Corneille (singer)

Corneille
Corneille photo session, by Victor Diaz Lamich
Background information
Birth name	Cornelius Nyungura
Born	(1977-03-24) 24 March 1977 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
Origin	Rwanda
Genres	Soul, Rhythm and Blues
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter
Instrument	Vocals
Years active	1993-present
Website	http://www.corneillemusic.com/

Cornelius Nyungura (born 24 March 1977) is a singer who performs under the name Corneille. He was born in Germany to Rwandan parents, though he currently holds a Canadian passport and sings in French and English. His work is greatly influenced by American funk and soul music; among those he admires are Prince, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder.

Biography

Early life

Corneille was born in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, though he spent most of his childhood in Rwanda. He discovered his passion for music in 1993, and so joined an R&B group, who won the Découverte 1993 competition. This also introduced him to songwriting and musical composition. However, his life changed after the Rwandan genocide in 1994. His father, Émile Nyungura, was a leader of the political party PSD; as a result, his parents and some of his relatives were killed in the genocide. Corneille fled to Germany, where some of his parents' friends took him in.

Career

In July 1997, Corneille decided to leave Germany in order to pursue studies in communication, and moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada to attend Concordia University. During this time, he founded O.N.E., an R&B band, with Pierre Gage and Gardy Martin, whom he had met shortly after arriving in Quebec. Zoukin, one of the group's songs written by Corneille, rose to first place in Canadian airplay. Then, at the beginning of 2001, Corneille left the group, wishing to pursue a solo career. He began to center his songs on his past.

During 2002, Corneille worked on various projects. He wrote and composed the songs "Ce soir" for the Cocktail R&B 2 compilation (Ghetto R&B, Sony Music) and "Si seulement on s'aimait" for Hip Hop Folies (Sony Music). Invited by Dave Stewart, he performed at his first showcase at the Réservoir in Paris, and had the chance to sing with Jimmy Cliff. In January 2003, he was invited to perform the first part of Cunnie Williams at Olympia. His first public concert at Opus Club followed shortly thereafter.

Corneille's first album, the Canadian version of Parce qu'on vient de loin, was released on 10 September 2002. It was little known. The French version, which included numerous bonuses on the second disc, was released on 20 October 2003. It quickly became successful. To date, the album sold more than a million copies.

In April 2003, Corneille sang with Craig David, repeating a verse in French in the song Rise and Fall. He underwent his first tour during May 2003, receiving a full house in Paris, Marseilles, Lyon and Bordeaux. In March 2005, the singer participated in the concert Africa Live, which was organised to fight against (malaria) paludism. This is the first time that he has returned to his home continent since the genocide.

Les marchands de rêves, Corneille's second album, was released in November 2005.

Corneille is working with the Canadian Red Cross to raise awareness of children who are victims of war. He finished recording his first English-language album, The Birth Of Cornelius, which was released in July 2007. The first single is called "Back To Life". written by mrs. smith

Eurovision

Corneille wrote the song "Il était temps" for Virginie Pouchain after he qualified to represent France in Eurovision Song Contest 2006. He sang it on 20 May 2006 on the final day of the competition finishing 22nd in between 24 finalists.

Personal life

Corneille officially became a Canadian citizen on 8 November 2004.

He married Sofia de Medeiros (see External Link), his girlfriend of four years, on 9 September 2006 in a small and private ceremony by the lake at the Quintessence hotel, 130 km north of Montreal. She is a model and actress of Canadian and Portuguese parentage. Sofia de Medeiros gave birth to their first child, son Merik on 9 April 2010.

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

Year	Album	Charts				Certification
		BEL Wa	FR	SWI	QUE
2002	Parce qu'on vient de loin	3	4	33
2005	Les marchands de rêves	6	3	34
2007	The Birth of Corneillius	–	23	–
2009	Sans titre	47	21	–
2011	Les inséparables	55	10	–
"—" denotes a title that did not chart, or was not released in that territory.

Special editions

• 2003: Parce qu'on vient de loin (édition deluxe) (two discs)
• 2006: Parce qu'on vient de loin / Les marchands de rêves (double album rerelease)

Live albums & DVDs

Year	Album	Charts			Certification
		BEL Wa	FR	SWI
2005	Live (double album)	10	9	–

Singles

Year	Single	Peak position					Certification	Album
		BEL Wa Ultratop	BEL Wa Ultratip*	FR	SWI	QUE
2002	"Avec classe"	–	–	30	–			Parce qu'on vient de loin
2003	"Ensemble"	–	–	39	–
2004	"Parce qu'on vient de loin"	9	–	10	33
	"Seul au monde"	34	–	26	62
	"Rêves de star"	–	–	–	–
	"Comme un fils"	–	–	21	56
2005	"Le bon Dieu est une femme"	–	–	–	–			Les marchands de rêves
2006	"Les marchands de rêves"	–	–	37	88
2011	"Le jour après la fin du monde"	33	–	27	–			Les inséparables
	"Des pères, des hommes et des frères" (Corneille feat. La Fouine)	–	–	25	–
2012	"Jusqu'au bout de nos peines" (Corneille feat. Soprano)	–	–	–	–
	"Le bar des sentimentalistes"	–	–	–	–
2013	"Les sommets de nos vies"	–	–	84	–			TBA
"—" denotes a title that did not chart, or was not released in that territory.

*Did not appear in the official Belgian Ultratop 50 charts, but rather in the bubbling under Ultratip charts.

Featured in

Year	Single	Peak position	Certification	Album
		FR
2011	"Le meilleur du monde" (TLF feat. Corneille)	28		Les inséparables
2012	"Histoires vraies" (Youssoupha feat. Corneille)	82
	"Co-Pilot" (French version) (Kristina Maria feat. Corneille)	33

DVDs

• 2005: Live (coinciding with Live album)

Awards

• NRJ Music Awards (le VIe)
  • Clip de l'année with Parce qu'on vient de loin (2005)
• In 2005 Corneille wins an EBBA Award. Every year the European Border Breakers Awards (EBBA) recognize the success of ten emerging artists or groups who reached audiences outside their own countries with their first internationally released album in the past year.
• MSSC Awards 2004

See also

• "Il était temps" sung by Virginie Pouchain, a song written for Eurovision 2006 French entry by Corneille

External links

• News and discussions on Corneille
• Corneille's official website
• Sofia de Medeiros official website
• Template:Fr icon CorneilleZone Unofficial Fan Site
• Template:Fr icon Corneille Online
• Template:Fr icon Audio Interview
• Template:Fr icon Red Cross Article – Corneille et des jeunes du secondaire mobilisent les élèves de l’école Le Carrefour en faveur des enfants victimes de conflits armés