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Mélanie De Biasio

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Melanie De Biasio
Melanie De Biasio performing at the European Border Breakers Awards Show, Stadsschouwburg Groningen, Netherlands, 2015
Melanie De Biasio performing at the European Border Breakers Awards Show, Stadsschouwburg Groningen, Netherlands, 2015
Background information
Born (1978-07-12) 12 July 1978 (age 46)
Charleroi, Belgium
GenresJazz
OccupationSinger
LabelsIgloo, PIAS
Websitewww.melaniedebiasio.net

Melanie De Biasio (born 12 July 1978) is a Belgian jazz singer, flutist and composer.

Early life

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De Biasio was born in Charleroi, to a Belgian mother and an Italian father. She learnt ballet from the age of three, and started playing the Western concert flute at eight. Being a fan of groups like Nirvana, Portishead, Pink Floyd and Jethro Tull, at the age of 15 she joined a rock band for a while. After three years of singing studies at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, she was awarded a first prize with a degree of highest distinction. In 2004 during a tour in Russia, De Biasio suffered from a serious pulmonary infection which caused a loss of singing ability for a full year. During this time she developed her characteristic whispering chant.[1]

Career

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Soon after she graduated, Belgian jazz musician and saxophone professor at her Conservatory Steve Houben asked her to appear in concert with him, allowing her to play in numerous festivals and other large music events in Belgium. In 2006, De Biasio was nominated for a Django d'Or award, in the "Young Talent" category.[2] One year later, she released her first album, A Stomach Is Burning, on Igloo Records. It was favourably received by critics and it won the "Best Jazz Album" award at Les Octaves de la Musique.[3][4]

In 2013 Melanie De Biasio signed a long term record deal with independent label [PIAS]. Soon thereafter she released her second album, No Deal, which has been described as a simple and sensual work.[5][6] Rolling Stone gave it a 4-star review and JazzNews included in their Top 25 Best Albums Ever. Jamie Cullum recommended the album in his radio show and Radiohead's drummer Phil Selway chose it as his favourite album of 2014: "No Deal had me hooked from the first listen. It sounded like Billie Holiday had walked into the sessions for Mark Hollis's solo record. […] there is true soul in this record." [7][8]

In 2014, Melanie De Biasio became the second Belgian artist to play on Later... with Jools Holland, after Zap Mama almost 20 years earlier.[9] She supported Eels on their European tour. In 2015 a "No Deal" Remix album was released, created in collaboration with artists such as The Cinematic Orchestra, Eels & Gilles Peterson. That same year, De Biasio headlined the Montreux Jazz Tokyo Festival.[10]

Melanie De Biasio was proclaimed to be the Best Live Act by Gilles Peterson and received his Track Of The Year award in 2016. In the same year she also won the European Border Breakers Award and the Champagne Price in France, along with the Octave De La Musique, D6BELS and Medaille Chevalier Wallon in Belgium.[11] At the Haldern Pop Festival in 2016, she collaborated with Damien Rice, on a spectral cover of Nina Simone's 'Be My Husband'.

Also in 2016, Melanie De Biasio and her band recorded an exploratory version of a new track she had been working on. The take runs to almost 25 minutes and was released uncut on an EP, named Blackened Cities. The EP's cover artwork contains a black-and-white picture of Melanie De Biasio's home city Charleroi by photographer Stephan Vanfleteren.

In 2017 Melanie De Biasio released her third studio album, Lilies. It was reviewed very favourably and De Biasio once again received multiple awards, including best composer/author at the 2017 Music Industry Awards and D6BELS Awards.[12][13] Shortly thereafter she played 3 sold-out concerts in a row at the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels. Melanie De Biasio then started a 2 year tour with concerts at festivals and venues all across the globe. While on tour, her track 'I Feel You – Eels Remix' was used to promote the film Alien: Covenant directed by Ridley Scott, it runs during the entire in-universe short movie "Meet Walter" starring Michael Fassbender.[14]

In 2018, the President of Italy honoured Melanie De Biasio as Cavaliere Della Stella d'Italia.

Community projects

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Starting in 2011, De Biasio worked with prisoners for two years in a collective creative process using voice, movement, breath and rhythm, in collaboration with the non-profit organization Avanti that led to a critically acclaimed performance in the prison.

See also: Jules Audent

In 2017, in collaboration with a group of 10 patrons of the arts from Charleroi, Melanie De Biasio bought the house built in 1877 for Jules Audent, then mayor of the city. This building had long been occupied by the Italian consulate. After renovation works the site is now being used as an artist residence named, l'Alba - House of Shared Talents.[15]

Awards and honors

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Awards

Year Award
2001 Brussels Royal Conservatory of Jazz – 1st Prize with the highest distinction [2]
2006 Django D'or Awards – Nominee 'Young Talent' [2]
2008 Octaves de la Musique – Winner 'Best Jazz Album'
2013 Octave de la Musique – Winner 'Best Artist'
2014 Octave de la Musique – Winner 'Best Album' [16]
2015 Gilles Peterson's Worldwide Awards – Winner 'Best Live Act'
2015 Gilles Peterson's Worldwide Awards – Nominee 'Best Album 2014'
2015 European Border Breakers Awards – Winner [11]
2015 Champagne Price 2015 – Winner
2016 D6BELS Awards – Winner 'Musician Of The Year'
2016 D6BELS Awards – Winner 'Author & Compositor Of The Year'
2016 Gilles Peterson's Worldwide Awards – 'Track Of The Year' [17]
2016 Music Industry Awards – Winner 'Best Artwork'[18]
2017 D6BELS Awards – Winner 'Best Album'
2017 D6BELS Awards – Winner 'Best Music Video'
2017 D6BELS Awards – Winner 'Author & Compositor Of The Year'
2017 Music Industry Awards – Winner 'Author & Compositor Of The Year'

Honors

Year Honor
2014 Medaille Chevalier Wallon
2019 Cavaliere Della Stella d'Italia

Discography

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Albums

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List of albums, with selected chart positions
Year Album Peak positions
BEL
(Fl)
[19] 		BEL
(Wa)
[20] 		FRA
[21]
2007 A Stomach Is Burning 144 113 —
2013 No Deal 14 5 55
2016 Blackened Cities (EP) 5 10 155
2017 Lilies 3 7 35
2023 Il viaggio 2 1 —

Singles

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List of singles, with selected chart positions
Year Title Peak positions
BEL
(Fl)
[22] 		BEL
(Wa)
[23] 		FRA
[24]
2013 "The Flow" 59 27 —
2017 "Your Freedom Is the End of Me" 97 — 90
"Gold Junkies" — — 195

References

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  1. ^ "Melanie De Biasio Lilies". Couleursjazz.fr. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
  2. ^ a b c "Mélanie De Biasio". Igloo Records. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  3. ^ Prouvost, Jacques (3 September 2007). "A Stomach Is Burning" (in French). Citizenjazz. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  4. ^ "Les lauréats 2007 - les Octaves de la Musique". Archived from the original on November 15, 2016. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
  5. ^ "Mélanie de Biasio" (in French). France Inter. 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  6. ^ "Mélanie de Biasio, un album de vertige pur" (in French). Les Inrocks. 13 December 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  7. ^ "NPR - Jamie Cullum wants to hear these jazz tunes". npr.org. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
  8. ^ "Independent - my album of 2014". independent.co.uk. Archived from the original on June 18, 2022. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
  9. ^ "Melanie De Biasio eerste Belgische artiest in 20 jaar bij Jools Holland" (in Dutch). Focus Knack. 8 October 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  10. ^ "Homepage - MJF". Montreuxjazz.com. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
  11. ^ a b "European Border Breakers Music Awards 2015". ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
  12. ^ "VRT News - Jong talent domineert de MIA's". VRT. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
  13. ^ "D6bels Music Awards : le palmarès 2017". federation-wallonie-bruxelles. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
  14. ^ "Melanie De Biasio lends her voice in Alien - Covenant". Wallonia. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
  15. ^ "Alba official site". Alba. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
  16. ^ "Octaves de la musique jazz". Jazz In Belgium. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  17. ^ "Melanie De BIasio wins track of the year". Frontview Magazine. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  18. ^ "Puur Goud". StuBru. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  19. ^ "Mélanie De Biasio discography". ultratop.be/nl/. Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  20. ^ "Mélanie De Biasio". ultratop.be/fr/. Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  21. ^ "Mélanie De Biasio". lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  22. ^ "Mélanie De Biasio discography". ultratop.be/nl/. Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  23. ^ "Mélanie De Biasio". ultratop.be/fr/. Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  24. ^ "Mélanie De Biasio". lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
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