Pierre Garand biography personal life. Singer Garu: biography, personal life, best songs, photos

Millions of pop music fans know him as the Canadian French-speaking singer Garou, but very few know that he has Armenian roots and that his real name is Pierre Garanian.

On June 26, 1972, little Pierre saw the rays of the sun rising over Quebec for the first time in his life and cried loudly. His grandmother Ketevi Garanyan took her grandson in her arms and said quietly: “Someday this voice will make more than one woman’s heart cry.” Like all the grandmothers in the world, she turned out to be right.

Pierre Gharanian, known today as Garou, was born in Sherbrooke, northern Canada, to ethnic Armenian parents. “To this day,” recalls Garou, “I remember how my grandmother taught me to speak Armenian.” “When you greet elders,” she said, “you must be polite. Baby, repeat after me: barev dzes, inchpesek.” He remembered these words for the rest of his life. By the way, it was my grandmother who taught Garu to sing.

When the baby was only three years old, his parents gave him a guitar. Two years later he began to master the piano, and then the organ. It’s very strange, but as a child Garou dreamed of becoming an archaeologist in order to discover something new. At first, Pierre was an exemplary student at the Sherbrooke Seminary, but by the age of 14, something rebelled in him. Both parents and teachers tried to find a common language with him, but to no avail. In 1987, Garou became the guitarist for his classmates' band, which was called "The Windows and Doors", and his first stage performance took place in the school hall.

When Garou was 15 years old, he fell passionately in love with Sophie Balmond, a dancer from Montreal. He went to every one of her performances and each time managed to sneak past security into her dressing room. Sophie allowed the young man to be next to her. “There’s just one thing I don’t understand,” she asked, “how do you manage to slip past the guards every time?” Pierre joked: “That’s because I’m a werewolf (Garou translated from French means “monster,” “lone wolf,” “werewolf”) and I turn into a wolf and jump into your window while no one is looking.”

One way or another, the nickname “werewolf” stuck to Pierre forever. When Sophie introduced Pierre to her friend and part-time husband of Celine Dion, Rene Angélil, at one of the parties, she introduced herself like this: “This is Rene, and this is Garou - my little charming werewolf.” When Rene Angélil invited Garou to perform something to his taste, Garou immediately jumped up on the table and sang some Armenian melody. A deathly silence reigned in the hall. When Garou stopped to catch his breath, there was a burst of applause. Rene and Sophie applauded the loudest. Angélil then said: “Someday you will become a big star.” “I know,” Garou answered without hesitation, “my grandmother told me that.”

Years later, when composer Luc Plamondon was casting for his new production “Notre-DamedeParis”, he was struck by the voice and appearance of one of the artists. In the room where the artists were singing before the casting, one person was humming some kind of ethnic song. Plamondon called him over. "What is your name?" - he asked. “Garou,” answered the young man. "Wonderful. Do you want to play Frollo? “With such a name, and especially with such a voice, he should only play Quasimodo,” these words belonged to Rene Angelil. He and his wife Celine came to the audition and it was no coincidence that he was in the right place at the right time. He knew who he wanted to find there. Three months later, a star with truly global potential shone over Paris - the musical “Notre-DamedeParis”. The inimitable Garou shone in the role of Quasimodo.

For two years, Garou brilliantly plays Quasimodo in Notre-Damede Paris, moving from Montreal to Paris, from London to Brussels... In 1999, he received several prestigious awards for his role, including the WorldMusicAward for the song "Belle", which stayed at number one in the French charts for 33 weeks and was recognized as the best song of the fiftieth anniversary. In 2000, Garou and several stars of the French production, in particular Daniel Lavoie and Bruno Pelletier, took part in the English production of the musical, which became very popular. After the great success of “Notre-DamedeParis”, Garou, already known to the general public, receives a huge number of different offers and becomes truly famous. In 1998, he took part in the recording of the album “Ensemblecentrelesida” (“Together against AIDS”), and also sang the song “L"amourexisteencore” (“Love still exists”), written by Plamondon and Cocciant for Celine Dion, in a duet with the performer of the role Esmeralda Helene Segara. At the very end of 1999, Garou, along with the entire Notre-DamedeParis troupe, took part in Celine Dion's New Year's show. At the same time, preparations were underway for her concert dedicated to farewell to Montreal. By the way, one of the best and most beautiful Garou performed songs from his repertoire - “Souslevent” (“In the Wind”) in a duet with the magnificent Celine.Now this song is at the top of the charts in French-speaking countries.

Now Garou's solo career is developing quite well. His first album, Seul, sold over 2 million copies. In 2001, he gave more than eighty concerts, and his album “Seul... avecvous” went platinum in France and gold in Quebec. In March 2002, Garou gave a big concert at the Bercy Stadium in Paris. And in the spring of 2003, his English-language album is planned to be released.

Grandmother Garou was right when 30 years ago she predicted world recognition for her grandson. Brian Adams, Celine Dion, Charles Aznavour and other outstanding performers consider it an honor to sing with the talented French-Canadian Armenian.

As a performer, Garou stands out in French and world popular music for his extraordinary appearance. This is a blue-eyed, handsome giant whose height is close to two meters. He has a unique, inimitable and very rare strong voice with hoarseness and excellent acting skills. It is no coincidence that he is often compared to such superstars of modern French cinema as Gerard Depardieu and Jean Reno.

It may seem to many that Garou’s creative biography initially developed smoothly and without problems, that he is a real darling of fate, that he immediately managed to find his own style, that from the very beginning he appeared before the world with his word. However, this is not at all true. He is in constant search, singing not only French chanson, but also songs of other very different genres, including songs in the style of so-called “heavy” and “metal” rock.

As for the singer’s personal life, it cannot be called happy and cloudless. True, Garou has always enjoyed great and constant success among women, but the extremely intense rhythm of work leaves absolutely no free time for family concerns and leisure. Probably, this is where we should look for the reason that he left his wife Ulrika and daughter Emily.

In one of his later interviews, Garou admits that in any society, in any environment, he constantly feels lonely. “I am very concerned about the confusion in my personal life. Family is very important to me. I never aspired to become a superstar. Of course, I am proud that Garou's career is developing so rapidly, but I would like to remain a normal person. Not a star. I think I've earned that right."

When asked whether such a constant “nomadic” life, life on wheels, constant travel and tours, and hotel accommodation satisfies him, the singer replies: “Yes, it does. I am a workaholic by nature. For a long time, I had no idea what discipline was until I found my own way to become disciplined. I only feel really good when I start singing. In France, I take full responsibility for contracts. I respond to proposals from various agencies, study scripts, new proposals. So you have to be very disciplined. During the day I am a real business person, but in the evening comes my favorite time - time for song. And at night I go to another party.”

But how, in this case, does he manage to sleep off, regain his strength, and relax? After all, a person cannot do without sleep, without rest. He will simply not be able to withstand the trials and challenges of life. Garou himself gives the following answer to this question: “I sleep quite a bit. I love a noisy, hectic life. Although sometimes an irresistible need suddenly arises to escape somewhere, to find oneself. Then I really disappear, I’m not there for anyone.” Well, obviously, this is the very feeling that prevents the singer from being truly happy. But he is unable to change anything. The choice, and, moreover, final and irrevocable, has already been made. Probably, it is precisely for such cases that there is an expression: there is no absolute idyll in life.

When the singer is asked if he remembers his Armenian origins, that his real name is Pierre Garanyan, he replies: “Of course, I remember. Of course, Pierre Garanian still exists for me. And it will always exist. True, he was a little crushed by Garou, although initially this nickname was not an artistic pseudonym.”

Today, in his own words, very few people call him Pierre - only three people. This is his banker, mother and sister. As for his father, he, like so many other fathers, calls him “Son.”

While stars line up to sing with Garou, the French line up to watch him. One Parisian newspaper wrote that for the first time since Napoleon, God settled in France.

When the singer is asked today what the secret of his success is, Garou says: “Do you really think that a werewolf will tell you the truth? But I think I'm damn talented. My grandmother said so.”

Armen Markaryan

http://worldarmeniancongress.com/peoples/262-garanyan-per.html

Categories:

This is what this link says.
AT A CONCERT IN YEREVAN GARU SEARCHED FOR HIS ARMENIAN ROOTS
18:28
The day before, the only concert of the world famous Quasimodo, the Canadian singer Garou, took place in Yerevan. “I consider a song the best way to communicate with the world, because it is through music that I share my emotions and feelings with listeners,” Garou admitted at a press conference on Sunday. According to him, he could not dream of more than to bring French music to different parts of the world. But even despite the dream come true, Garou’s popularity in Armenia came as a surprise even to him. “The first pleasant surprise awaited me at the airport, when before my eyes the number of Zvartnots employees tripled. They took pictures of me, asked for an autograph: And I was surprised,” the singer said with a smile. After such a warm meeting, Garou even seriously thought about the possibility of cooperation with the Armenian side. “If there is some interesting project in the field of cinema or music, then I am ready to take part in it. For example, last summer I starred in the French television film “Love Will Return”. The filming was very interesting. And perhaps because the director was an Armenian,” the singer said. But fans (and even more so, female fans) of Garou need not be afraid: he is not going to give up his singing career even with the greatest successes in cinema. He noted that for him singing means playing, but playing sincerely.<Мои песни становятся для слушателей своеобразным проводником в мир грез. Я даже сделал весьма интересное наблюдение: после прослушивания что-то действительно хорошее происходит в душах людей", - сказал он. В то же время Гару признался, что уже устал исполнять трогательную песню Квазимодо. "Хотя нельзя не признать, что она сыграла значительную роль в моей жизни>, - noted the singer. According to Garou, despite the fact that over the years that have passed since the sensational musical “Notre Dame”, he has repeatedly received various awards, it does not matter to him whether he is presented in one category or another or not. “Parents’ assessment is much more important to me,” he noted. As it turned out, Garou's parents had already forgotten the real name of their son (Pierre Garan). “My pseudonym is already 13 years old. The name Pierre is so forgotten that even my parents don’t call me that. If someone suddenly addresses me by my real name, I even get confused,” he said. Despite such confusion in names, Garou was more than confident in his origin, and did not succumb to the humorous provocations of journalists on the topic “were there any Armenians in your family?” “I haven’t heard about this yet. But maybe today at the concert I can find my Armenian roots,” he said with a smile.
Garou was born on June 26, 1972 in Sherbrooke (Canada). There was a time when his voice could only be heard in Montreal metro stations, but after a while the situation changed dramatically. In the summer of 1995, Garou created an R&B group called The Untouchables, and after another 2 years the singer received a tempting offer from the famous librettist Luc Plamondon - to embody the image of Quasimodo on stage. The brilliant performance of the role of the hunchback did not go unnoticed: participation in the musical “Notre Dame” not only brought the love of millions and millions around the world, but also the “Felix Revelation de l"annee 1999”, Victoire and World Music Awards (for the song “Belle” ". Let us note that Garou’s concert in Yerevan was held as part of the Francophonie Days in Armenia.

ArmInfo
And this is what the newspaper, Yerkramas, writes.
I know that Armenians never take credit for what belongs to others—they have enough of their own, but how can we understand such contrary information?

Please answer where the information for your post came from. I would like to know the original source and figure out where the truth is.

Reply With quote To quote book

“I want to open up completely, turn myself inside out, give everything I can, make people happy.” This phrase very accurately characterizes Garou, a singer who charges everyone with incredible energy every time he goes on stage.

Until 1997, he played in a fashionable establishment of the time called “Liquor’s Store de Sherbrooke”. His owner, Francis Delage, proposed organizing so-called “Garou Sundays,” when he invited other musicians to perform on stage with the newly-minted artist. There is no doubt that everyone present was delighted with these impromptu concerts!

As time passed, Garou improved his skills. Apparently, he himself believed that, after all, he could already do something, and in the summer of 1995 he created his own group “The Untouchables” (“Les Incorruptibles”), focusing on blues and rhythm and blues music, In addition to Garou, the group included three more musicians - a trombonist, a trumpeter and a saxophonist. It was they, “The Untouchables,” who accompanied Garou on his grand tour in 2000, dedicated to the release of the singer’s first album, “Seul” (“Lonely”), consisting of 14 tracks.

During one of the group's performances in 1997, Luc Plamondon, the creator of the libretto for the original French version of the musical "Notre-Dame de Paris", noticed the artist and realized that he had found his Quasimodo. Soon Garou appears before the strict court of Plamondon and composer Richard Cocciante, who offer him to perform some arias from the musical - the famous “Belle” and “Dieu que le monde est injuste” (“God, how unfair the world is”). The next day they informed Garou that he would be Quasimodo!

For two years, Garou brilliantly plays Quasimodo in Notre-Dame de Paris, moving from Montreal to Paris, from London to Brussels... In 1999 he receives several prestigious awards for his role, including the World Music Award for the song “Belle,” which, by the way, stayed in first place in the French charts for 33 weeks and was recognized as the best song of the fiftieth anniversary. In 2000, Garou and several stars of the French production, in particular Daniel Lavoie and Bruno Pelletier, took part in the English production of the musical, which became very popular.

After the great success of “Notre-Dame de Paris”, the artist Garou, already known to the general public, receives a huge number of different offers and becomes truly famous. In 1998, he took part in the recording of the album “Ensemble contre le sida” (“Together against AIDS”), and also sang the song “L'amour existe encore” (“Love still exists”), written by Plamondon and Cocciante for Celine Dion, in a duet with the performer of the role of Esmeralda Helen Segara.

Now Garou's solo career is developing quite well. His first album, Seul, mentioned above, sold over 2 million copies. And thanks to the popularity and success of the musical “Notre-Dame de Paris”, which will never let you forget about yourself, he is one of the most famous artists in the Francophonie countries. In 2001, he gave more than eighty concerts in some of these countries, and his album “Seul... avec vous” went platinum in France and gold in Quebec. In March 2002, Garou gave a big concert at the Bercy Stadium in Paris.

For the first time in his life, he became a dad on July 7, 2001. The girl was named Emily, her mother is an ex-fashion model from Sweden, Ulrika. “Thanks to my lucky star, I have always had very powerful incentives to live. But the day I saw my daughter Emily’s eyes for the first time, I realized that now my life had real MEANING.”

Garou

The name of the French-Canadian pop singer, musician and actor Pierre Garand, performing under the pseudonym Garou, is well known to rhythm and blues fans around the world. Today the singer actively tours, acts in films, and participates in popular television projects. The reason for Garou's success lies not only in his undeniable talent and velvety baritone that attracts the attention of listeners. To some extent, this is also a series of successful coincidences. How did a boy from a Canadian province turn into a global star?

Read a short biography of Garou and many interesting facts about the singer on our page.

short biography

The future celebrity was born on June 26, 1972 in the north of Canada in the city of Sherbrooke (about 150 thousand inhabitants). Pierre owes his performing talent to his grandmother, an ethnic Armenian, who taught him to sing from an early age. Parents also supported the inclinations of the young talent. At three years old the boy began to master guitar , at the age of five - learn to play the piano.

After graduating from the seminary in Sherbrooke, Pierre ended up in the Canadian army, where his love of music also came in handy - he played the pipe in a military band. Since 1992, having returned from the armed forces, the twenty-year-old musician began actively performing in bars and on the streets of his hometown. Despite his already certain fame in the musical circles of Sherbrooke, the young singer is experiencing great financial difficulties and therefore is forced to take on absolutely any part-time job.

In 1995, Pierre Garand organized his own group, called “The Untouchables”. The band consisted of four people (guitar, trombone, saxophone, trumpet) and worked in the style of rhythm and blues. For several years, young people actively performed in clubs and discos, performing a wide variety of repertoire - from songs by Paul McCartney (by the way, Garou still considers him his idol) to blues and hard rock. Such performances brought little money, but, according to the artist himself, it was a real school of life, which made him a professional musician.

The singer's finest hour was 1997. Quite by chance, one of the authors of the musical “Notre-Dame de Paris”, Luc Plamondon, came to the “The Untouchables” concert, who extremely liked the timbre of Garou’s voice and the manner of his performance. Pierre was invited to an audition, after which the singer was immediately offered one of the leading roles in the musical - the role of Quasimodo. It was from this moment that the singing career of the performer from Canada began to rapidly gain momentum. Over the next two years, the musical was watched by hundreds of thousands of spectators. "Notre-Dame de Paris" was a huge success in Canada, France, England, Belgium and other countries. The aria “Belle” turned into a real hit and topped absolutely all the charts in France for 33 weeks in a row. The result of Pierre Garand's brilliant performances in the role of Quasimodo was the prestigious World Music Award, which was awarded to the Canadian performer in 1999.

After this, Garou becomes a world celebrity. In 2000, he appeared as the hunchback in the English version of the musical. At the same time, Garan is finishing work on his debut album “Seul”, which will include 14 tracks. The circulation of the disc will be more than 2 million copies. The record will go gold in France, and platinum in Quebec.

In just a few years, Garou turns from an ordinary street musician into one of the most sought-after French-speaking performers on the planet. He is constantly invited to record joint projects. Back in 1998, Garan participated in the creation of the album “Together against AIDS”, and the next year he received an invitation to perform at the New Year’s show Celine Dion .

In 2001 alone, the singer gave more than 80 solo concerts. In subsequent years, in parallel with active concert activities, the singer from Canada continues to actively work on releasing solo albums. In 2002, the disc “Seul... avec vous” was released, which included several cover versions of popular works that had previously been performed Charles Aznavour and other celebrities, as well as arias from “ Notre Dame de Paris ».

In the fall of next 2003, another album by Pierre Garand, “Reviens,” was released.

The next disc, which Pierre Garand calls in honor of his creative pseudonym - “Garou”, appears three years later - in 2006. Famous poets and composers took part in the preparation of the album: Sandrine Roy, Sylvan Michel, Pascal Obispo.

2008 is another significant stage in Garou’s work. With Robbie Williams , Rob Thomas and others, the musician releases his first disc in English - “Piece of My Soul”.

In 2009, Garan was invited to act in films. The musician agrees and, according to critics, brilliantly plays the leading role in the film “The Return of Love” (directed by Eric Kivanyan). Simultaneously with filming, the musician is working on another cover album. The collection “Gentleman cambrioleur” will include compositions from different years in English and French.

Once again the name of Pierre Garand sounded throughout the planet in 2010. On February 12, at the opening ceremony of the XXI Olympic Games in winter sports in Vancouver, Canada, he performed the song “Un peu plus haut, un peu plus loin”. In the fall of the same year, the musician releases his sixth album – “Version intégrale”.

In subsequent years, Garou's creativity continues to successfully evolve in several directions. In 2011, the Canadian again returned to the role of Quasimodo, and also tried his hand at the show “Zarkana”.

In the winter of next year, Pierre Garan is invited to the TF1 channel. Now a world-famous performer becomes a mentor to young talents on the set of the French-language version of the television show “The Voice” - “The Voice”. At the same time, Garou is working on his seventh album, “Rhythm and blues.”

2013 was marked by the Canadian’s trip to Jurmala to the New Wave festival, where he sang at the opening, as well as the release of his next album, “Au milieu de ma vie.”

2014: Garou is again one of the mentors on the set of the third season of “The Voice”. The musician also successfully tours Russia. In the Russian capital, the singer records the song “Du Vent Des Mots” together with the winner of the Russian-language version of the show “The Voice” Dina Garipova.

2015 is becoming no less fruitful for Pierre Garand. In addition to successful tours in France, Ukraine and Poland, the singer takes part in the filming of the next, already fourth season of the show “The Voice”, and in the fall he again comes with a series of concerts to the Russian Federation.

The fifth season of the French version of the show “The Voice”, which was filmed in 2016, also did not do without the participation of Garou.

Today, the singer continues to actively tour and delight his many fans with new songs.

Interesting Facts

As a child, despite his passion for music, Pierre Garand did not connect his future with a career as a singer, and dreamed of becoming an archaeologist.
In elementary school, Pierre was considered a very diligent student, who was set as an example to his classmates. But by the age of 14, the spirit of rebellion and disobedience awoke in the young man. He became a member of the school rock band and was often rude to parents and teachers. One day, the future pop star was even kicked out of a lesson, and ironically, it turned out to be a music lesson.

Pierre Garand received his stage name in his youth from his friends, who nicknamed him “Garou”, which translates from French as “werewolf,” due to the young man’s passion for the nocturnal lifestyle.
In her younger years, due to lack of money, the future star tried many professions. To support himself and not depend on his parents, Pierre hired himself out as a grape picker, worked as a manager in a clothing store and as a furniture loader.
After Garou was approved for the role of Quasimodo, he thoroughly studied Hugo’s novel “Notre Dame de Paris.” The singer was simply shocked by the book. He even wanted to give up the role of the hunchback, and the director of the musical “Notre-Dame de Paris” Gilles Maheu had to make a lot of efforts to prove to Pierre that this role was his chance to become famous throughout the world. The future showed that the director was not mistaken.
Quasimodo's aria "Belle" from the musical "Notre-Dame de Paris" performed by Garou was recognized as the best song performed in French over the past 50 years.
In the fall of 2016, Garou sang on the set of the super-popular intellectual show “What? Where? When?..".
As you know, a talented person is talented in everything. Garou is no exception. In addition to his successful music career, Pierre Garand also thrives as a restaurateur and businessman. In February 2016, the singer became the owner of his own cabaret restaurant, Le Manko.
Some of the Garou's favorite recreational activities are fishing and boating.

Without exaggeration, Pierre Garand can be called a multi-instrumentalist. In addition to the guitar, the musician is fluent in piano, organ and trumpet.
Despite the fact that the Canadian musician starred in only one film - “The Return of Love” (2009), many French critics speak enthusiastically about Garou’s acting abilities and compare him with such famous personalities in cinema as Jean Reno and Gerard Depardieu.
There are many rumors in the press about the Armenian roots of the performer from Canada. In many sources, his last name is even written as Garanyan. The singer himself tries not to comment on this information. If he is asked such questions, he usually laughs it off and declares that the Garou in himself has long prevailed over Garan, and only his closest people can call him by his name - Pierre: his mother, older sister and banker. His father, according to the musician, still addresses him very affectionately - “son”.

Best songs

« Belle" Without a doubt one of the most popular compositions performed by Garou. The singer managed to get used to the role of Quasimodo so successfully that the story of the unfortunate hunchback cannot leave millions of listeners indifferent.

"Belle" (listen)

« Sous le Vent" Composition from the debut album “Seul” (released November 13, 2000) Lyrical song performed beautifully by Garou and Celine Dion remained at the top of all French charts for more than a month, which largely determined the success of the entire disc. It is interesting that Celine’s husband, Rene Angélil, acted as the producer of Pierre Garand’s first record.

"Sous le Vent" (listen)

« Gentleman cambrioleur" The song from the 2010 album of the same name tells the difficult story of a man forced to lead a double life: on the one hand, he moves in high society, and on the other, he is an ordinary thief, but not without elegant and refined manners. In many ways, the work is a kind of manifesto of the entire work of Garou, who is always very scrupulous in the selection of songs for his records, preferring refined and elegant compositions, but at the same time is not afraid to experiment.

"Gentleman cambrioleur" (listen)

« L'amour existe encore" The piece was originally intended for Celine Dion. However, it also enjoys extraordinary success when performed by the duet of Garou and Selene Segara.

Personal life

Thanks to his natural charm and bewitching timbre of his voice, the blue-eyed handsome man, two meters tall, has enjoyed success with the fairer sex throughout his life. Millions of fans are crazy about the Canadian. However, in conversations with journalists, Pierre Garand admits that for some reason his personal life is not working out. Until now, Garou has not been able to find the one and remains a bachelor. True, in 2001 Pierre Garand became a father for the first time in his life. The daughter, whose mother is the Scandinavian fashion model Ulrika, was named Emily. As a result, the parents never formalized their relationship, and then broke up completely.

For the past four years, the musician's lover has been Stephanie Fourier, a model from Canada.

The popularity of Garou in French-speaking countries is so high that the French media often speak of him as a kind of deity, and write that at last a man has appeared, comparable in his greatness to Emperor Napoleon. It is difficult to judge how valid such a comparison is. But the fact remains that Garou’s work continues to delight with its sincerity, penetrates the hearts of listeners and awakens the best feelings in them.

Video: listen to Garou

The work of this talented singer is mainly fascinated by those who like the French musical “Notre-Dame de Paris”, in which Garou (and this is the artist’s stage name) plays the main role - the ugly hunchback Quasimodo. But, it goes without saying, this is not the only thing he is known for. Literally all of Garou's solo compositions deserve attention, because they are performed with such dedication, feeling and skill that it would be simply blasphemy not to listen to them.

Pierre Garand (as you understand, this is the singer's real name) was born on June 26, 1972 in the Canadian city of Sherbrooke, not far from Quebec and Montreal. The singer received his stage name from his friends, who, noticing his passion for nightlife, nicknamed the guy “Garou” (the French word “loup-garou” means “werewolf”). When the baby was only three years old, his parents gave him a guitar. Two years later he began to master the piano, and then the organ. It’s very strange, but as a child Garou dreamed of becoming an archaeologist in order to discover something new.

At first, Pierre was an exemplary student at the Sherbrooke Seminary, but by the age of 14, something rebelled in him. Both parents and teachers tried to find a common language with him, but to no avail. In 1987, Garou became the guitarist for his classmates' band, which was called "The Windows and Doors" ("Windows and Doors"), and his first stage performance took place in the school hall. After graduation, the guy joins the Canadian army as a trumpet player. In 1992, when he was 20 years old, Pierre left the army and returned to the streets and bars of Sherbrooke, where he sang and played guitar.

In 1993, in order to earn at least a little money, Pierre takes on literally any job, even to the point of being hired as a grape picker. He spends almost every night at discos, still performing songs with a guitar and entertaining local residents. In March of the same year, a friend invited Garou to a concert by chansonnier Louis Alari. During the break, she asked Monsieur Alarie to give Garou the microphone and allow him to sing at least one song... In short, the bar owner was so impressed by Garou's performance that he invited him to work at his place. From that time on, he “traveled” from one cafe to another with a guitar at the ready and a self-composed repertoire, and his name became known in certain circles.

Until 1997, he played in a fashionable establishment of that time called "Liquor's Store de Sherbrooke". His owner, Francis Delage, proposed organizing so-called "Garou Sundays", when he invited other musicians to perform on stage with the newly-minted artist. You can There is no doubt that everyone present was delighted with these impromptu concerts!

During one of the group's performances in 1997, Luc Plamondon, the creator of the libretto for the original French version of the musical "Notre-Dame de Paris", noticed the artist and realized that he had found his Quasimodo. Soon Garou appears before the strict court of Plamondon and composer Richard Cocciant, who offer him to perform some arias from the musical - the famous "Belle" and "Dieu que le monde est injuste" ("God, how unfair the world is"). The next day they informed Garou that he would be Quasimodo!

For two years, Garou brilliantly plays Quasimodo in "Notre-Dame de Paris", moving from Montreal to Paris, from London to Brussels... In 1999 he receives several prestigious awards for his role, including the "World Music Award" for the song "Belle", which, by the way, stayed in first place in the French charts for 33 weeks and was recognized as the best song of the fiftieth anniversary. In 2000, Garou and several stars of the French production, in particular Daniel Lavoie and Bruno Pelletier, took part in the English production of the musical, which became very popular.

Best of the day

After the great success of "Notre-Dame de Paris", the artist Garou, already known to the general public, receives a huge number of different offers and becomes truly famous. In 1998, he took part in the recording of the album "Ensemble contre le sida" ("Together against AIDS"), and also sang the song "L"amour existe encore" ("Love still exists"), written by Plamondon and Cocciante for Celine Dion, in a duet with the performer of the role of Esmeralda Helen Segara.

At the very end of 1999, Garou, together with the entire Notre-Dame de Paris troupe, took part in Celine Dion's New Year's show. At the same time, preparations were underway for her concert dedicated to farewell to Montreal. By the way, Garou performed one of the best and most beautiful, in my opinion, songs from his repertoire, “Sous le vent” (“In the Wind”), in a duet with the magnificent Celine. Now this song is at the top of the charts in French-speaking countries.

Now Garou's solo career is developing quite well. His first album, "Seul", mentioned above, sold over 2 million copies. And thanks to the popularity and success of the musical "Notre-Dame de Paris", which will never let you forget about yourself, he is one of the most famous artists in the Francophonie countries. In 2001, he gave more than eighty concerts in some of these countries, and his album "Seul... avec vous" went platinum in France and gold in Quebec. In March 2002, Garou gave a big concert at the Bercy Stadium in Paris. And in the spring of 2003, his English-language album is planned to be released. I hope that over time Garou will not lose his cheerful mood and charm, and will delight fans with sincere songs for a long time to come.

N.B. The seven best, in my opinion, songs from Garu's album "Seul":

1. "Demande au soleil";

Probably only the lazy have not heard the song “Belle,” sung in French and a hit for several years. The most beautiful song was first performed in the musical “Notre Dame de Paris”, and was later released as a single and was a stunning success. She was recognized as the best of the fifty years. In the original version it was performed by Patrick Fiori and Garou. The latter will be discussed further. Having played one of the main roles in the musical, he woke up famous. Garou is a singer with a beautiful baritone, as well as an actor and musician. What is his biography and creative destiny?

Childhood

Garou's real name is Pierre Garan (we'll tell the story of how the pseudonym came about a little later). He is considered French, but in fact he is Canadian. It was in this country, in the city of Sherbrooke, that the future singer and actor was born back in seventy-two, on June 26.

Oddly enough, his son’s creative profession was predetermined by his parents. At the age of three, they gave the baby a guitar (his father himself loved to pluck the strings and, of course, wanted to pass on his love to his son), perhaps this (as well as the fact that music was always playing in little Pierre’s house) ultimately influenced his choice professions. How else can we explain that his entire future life was connected with music, despite his initial desire to become an archaeologist? And there were no singers in the Garou family either, if you don’t take into account the father’s passion for the guitar (a mechanic by profession, by the way).

At the age of five, little Pierre began to practice the piano, then mastered the organ, then the trumpet. People like him are now called multi-instrumentalists. This means that a person can play several musical instruments at once and at the same time play each of them equally well. He also really loved performing in front of guests, he would run into their room and imitate someone. The adults laughed and clapped for the boy, calling him the sun, and Pierre was happy. From those very years, he fell in love with the holiday atmosphere, he liked to give people fun, joy, and positive emotions. And it is music, perhaps like nothing else, that can give such sensations.

Rebel or obedient son

The future singer Garou, or rather, then simply Pierre, was engaged not only in music. The parents decided that their son should study at the seminary, and at first he did not resist. However, later this began to weigh on him; he wanted to study music, and not spiritual self-development. In addition, the guy’s nature turned out to be more rebellious than meek and obedient. Therefore, in the end, it was the rebellious nature that got the better of Garou, and he left the seminary. He was about fourteen years old then.

Around this time, he became the owner of his stage name. Although then it was just a nickname, a nickname given in the company of friends. In French there is an expression loup-garou, which means "werewolf". As you know, they appear at night, and it was night and nightlife that Pierre loved more than any other pastime. It was for this reason that his friends began to call him Garou. Which, by the way, is consonant with the artist’s surname.

The beginning of creativity

When Gar was fifteen years old, he and his friends formed a group under the interesting name “Windows and Doors”. Pierre took the place of guitarist in it. This group of guys played for some time at school events. And then his studies ended, and Pierre went into the army, but not as an ordinary soldier, but as a trumpeter. Even in this situation, he managed not to lose touch with the music.

In 1992, the army was finished. Gar was then exactly twenty years old. He returned home and again did the same thing as before: he began to lead a nocturnal lifestyle, performing in various bars, clubs, discos, playing the guitar and entertaining residents with his singing. They listened to him willingly, but the trouble was that you couldn’t earn money this way, but they were needed. That is why he did not disdain any work, as long as at least some penny fell into his pocket.

In 1993, Pierre got a job as a grape picker, and just a few months later, his friend invited him to a concert of a famous chansonnier. Garou went willingly, but he did not know that this evening would become truly fateful for him.

Two things happened at the concert. Firstly, somehow, no less than by magic, a friend persuaded the maestro to give Pierre the opportunity to sing his song during a break in his performance. And secondly, not only the audience, but also the owner of the bar where the concert took place was impressed by Garou’s song. Yes, such that he immediately invited Pierre to work for him. It was from that moment that one can speak of Pierre as a Garou singer. Under this name, he began performing in cafes and restaurants, moving from one to another with a guitar at the ready and a baggage of his own songs.

Becoming

Wandering around cafes and restaurants, Garou eventually stayed for a long time in one of, perhaps, the most fashionable establishments of that time - the Liquor's Store de Sherbrooke cafe. There he played right up until 1997 and was so in demand and popular with the public that the owner The establishment organized the so-called Garou Sundays.On Sundays, the artist performed not alone, but together with other musicians who were specially invited to keep him company.

Your team

The singer's skill improved day by day, he accumulated experience, accumulated material in order to record his new album. This will happen a few years later, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. Two years earlier, Pierre had assembled his own group of three musicians: a trombonist, a saxophonist and a trumpeter. Since then, since 1995, this team has accompanied the artist at all his performances. But let's return to 1997, which became fateful for the singer Garou.

Quasimodo

It was in that year that the world-famous musical “Notre Dame de Paris” was created in France, based on the work of the same name by Victor Hugo (“Notre Dame Cathedral”). The libretto was written by Luc Plamondon, a fairly well-known person in the creative world. He was looking for a performer for the main male role - the hunchback Quasimodo. However, everything was wrong and everything was wrong until Plamondon accidentally came across a performance by Garou and his group. At that very moment he realized that his hunchback had been found. He invited Garou to audition, and he, of course, did not refuse such a tempting and promising offer.

At the audition, Garou was asked to perform excerpts from two songs of the future musical, one of which was “Belle”. Pierre did a great job and the very next day he was approved for the role. Thus began a new phase in the life of singer Garu (pictured) - acting. And then he did not yet know that this role would glorify him throughout the world.

"Notre Dame de Paris"

The musical was released in the same year and, as they say, thundered. Garou woke up famous. It's a common expression, but that's exactly what happened. They started talking about him not only as an actor, but also as a singer Garou. His songs instantly became in demand by a wide audience.

“Notre Dame” really gained incredible popularity in Paris, and with it the performers of the main roles. It became clear that there would be a tour! Over the next years, the troupe actively traveled around the world, moving from city to city, from one country to another. However, Garou not only played Quasimodo and sang about his love for Esmeralda. He did not forget about the rest of his work; he actively composed songs. The singer Garou then may not have been as interesting as Garou-Quasimodo, but the army of listeners and fans of the young artist in any case increased significantly.

Musical creativity

On the wave of success, Garou was noticed, they became interested in him and began to offer all kinds of contracts. He rejected some things, others aroused his interest. For example, singer Garou took part in the recording of a collective album of French musicians dedicated to the fight against AIDS (this happened a year after the release of Notre Dame). Together with the artist who performed the role of Esmeralda in the musical, Garou recorded a duet, of course, about love.

And a year later he had another duet: with the famous singer Celine Dion. The song was written by Jacques Veneruso, who later wrote Tout l "or des hommes and Je ne vous oublie pas for it. The song was a hit and took first place in France (3 weeks at the top of the charts), Belgium (1 week) and became second in Switzerland.This is still one of the best songs of the singer Garou in his career.

Plate

In 2000, Pierre released his first album, the name of which can be translated from French as “Lonely”. The album was a huge success, and Garou went on tour in support of it. On this voyage he was accompanied by a faithful team of musicians, assembled by him five years ago.

Garou now

After the release of the first record, Garou released nine more albums to the world, the last of which appeared four years ago. Videos of the singer Garou also appear with enviable regularity. In 2009, he starred in a movie, and since 2012, he has settled in the chair of a mentor for the French version of the popular show “The Voice.” He constantly travels a lot with concerts around the world, and has come to our country several times. And two years ago Garou opened his own cabaret restaurant.

Personal life in the biography of singer Garou

Speaking about creative people, it is always interesting to learn not only about their musical and acting life, but also about their personal life. Singer Garu doesn’t exactly advertise his personal life, but he doesn’t hide it either. He has never married, but he has a seventeen-year-old daughter named Emily from an affair with a Swedish fashion model.

According to the artist himself, his daughter, with whom he does not live together, but very often communicates and sees each other, is his complete copy in temperament. Garou met her mother on an excursion in London, already a world celebrity. However, the Swede did not know him, which, in fact, captivated the artist. They dated for a short time, broke up soon after the birth of their daughter, but managed to maintain a warm relationship to this day. Over the past five years, the artist has been in a relationship with a model from Canada.

Garou has a sister who is eight years older than him. The artist recalls that in childhood he was something like a doll for her - she loved to babysit her younger brother.
Garou's idol is Paul McCartney. In his youth, he very often covered the master’s songs when he performed at school evenings with a group of musician friends.
Garou read Victor Hugo's work only after receiving the role of Quasimodo.
He worked with Celine Dion's team when recording her album in the 2000s.
Received several awards for his performance of the song "Belle".
He sang a duet with the winner of the first season of the Russian show “The Voice”.
The height of the singer Garou is almost two meters, and his weight is just over eighty kilograms. His zodiac sign is Cancer, and his hobbies are cars and poker.
In his youth, Pierre considered himself ugly and had a strong complex about this. He really didn't like his nose, which he thought was too big, and his uneven teeth.
In relationships with women, Garou, as he himself admits, is always henpecked. According to the singer and actor, such a situation could well have arisen due to the dominance of his older sister in childhood.
Pierre loves the smell of gasoline and motor oil because he associates them with his childhood - that’s what it smelled like in his father’s garage and on himself.
Garou can not only record songs, but also mix the sound himself.
The artist himself calls himself a spender, says that he does not know how to save, and wastes everything he earns. According to the musician and actor, such behavior may be the result of a rather poor childhood, despite the fact that parents tried not to deny their children anything.
Pierre learned to play the piano thanks to his sister: he saw how she played and began to imitate.
People around him call Garu a heartthrob, but he doesn’t deny it. He captivates many women, often falls in love himself, but so far he has not been able to find a woman about whom he would like to say that this is the love of his life, next to whom he would like to grow old and die.

This is the biography of Garou - singer, actor, musician.