| Ima | |
|---|---|
Ima, Stars Fairy, in Santa Claus Parade |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Marie-Andrée Bergeron |
| Born | 1978 |
| Origin | Quebec, Canada |
| Genres | Pop |
| Occupations | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 2002 – present |
| Website | Official Site |
Marie-Andrée Bergeron better known by her stage name Ima, (sometimes stylized as IMA), is a Quebec, Canada singer born in 1978. She has released 6 albums and has had many singles, the most famous being "Baïla" in 2002. She also acted in the 2-season Quebec TV series Casino.
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During her childhood, Marie-Andrée Bergeron resided in Châteauguay, Quebec and passing her summers in New Brunswick. She studied singing, acting and dancing. She used the name Ima as easily pronounceable name.[1]
In 2001, she took part in "Ma première Place des Arts", an annual Montreal event for new artists and won for "Best Interpretation" and best public mention. In September 2002, she launched her debut album Ima, collaborating with a number of artists (Vincenzo Thoma, Eros Ramazzotti, Frédérick Baron, Sylvain Cossette and Mario Pelchat). the album resulted in three singles, "Ton corps sur mon corps", "Donne-moi" and of course "Baïla". For promoting the album, she engaged on a 50-show tour in 2003, including a show in Quebec City for the Fête nationale du Québec, (Quebec National Day). Sylvain Cossette invited her to join his tour for about a dozen concerts.
Her pop/rock/folk albums Pardonne-moi si je t'aime followed in March 2005 and the third album, Smile in March 2007, the latter produced by Guy St-Onge and where she sang in French, English, Italian and Spanish. The album was certified platinum after sales of 100,000 copies staying in the Quebec Albums Chart for 60 weeks. Smile also found critical acclaim and she toured to promote it, with a grande finale in March 2008 at Théâtre Saint-Denis where she presented three shows instead. In summer of 2008, she had a series of appearances including opening concert at Les FrancoFolies de Montréal, followed by shows at Montreal's Théâtre du Nouveau Monde and Montreal International Jazz Festival.
In March 2009, she launched her fourth album A la vida! with mostly French songs, followed by Christmas and in 2011 Precious.
In 2006, she had her debut in acting through the Quebec TV series Casino by Réjean Tremblay, in the role of Sandra Johnson broadcast on Radio-Canada. The popular series had a second season again with Ima. She claims her experience was inspiration for her successful album Smile.
Ima was involved in many causes. After a show in Afghanistan with other artists, she became a spokesman for Amnesty International defending Afghan women right singing "Tu n'es pas seule" (You are not alone in French). She was also active for homeless people becoming a spokesperson for Recours des sans-abris of L’Œuvre Léger charity in Quebec.[2]