Camille O'Sullivan
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Camille O'Sullivan is a French-Irish singer and entertainer, who was born in London. The family moved to Cork, Ireland when she was a child.
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[edit] Background
Camille O'Sullivan, the daughter of a French artist and an Irish racing driver, began her career in Dublin (the city that remains her home) singing sets in little known Cabaret bars with piano-only accompaniment. Her break came when she began beforming with legendary Circus troup La Clique, and later with the Spiegeltent. However, she came late to singing, having studied painting and worked as an architect for 7 years. It was only while living in Berlin that she became intrigued by the narrative music of Hanns Eisler, Friedrich Hollaender and Kurt Weill, and by seeing cabaret greats like Agnes Bernelle perform.
O'Sullivan is not a classically trained singer or musician, although she plays piano, and has stated that this stopped her from having the confidence to begin a singing career for many years. In her early career she got around this lack of experience by working with brilliant musicians who were able to adapt to her singing style, which focuses more on acting, emotion and 'light and shade', than technique or strict tempo.
[edit] Career
O'Sullivan has performed in sell-out seasons in Ireland, New York, the UK, Australia (including the Sydney Opera House) with her award winning show and also with the ensemble off Broadway hit show 'La Clique' (know as 'Absinthe' in America).
After being spotted by Ewen Bremner (Spud from Trainspotting), O'Sullivan co-starred as the vaudeville star Jane in the film Mrs Henderson Presents, directed by Stephan Frears, opposite Dame Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins. She and Will Young are also on the soundtrack to the movie. She has appeared as a guest with Damien Rice, Jack L and Shane McGowan.
As a singer, O'Sullivan performs dramatic interpretations of the songs of Jacques Brel, Nick Cave, Tom Waits, Kurt Weill, David Bowie, and plans to introduce Radiohead to her upcoming repetoire. In her early days she concentrated on more tradional 'chanteuse fayre' with Nina Simone and Edith Piaf, and says that she alienated many fans by making the switch to darker covers which originated, in the most part, from male artists:
“I feel it’s necessary to not just do things to please,” she says. “I sometimes worried about that in the past. I thought, ‘If I don’t want to alienate people, I shouldn’t perform’. But I would have given up if I’d stayed doing Dietrich and Piaf in a studied way, that cafe-cabaret version, where you’re making it easy instead of pushing yourself.”[1]
In 1994, although she had graduated from there some years before, she performed in 'Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris' at University College, Dublin [2] which increased her passion for Brel's work, in particular the songs Amsterdam and Next, the latter being one of the climactic moments of her Spiegletent 2007 performance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and both appearing on her 'Fille Du Cirque' album.
Both of these songs are told from a male perspective, with Next ('Au Suivant') telling the story of a young soldier who loses his virginity in a 'mobile army whorehouse, gift for the army, free of cost' and is haunted for the remainder of his life both by the horrors of war and by his disgust for the sexual experiences. However, O'Sullivan is not deterred from performing them, commenting that she sings them in the lowest key possible for her voice in order to retain the drama and tone of the originals, while finding a character within the song that she can inhabit, such as a prostitute in 'Amsterdam'.
In 2007 Camille played 'Beggar Woman' in the 'Best Opera Production' of 2007 (Irish Times Irish Theatre Award), Sondheim's 'Sweeney Todd' at The Gate Theatre, Dublin (“This production is a miracle…gripping and musically brilliant” Guardian).
On the 27th June 2008, Camille will play the Acoustic Tent at the Glastonbury Festival, her first performance there.
[edit] Style
The resurgence of the Burlesque movement in the UK (also known as Neo-Burlesque) in the noughties has been attributed to Camille, as well as to Dita Von Teese and Immodesty Blaize, but, although they do share similarities such as 50's style costumes and corsets, black hair which is set into curls, red lipstick, and the use of large props such as swings and oversized champagne glasses, Camille has emphasised that she is part of the Cabaret movement, and that while Burlesque is concentrated on the female form, she is a live singer, and now recording artist, first and foremost. However, her renown as a sensual and titillating performer, who changed her costumes mid-set behind a lavish screen in her 'Fille Du Cirque' tours, and sports red, glittery high heels for her version of Kirsty MacColl's 'In These Shoes', means that the confusion continues.
In a further contrast to Von Teese, who states in her book 'The Art Of The Teese' that she drinks no more than 'one glass of champagne' on the night of a performance, Camille famously sips red wine throughout her performances, attributing this characteristic to her Irish roots.
O'Sullivan has become a popular commodity in advertising and the media, particularly in Ireland, where she advertised Hennessy Cognac under the 'Pure Character' campaign, with the tagline 'Singing In English, French and sometimes German, I like to become different characters, showing each part of myself whether vulnerable, angry, harsh or fun' and titling her 'Camille O'Sullivan - Performer'. She has appeared on the cover of the Sunday Independent's 'Life' Magazine twice, once for an article named 'My Fall Into Decadence', and the other time,'Dublin's Dens Of Desire'
