéyé wave !
A mysterious melancholy
Muse of yé-yés Françoise Hardy emancipates herself thanks to the photographer Jean-Marie Périer, who becomes her pygmalion. In 1963, his first steps at the Olympia, opening for Richard Anthony, were crowned with success. Its slender silhouette earned it the nickname “the endive of the twist” by radio host Philippe Bouvard. She responds by baptizing “Asparagus” her production house of the moment. In 1964, she recorded “Mon amie la rose” in London where her Frenchy accent wreaked havoc. From Bob Dylan to David Bowie, the Anglo-Saxons will not be the last to fall under the spell of his thin voice and his mysterious melancholy.
Influenced by Jean-Marie Perrier
Influenced by her boyfriend at the time, the photographer Jean-Marie Périer, she wore the futuristic outfits of André Courrèges or Paco Rabanne but, too emotional, definitively abandoned the scene in 1968. She writes most of her texts, but also knows how to surround herself with: Serge Gainsbourg (“Comment te dire adieu”), Patrick Modiano (“Astonish me Benoît”), Michel Berger (“message personnel”)… She quickly became a model for a young generation of artists who flocked to work with her: Etienne Daho, Benjamin Biolay, Jean-Louis Murat or Julien Doré wrote for her. In 1967, she fell in love with Jacques Dutronc, without doubt one of the most lasting liaisons in show business. The 70s will offer him an alternative. His introverted nature takes over. “The Question”, taken from a confidential album, reveals another facet of the artist, all flaws and tenderness, an aspect of her personality that she claims more easily.
