Christophe Maé

Career

Maé learned to play the violin at age five, and later began playing the guitar and harmonica at age 16 after he was immobilised from a chronic illness. He has stated that this was the time when he became inspired by Stevie Wonder. In 2005 he rose to fame by playing the role of Monsieur, brother of King Louis XIV in the musical "Le Roi Soleil".

Releases

Maé's first album was entitled Sa Danse Donne, and released in 2002–2003. This album is not considered his first studio album. He released his first studio album, Mon paradis (My Paradise) on 19 March 2007, with the singles "On s'attache", "Parce qu'on sait jamais" and "Ça fait mal". His fourth single is "Belle Demoiselle". Mon Paradis was France's second best-selling album of 2007 after Life in Cartoon Motion by Mika, selling more than 1 600 000 albums to date.

Maé opened for Seal at the Grand Rex in Paris and for Cher at the Zénith de Paris, both in 2004. In 2010, Maé's second studio album, On trace la route, was released. It has sold more than 600,000 units to date.

Musical style

Maé's music is largely acoustic. He has cited Bob Marley, Ben Harper, Tracy Chapman, and Jack Johnson as well as French singer-songwriters Francis Cabrel and Gérald De Palmas as musical influences. He allegedly began to learn harmonica as a tribute to Stevie Wonder, who is commonly cited as his biggest influence musically.

Personal life

Christophe Maé has two sons, Jules and Marcel, with his longtime girlfriend Nadège Sarron. Jules was born in March 2008. In August 2013, the couple welcomed Marcel.

Philanthropy

Maé is a member of the Les Enfoirés charity ensemble since 2008.

Awards