France Gall

French singer France Gall first gained fame in the mid '60s as an avatar of the ostensibly light-hearted French pop movement known as yé-yé (alongside the likes of Françoise Hardy and Sylvie Vartan). But her artistry ultimately proved more adaptable and long-lasting than that background might suggest. Born Isabelle Gall in Paris on October 9, 1947, she was the daughter of a singer and a successful songwriter. So it's not entirely surprising that she released her first single, 1963's "Ne sois pas si bête," just before turning 16. Famed composer Serge Gainsbourg became a crucial collaborator, writing Gall's next hit, " N'écoute pas les idoles," as well as "Poupée de cire, poupée de son," the song that won her the Eurovision Song Contest in 1965. But it didn't take Gall long to prove that she was more than just a teenage pop tart; subsequent mid-'60s releases made it clear that she could handle anything from jazz to rock to children's music. By 1967, Gall was moving towards a more mod, psych-pop-tinged sound, steered strongly by Gainsbourg. But as he edged toward increasingly eccentric output, her star began to dim. The late '60s and early '70s were a down time for Gall in her homeland, but during that period she did find a fanbase in Germany. A major turning point came when Gall began working with Michel Berger, who began producing and writing for her in 1974. Two years later, the two were married, remaining together until his passing. From the '70s on, Gall would record only Berger's compositions. By the late '70s and early '80s she was venturing into everything from disco to new wave-tinged pop. But when Berger died of a heart attack in 1992, it drastically diminished Gall's output. Following that year's release of Double jeu, the album they made together, she barely recorded again, though she continued to make live appearances. 1996's France proved to be her final album before retiring from the music business. France Gall died on January 7, 2018 at the age of 70, following a lengthy battle with cancer. Her death was mourned across Europe, with a public proclamation from French president Emmanuel Macron leading the condolences.