Sébastien Izambard

Sébastien Izambard
Background information
Birth name Sébastien Izambard
Born 7 March 1973
Paris, France
Genres Operatic pop
Classical music
Classical crossover
Bolero
Latin
Occupation(s) Musician
Composer
Instruments Singing
Guitar
Piano
Years active 2000–present
Labels Sony BMG
Associated acts Il Divo
Website SébastienIzambard.net
IlDivo.com

Sébastien Izambard (born 7 March 1973) is a singer, producer and composer French self-taught artist. His voice is classified as vox populi but has a tenor tessitura. Member of the operatic pop musical quartet Il Divo.

As a member of Il Divo has sold over 26 million copies worldwide discs. In parallel to the group, Izambard still writing and composing songs for other pop artists.

Active member of the French organization AMTM Assistance Médicale Toit du Monde and global ambassador for Sanfilippo Children's Foundation.

Biography

Sébastien Izambard was born in Paris, France on 7 March 1973, only son of Maurice and Marie. His childhood was difficult: his father left him when he was six, leaving Sébastien alone with his mother.[1] They lived in a small room in an apartment in Paris. He studied at the Lycée Janson de Sailly. He learned to play the guitar, the piano and singing, ear and through self-learning. The piano is the first instrument he played as his grandmother, whom he called Meme, she had one and Sébastien began composing songs on it with only five years. The piano became his therapist, was his mode of expression since he was shy.[2]

Izambard is married to Renee Murphy, a former Sony BMG publicist whom he met while touring Australia in 2005.[3] He announced on the Official Forum that he had become a father on the 20 March 2008 to twins Luca and Rose.[4] On the 20 May 2011, Renee gave birth to their third child, a son named Jude.[5]

Solidarity work

Sèbastien is an active member of two charities; with the French organization AMTM (Assistance Médicale Toit du Monde) [6] which helps poor children in Nepal and India where during one of his campaigns to raise funds in September 2008, Seb raffled several of his Armani suits; and the Australian Childhood Foundation Sanfilippo organization of which he is global ambassador.[7]

He recorded two videoclips and collaborated in solidarity projects such as the Noël Ensemble, a record in which more than one hundred artists participated in order to raise funds for the fight against AIDS.

Career

Izambard started his career as a pop musician in France, releasing a solo album called Libre[8] and his song Si Tu Savais was ranked first in French Hit Charts.[8] Besides being a singer, Izambard is also an accomplished music composer, pianist, and guitar player [8] In Paris he has written music for many French artists.

In 2001, he performed with Johnny Hallyday as a guest in the Olympia Theater in Paris.[9] His music, greatly influenced by Jeff Buckley, earns him the acknowledgement of French and Canadian audiences.

Izambard performed in February 2002 in Richard Cocciante’s musical “Le Petit Prince”, where he played the role of the Business Man. Before being a member of Il Divo he also performed in several theatre plays as part of the group “La Troupe”.

He was preparing his second album with Francis Madjouli and Lionel Florence when he became involved with Il Divo.

Il Divo

Main article: Il Divo

While recording his second solo album after collaborating on Le Petit Prince, Sébastien attended an audition for the musical The Sun King. While waiting, he met Geraldine Larrosa known as artistically as Innocence and his at that time partner Carlos Marín, who spoke to him another hearing after hearing Sébastien sing in exposed videos online. Carlos said it was worth a try, so Sébastien went to the Bastille in Paris, where the auditions were held to Sonny Takhar, the right hand of Simon Cowell. Hearing Izambard Caruso performed the song while playing the piano himself, relaxed and convinced that he had nothing to lose since he thought would lead nowhere. But Cowell heard him and offered him the job. Sebastien he said to himself: Je Ne Regrette Rien (I have nothing to lose),.[10] accepted and devoted worldwide in the stateless musical quartet Il Divo in December 2003, along with Urs Bühler (Switzerland), David Miller (US) and Carlos Marín (Spain). Izambard is the only member of the group who is not classically trained.

Izambard has said that he has two dreams while being in Il Divo: composing a song for the quartet, and singing songs in French. In fact, Ancora, the second album of the group, contains two songs in French: "Je Crois en toi" (a duet partially in French with Céline Dion) and "Pour Que Tu M’Aimes Encore." "I Believe In You" is an original song for both artists, while Pour Que Tu M'Aimes Encore is Dion's, considered to be her most famous song in French.

Their first album, called Il Divo became a worldwide multiplatinum selling record when released in November 2004, entering Billboard at number 4; it sold five million copies worldwide in less than a year and knocked Robbie Williams from the number one spot. Their second album, Ancora, was released on 7 November 2005 in the United Kingdom. Il Divo's third album Siempre was released on 21 November 2006 in the United States and on 27 November 2006 internationally. Their latest album, The Promise, was released on 10 November 2008 (world) & 18 November 2008 (US), and shot straight to number 1 in the United Kingdom. In 2013 they published A Musical Affair, the album's songs are inspired by famous plays and musicals.

Discography

Studio albums

Studio albums
Year Album
2000Libre

Single

Single
Year Single
2000Libre
2001J’T’en veux (Loco por ti)

Collaborations other albums

Il Divo

Main article: Il Divo

Studio albums: Il Divo

Studio albums. Il Divo
Year Album
2004Il Divo
2005The Christmas Collection
2005Ancora
2006Siempre
2008The Promise
2011Wicked Game
2013A Musical Affair

Albums Collections: Il Divo

Albums Collections. Il Divo
Year Album
2012The Greatest Hits[15][16]

Live Albums: Il Divo

Albums Collections. Il Divo
Year Album
2005Encore. Live Greek Theater Mérida[17]
2007Live at the Greek Theater[18]
2008At The Coliseum[19]
2009An Evening With Il Divo Live In Barcelona[20]
2011Live At The London Coliseum[21]
2014A Musical Affair. Live in Japan[22]

Collaborations other albums as member of Il Divo

Videography

Videography musical works

Videography as member of Il Divo

References

  1. ↑ "Abandonado por su padre a los seis años de edad y creció en la pobreza en París: el Divo Sébastien Izambard hace juegos malabares entre la fama y la familia - y quiere el 4 bebé!". 29 March 2013.
  2. ↑ "La estrella nacida en París Il Divo Sebastien Izambard, en la sala de estar de la casa de Londres". 29 March 2013.
  3. ↑ Adams, Cameron (17 February 2007). "Song in their hearts". Herald Sun. Retrieved 26 August 2009.
  4. ↑ Official forum|date=2014, thread of Izambard's announcement.
  5. ↑ We risked death to become parents: Il Divo singer Sébastien Izambard and his wife Renee tell of the traumatic births of their children|date=2014
  6. ↑ "ASSISTANCE MÉDICALE TOIT DU MONDE - AMTM". 2014.
  7. ↑ "SÉBASTIEN IZAMBARD ANUNCIADO COMO EMBAJADOR OFICIAL DE LA FUNDACIÓN PARA NIÑOS SANFILIPPO". 2014.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "SEBASTIEN IZAMBARD, VOZ POPULAR (FRANCIA)". 2014.
  9. ↑ http://sebastienizambard.tripod.com/
  10. ↑ "Il Divo: Poner el pop en la ópera. Entrevista a Sebastien 'Divo' Izambard". 12 January 2014.
  11. ↑ "Sebastien Izambard Noel Ensemble".
  12. ↑ "Australian Artists Unite Bringing 'Hope For Isla & Jude'".
  13. ↑ "Artists unite bringing Hope for Isla and Jude".
  14. ↑ "Il Divo singer Sebastian Izambard’s fight to save Sanfilippo kids through Hope for Isla and Jude charity song".
  15. ↑ lahiguera.net, ed. (2012-11-19). "Il Divo: Greatest Hits".
  16. ↑ "The Greatest Hits - Deluxe Limited Edition | The Official Il Divo Site". Ildivo.com. Retrieved 2013-05-19.
  17. ↑ "http://www.ildivo.com/".
  18. ↑ http://www.ildivo.com/ (ed.). "LIVE AT THE GREEK (DVD)".
  19. ↑ http://www.ildivo.com/ (ed.). "LIVE AT THE COLISEUM (DVD)".
  20. ↑ http://www.ildivo.com/ (ed.). "AN EVENING WITH IL DIVO - LIVE IN BARCELONA (DVD)".
  21. ↑ http://www.ildivo.com/ (ed.). "ILIVE IN LONDON (DVD)".
  22. ↑ http://www.ildivo.com/ (ed.). "IL DIVO ANNOUNCE ‘LIVE IN JAPAN’ DELUXE CD/DVD".

External links