| Jeanette | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Janette Anne Dimech |
| Born | October 10, 1951 |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | Pop, Ballad, Electropop |
| Occupations | Singer |
| Years active | 1968–1985 1989–present |
Janette Anne Dimech (October 10, 1951, London), who performs under the name Jeanette, is a half-Belgian, half-Spanish, English-born, American-raised singer who has resided in Spain since the age of 12, and who sings primarily in Spanish. She has also recorded songs in several different languages: English (her native language), French, German and Japanese. Jeanette has completed seven albums with great success with millions of sales worldwide.[1] Besides appearances and duets with stars such as Julio Iglesias, José Luis Perales, Mocedades, Sacha Distel, Raphael, Formula V, she also received other offers from stars such as Camilo Sesto and Michael Jackson who wanted to work with her, but Jeanette felt they lacked the musical affinity to record with them.[2]
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Dimech is the daughter of a Belgian-Congolese father and a Spanish mother. Her mother is originally from the Canary Islands. Because of her grandparents' import-export business, she lived with her parents first in London, where she was born; and later in Chicago and La Habra, California, where she grew up. After her parents' separation at age 12, she moved to Barcelona with her mother and younger brother and sister. Having grown up in the United States, Dimech initially spoke only English when she first moved to Spain. She was placed in an American school at first, but later befriended some local Spanish children who helped teach her Spanish.[3]
After the band split up at the end of the 1960s, she moved to Vienna with her husband, a Hungarian football player named Laszlo Kristof. Jeanette had a quiet life devoted to routine domestic work. Fruit of the relationship was born his daughter, Blythe. Currently lives in Barcelona and is preparing for her comeback after more than 20 years with a new album for 2011.[4]
During the 1960s she learned to play guitar and began to write her own songs. She styled her music after American folk music, and her idols included Bob Dylan, Donovan, and the Byrds. Later she joined the student band Pic-Nic as a singer, who in 1969 had a measure of success with a folk version of the Spanish children's song "Cállate niña". Other notable songs of theirs included "Amanecer" and "No digas nada". Allowed to record a version of songs in English. The continuing disagreements between the members ended with the dissolution of the group and each member takes a different tack.[5]
After the dissolution of Pic-Nic, Jeanette returned to resume her course, but the overnight received a call from her former record label HISPAVOX. This time the label had said that had a project for a singer and Jeanette had not matter it. But HISPAVOX removed heaven and earth to convince Jeanette to come back to Spain and to the music. Jeanette installed in Barcelona in 1971 to start her solo career. The singer thought it was to revive the folk spirit of Pic-Nic, but the label wants to make a new figure of the ballad. At the start of the 1970s, she began her solo career with her hit first single, "Soy Rebelde"[6] (I am a rebel). On the single, the record label misspelled her name as "Jeanette" (the correct spelling is Janette without the first E.) Ever since then, her stage name has been spelled with the additional E. The single first enjoyed success in Spanish-speaking countries and later broadened its influence with French ("L'inconnu qui m'aimera"), Japanese ("あまのじゃく") and English versions. This song and others penned by Manuel Alejandro, such as "Estoy triste", "Oye mamá, oye papá" established her as an artist in Spain. Palabras, promesas (Words, promises) was written by José Luis Perales was released in 1973. In this Lp are released all the singles and recorded from 1971 to 1973.
Her greatest success, "Porque te vas" ('Because you're leaving') was written by José Luis Perales and remained relatively unknown at the start of 1974. Only when the song was used in Carlos Saura's 1976 film Cría Cuervos (Raise Ravens), and the film went on to be honored at the Cannes Film Festival (Jury grand prize) and the Berlin Film Festival (jury special prize), did the song become internationally known and a hit. In Austria it reached number 13, in Switzerland number 4, and in Germany it reached number 1. Jeanette was satisfied with this production as Porque te vas sold over 6,000,000 copies worldwide.[7] In the winter of 77, the singer sang the song in the popular German program Musikladen (Musikladen, program 31. Date: 12 February 1977)
Jeanette worked with Andre Popp a famous French composer of many stars for the production of her album Todo es nuevo (Everything is new) on 1977. There were two versions: Spanish and French. With a lukewarm reception, Jeanette was out anyway Porque voy a cambiar (Why should I change?) (Tzeinerlin' in French) which was also seen in the German program Musikladen (Musikladen, program 35. Date: 8 October 1977).
In 1981 she recorded another record: Corazón de Poeta which was composed, arranged and conducted by Manuel Alejandro, that gave her three hit singles: "Corazón de Poeta" (A heart so warm and so tender), "Frente a frente" (Sorrow) & "El muchacho de los ojos tristes". Commercially speaking, this is the best selling album to date the singer. Especially the vintage album sales worldwide millions, triumphing across the line in several Latin American countries. In Spain, it becomes a week at the top of sales of LPs,[8] the songs also Frente a frente and Corazón de poeta succeeded in being ranked 4 and 13 for 20 and 10 weeks respectively.[9]
She remained active throughout the remainder of the 1980s, releasing the albums Reluz (1983), Ojos en el Sol (1984), and Loca por la Musica (1989), along with a string of singles. However, the 1990s marked the end of her success, though she herself remained popular and her back catalog was repackaged into a continual stream of greatest-hits collections.
Brenner's Folk
Pic-Nic:
Jeanette:
Pic-Nic
Jeanette