10 things to know about Vanessa Paradis
A celebrated singer, successful actress, friend of Chanel, muse and French icon, Vanessa Paradis and her fans have always shared something of a Divine Idylle. Vogue.fr looks back at the legendary career and life of the Oiseau de Paradis.
1/10Joe le Taxi It was under the pseudonym Emilie Jolie that the then eight year-old Vanessa Paradis won the hearts of the public in 1981. With her blonde fringe, quirky smile and intoxicating shyness, the young prodigy launched her singing career to great success with Joe le Taxi in 1988, at just 14. Rising into the top 50 singers in France overnight, the young girl soon became an idol and icon to the young French generation, despite the intense scrutiny her fame brought her.
2/10Chanel girl “Jean-Paul Goude’s film for Coco was a key moment in my career… I remember hesitating, so I’m happy that my agent and parents decided for me!” And it was this ad for Chanel, in which the star swung on a trapeze in a gilded cage, that the ‘oiseau de paradis’ rose to fame in October 1991. The new icon of the young generation went on to star in numerous campaigns for the fashion house, from handbags (Cambon, New Mademoiselle, Coco Cocoon) to lipsticks (Rouge Coco, Coco Shine). Of Karl Lagerfeld she has said that she has “a professional relationship… though he often makes kind gestures”, and it seems the same relationship has now extended to her daughter Lily-Rose Depp, the more recent Chanel muse.
3/10A dedicated actress “White Wedding was without question the film that changed everything : the public’s perception of me, winning a César and gaining the respect of my peers… I even got great reviews.” Having grown up with Marilyn posters on her walls, the young actress launched her acting career at 16 with a role as a troubled teenager who starts an affair with her teacher, that won her a César. And so, Vanessa Paradis was reborn. The actress continued to make films regularly in the following decade, starring alongside the likes of Gérard Depardieu, Jeanne Moreau and, later, Romain Duris, and her career was recognized in 2016, when she was chosen to sit on the Cannes Film Festival Jury. Photo above: extract from Patrice Leconte's film, La Fille sur le pont
4/10Vogue Paris Cover girl “A soft innocence, challenging gaze and Lolita figure in denim hot pants: that was the late 1990s Vanessa Paradis” wrote Emmanuelle Alt, editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris, for the December/January 2015-2016 issue. In the Paradis special, the star opened up about her family, memories, inspiration and her icons, looking back the early days of her career on the cusp of the 1990s, as well as her previous Vogue Paris appearance in 2008, in a photoshoot with Mert & Marcus. Photo above: Vogue Paris December 2015/January 2016 issue
Tony Barson Archive5/10A successful singer With her debut single Joe le Taxi, Paradis shot to fame in 1988, selling 1.3 million copies in France and over double that worldwide. This led to a new album Be My Baby, written by the legend Serge Gainsbourg, the hit Le Tourbillon de la vie, as well as seven Victoires de la Musique awards. “My favorite singers… only sing of love, of a heart on fire”, something they share with the singer herself, who has always spoken of love in her music. Photo: Getty images
Pool ARNAL/PICOT6/10A muse When Serge Gainsbourg came on stage to receive his Victoire music award in 1990, he walked past Paradis, who had just sung one of his songs, lifted her off the ground and said “I like my Victoire award, but I prefer this one!” Vanessa Paradis has long been a muse for some of the industry’s biggest names, the most iconic of which being Serge Gainsbourg, who wrote an album for her just a year before his death. AT 20, Paradis escaped to America with the soul singer Lenny Kravtiz, leading to the hit Be My Baby in 1992. She also married actor Johnny Depp, the inspiration behind two further albums, Bliss (2000) and Divinidylle (2008). Photo: Getty images
7/10A legendary duo “I fell in love with him in the dark.” Hollywood pales in comparison to the love story that started in 1998 between the French singer and American actor, Johnny Depp. After blowing people away with their red carpet appearances, their first child, Lily-Rose Depp was born in 1999, followed by their second child, Jack Depp, in 2002. Living between LA and France, the couple continued to be the glamorous ideal of a show business marriage throughout the 2010s, until they separated in 2012. Photo above: At the Critics Choice Movie Awards, 2004
8/10A Parisienne “When I’m in Paris, I feel like myself, I can breathe easy.” The native Parisian and French style icon knows the capital like the back of her hand, citing the Eiffel Tower and the Debilly bridge as her favorite landmarks, the latter having a special place in her heart after spending a night there for her role in Patrine Leconte’s La Fille.
