Pascal Obispo

From the mid-'90s onward Pascal Obispo was one of French pop's most successful singer/songwriters, releasing a steady stream of commercial blockbuster albums, scoring Top Ten hit singles with regularity, embarking on sold-out concert tours, and collaborating with a long list of French pop stars, from Florent Pagny to Fatal Bazooka. Born on January 8, 1965, in Bergerac, France, he made his solo album debut with Le Long du Fleuve (1990) on EMI. Co-written with Franck Darcel, the album was largely unsuccessful and is often overlooked. Success came with Obispo's second album, Plus Que Tout au Monde (1992), his first of many releases in association with Sony Music. Produced by hitmaker Nick Patrick, who had recently worked with the Gipsy Kings, the album spawned a couple hit singles with "Plus Que Tout au Monde" and "Tu Vas Me Manquer." Third album Un Jour Comme Aujourd'hui (1994) was similarly successful, spawning another couple hits with "Tombé Pour Elle" and "Tu Compliques Tout." Following a concert tour in support of Céline Dion, Obispo's popularity skyrocketed to new heights with his next album, Superflu (1996), which reached number two on the French albums chart. Superflu spawned several hit singles, including the Top Ten smashes "Personne" and "Lucie," and sold over a million units, earning diamond sales certification and charting for nearly two years. In the wake of this success, Obispo collaborated with French pop stars Florent Pagny on his album Savoir Aimer (1997), including the chart-topping title track, and Johnny Hallyday on his album Ce Que Je Sais (1998). He also embarked on a popular concert tour documented on the chart-topping album Live 98 (1998). In 1999, he released the album Soledad, collaborated with Pagny once again on the album RéCréation, and both co- wrote and produced Patricia Kaas' smash hit album Le Mot de Passe. After the turn of the century, Obispo scored a Top Five hit with "Millésime," a new studio recording included on the live album Millésime Live 00/01 (2001). The follow-up album, Studio Fan - Live Fan (2004), likewise a mix of studio and live recordings, spawned the chart-topping smash hit "Fan" and the Top Ten hits "Zinedine" and "Mourir Demain." As usual, subsequent albums Les Fleurs du Bien (2006) and Welcome to the Magic World of Captain Samouraï Flower (2009) were commercial blockbusters, though critical opinion of them was generally negative.