Gourmandises

Background and composition

Recording for the debut album started in mid-2000. The album included elements of world music, pop, Chanson and dance. However, the album also incorporated strong elements of electronic music. Additionally, several genres and subgenres including techno, trip hop, drum and bass, ambient, rock and classical music influenced the album.

Development

After Alizée's participation in the Graines de Star show where she met Laurent Boutonnat and veteran French pop diva Mylène Farmer, she was invited to record a single with their support as a songwriting team. Her collaboration with Boutonnat and Farmer on her first two albums produced a sweet but strong voice incorporating strong elements of electronic and pop music.

In July 2000 Alizée released single "Moi... Lolita", and after achieving high sales in France, released her second single "L'Alizé" in December 2000. The single reached number one in France and topped charts in several other countries across the world, however did not chart in the United States. Following the release of Gourmandises, Alizée was named Europop Queen by NRJ Radio. Three months later, third single "Parler tout bas" also gained number one on French radio stations. The actual album Gourmandises was released in May 2001, charting strongly worldwide.

Alizée received public praise on television channel M6 and NRJ Radio. Among other nominations and awards, she was nominated for the Victoires de la Musique. The following year Alizée received the World Music Award from the IFPI for top sales. In 2003 Alizée received an award from SACEM the most prestigious recognition given for the institution the Prix Vincent Sotto.

Singles

"Moi... Lolita" was the first track from the album and was released as her debut single on 4 July 2000. It was popular in various countries such as, France, Spain, Belgium, Georgia, Austria, the Netherlands, Lebanon, Ukraine, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Russia, Greece, Italy, Germany, Poland, Denmark, United Kingdom. "L'Alizé" was the second single from the album and was released in December 2000. It featured the song "L'alizé" as well as an instrumental version of the same track. Two limited editions were also released, which featured four remixes. The song became a hit particularly in France where it reached number one for two weeks. "Parler tout bas" was the third single by Alizée released in April 2001. It featured an instrumental rendition of the song in addition to Alizée's solo rendering.

Critical reception

Gourmandises received positive reviews from contemporary critics upon its release. In 2013, following speculation about About Alizée's fifth album, 5, critics referred to Gourmandises as a "pop masterpiece of the contemporary music", calling it a "classic" of the 2000s decade and of the new millennium.

Legacy

Gourmandises gained Alizée worldwide fame. In three months the album sold 700,000 copies in France and over 1,000,000 in Europe. In early 2001, she won the NRJ Music Awards for Francophone Revelation after she won an M6 Award in late 2000. The album is also named in a similar category to the Victoires de la Musique. In early 2002 Alizée won the World Music Award for Best French exporter (more than 4 million records worldwide in an album).

The album's debut single "Moi... Lolita" generated a lot of international attention and the album launched to critical acclaim. This single is listed as the 31st best selling single in the history of France. Also released was "L'Alizé", which gained top of French charts for many weeks.

Both singles are listed in the French Top 100 singles of the 2000s and List of best-selling singles in France history. In the same year, newspaper Le Figaro announced Alizée's music was the top earning rentable French music of the year thanks in part to Farmer and Boutonnat's collaboration, which earned 10.4 million €.

Gourmandises was certified platinum in Europe, double gold in Belgium and platinum in Switzerland.

Track listing

All lyrics written by Mylène Farmer; all music composed by Laurent Boutonnat.

Personnel

Credits adapted from Gourmandises liner notes.

Charts and Sales

The album was considered a great commercial success. In its first week of release, the album debuted at tenth place on the French Top 100 Albums Chart. Reaching number 1 in the ninth week and remaining there for the entire first month of its release, the album was certified platinum. In Europe, the album single Moi... Lolita gained popularity with the album reaching the top 25 of many European charts. After being on the French charts throughout the year, the album hit double gold in Belgium and platinum in Europe. In 2002 the album was still listed on the top charts and was then certified double platinum in France.