| Chantal Chamandy | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Alexandria, Egypt |
| Genres | Adult Contemporary, Dance-pop, World |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Labels | Ninemuse |
| Website | www.chantalchamandy.com |
Chantal Chamandy (born at Alexandria, Egypt)[1] is a Canadian singer and entertainer based in Montreal, Quebec. She previously performed under the names Chantal Condor and Chantal.
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Her first success was as part of Voggue, a disco duo she formed with Angela Songui. In 1980, the duo released its first self-titled album, which contains the singles "Love Buzz", "Here We Are" and their most successful single, "Dancin' the Night Away". In 1983, a second album was released on Matra Records, containing the singles "I Want To Dance" and "Sunstruck Lovers". Voggue disbanded in 1984.
After Voggue, she recorded as a solo act. She released the single "Hands Up" in 1985 on Epic Records using her full name Chantal Condor. The song would be remade by Canadian trio Sway in 1987 and become a big Canadian hit. The single led to an album deal with the label, and she released the album Chantal Condor in 1986. Her style was sometimes described as Italo disco. Off the album came the singles "Marinero" (backed with "Don't You Want My Love") and "Nightmare". She received a Juno Award nomination in 1986 for Most Promising Female Vocalist of the Year,[2][3] but lost to Kim Richardson.
In 1989, she dropped use of her last name, releasing Chantal, on the Columbia Records label. The single "A Little Lovin'" became her only charting single on Canada's RPM 100 Singles chart. In 1991 she became a member of the French-Canadian dance quartet Collage and appeared on their first and only album, but soon left the group. They then became a trio and the album was re-released without Chantal on the cover.
She did not release new material again until 2006, when she released a series of singles on her own independent label Ninemuse. She also used a number of unconventional strategies to get her name and material back into the public eye, including a self-financed marketing campaign on public transit and selling her single "Feels Like Love" for $1 a copy in the Dollarama chain of dollar stores, which resulted in the single selling over 10,000 copies and being picked up for sale in conventional record stores.[1] She released Love Needs You, her first new album since 1989, later the same year.
On 7 September 2007, she performed a concert in front of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt in conjunction with the Cairo Symphony Orchestra.[4] That performance was released on album and DVD in 2008 as Beladi, and was also made available for broadcast on PBS in the United States.
Chamandy is also credited with some small appearances in Canadian films.
List of track titles (writers) - Chantal performs lead vocals for all songs, unless noted otherwise.
Chantal was produced by Peter Wood