Jo Lemaire & Flouze
Jo Lemaire | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 5, 1956 Gembloux, Namur, Belgium |
| Occupation(s) | Vocalist, composer |
| Years active | Late 1970s–present |
| Known for | Jo Lemaire + Flouze, solo albums including Concorde and Duelle |
Jo Lemaire (born 5 January 1956) is a Belgian vocalist and composer originating from Gembloux, in the province of Namur. She enjoys considerable popularity in countries such as France, Switzerland, Canada, and the Netherlands.
Career
Lemaire launched her musical journey in the late 1970s with the ensemble "Jo Lemaire + Flouze". Their 1981 release, Pigmy World, which included a synthpop rendition of Serge Gainsbourg's "Je suis venue te dire que je m'en vais", earned her acclaim throughout Europe and Canada. Following the disbandment of the group in 1982, she embarked on a solo path, debuting with the bilingual album Concorde in 1983 that featured one side in English and the other in French. Her 1984 eponymous album, produced by Jean-Marie Aerts, also met with commercial success. Nevertheless, her third solo project, Stand Up, released under PolyGram International, failed to achieve significant sales.
Her multilingual catalog and international adaptations have cultivated a dedicated audience beyond Belgium, notably in Germany, the Netherlands, and Francophone regions including Canada, France, and Switzerland. She has appeared at prominent events such as the Transmusicales festival in Rennes and the Printemps de Bourges.
In 1990, Lemaire unveiled Duelle, a French-language compilation that attained Gold certification in France. That same year, a Dutch-language tribute album honoring Belgian artist Will Tura was released. In 1994, she collaborated with British singer Carmel on an album recorded in Liverpool.
Starting in 2000, Lemaire toured schools across Flanders to encourage French language acquisition through music, producing two CDs titled Eventail Junior, inspired by "Bob & Bobette" comics. In 2001, she teamed up with ex-Hooverphonic member Frank Duchêne along with lyricists Michael Bisceglia and Ronny Mosuse for the album Flagrants Délices, which featured the track "La saison des amours". By 2007, she contributed to Rocco Granata’s album La Vie à Deux.
Singles
- "So Static!" (with Flouze)
- "Je suis venue te dire que je m'en vais" (with Flouze)
Albums
- Jo Lemaire + Flouze (1979)
- Precious Time (1980)
- Pigmy World (1981)
- Concorde (1983)
- Jo Lemaire (1984)
- Stand Up (1987)
- Duelle (1990)
- Aujourd'hui (1992)
- Liverpool (1994)
- Jour et Nuit (1997)
- Enkelvoud (1998)
- Une Vie (1999)
- Flagrants Délices (2001)
- Jo Prend La Mer (2003)