Mathieu Boogaerts

Mathieu Boogaerts is an acclaimed French alternative singer/songwriter whose eclectic style draws from Afro-pop and reggae as well as indie electronica and folk music. Born in 1970 in Fontenay-sous-Bois, Île-de-France, France, he made his commercial recording debut in 1995 with the four-track maxi-single Ondulé Spécial on Remark Records, followed shortly thereafter by his accompanying full-length album debut, Super (1996). After switching to the label Disc'AZ, Boogaerts again released a maxi-single, the five-track Version Simple (Et Version Compliquée) (1998), in advance of his full-length effort, J'en Ai Marre d'Être Deux (1998). Featuring a memorably folky Michael Jackson medley, "Beat It/Billie Jean," J'en Ai Marre d'Être Deux was a commercial breakthrough for the alternative singer/songwriter, reaching number 67 on the French albums chart. In the wake of this breakthrough success, Boogaerts released a live album, Mathieu Boogaerts en Public (2000), and advanced to another label, the prestigious Warner Music France subsidiary Tôt ou Tard, on which he released the album 2000 (2002). Reaching number 25 on the French albums chart, 2000 marked the growing popularity of Boogaerts, and a November 2002 concert performance at Le Lavoir Moderne Parisien in Paris was filmed and later released on DVD as 2000 en Concert "Solo" (2003) in order to accommodate his expanding fan base. While the successive albums Michel (2005) and I Love You (2008) were less successful commercially, neither breaking into the Top 50 of the French albums chart, they found Boogaerts moving in new directions creatively and were generally well received among critics as well as fans. In addition to his album output, Boogaerts is featured multiple times on the Tôt ou Tard compilations Plutôt Tôt — Plutôt Tard (2005), a double-disc label showcase comprised of collaborations, and Le Grand Dîner (2006), an homage to Dick Annegarn.