Luce

Having only auditioned for the eighth and final season of French TV talent contest Nouvelle Star as a bet, eccentric chanteuse Luce Brenet, now known simply by her first name, might not have taken the show as seriously as the other contestants, but her eccentric fashion sense, disregard for convention, and distinctive vocal style charmed audiences enough to eventually crown her an unlikely winner. Born in the Languedoc-Roussillon area of Perpignan in 1990, her performing background was limited to a few flute recitals and amateur dramatic productions while growing up, and at the time of her audition, she was preparing to attend a nursing college in Montpellier. However, her career ambitions changed when the judges, impressed by her rendition of Soft Cell's "Tainted Love," put her through to the live stages. Despite never singing in public before, she sailed through to the final thanks to unique interpretations of both English-language songs by the Mamas & Papas ("Dream a Little Dream of Me"), Tina Turner ("What's Love Got to Do with It"), and the Rolling Stones ("Miss You"), and native-tongued tracks from Jacques Brel ("Ne Me Quitte Pas"), Sylvie Vartan ("La Plus Belle Pour Aller Danser"), and -M- ("Qui De Nous Deux"). After beating Francois Raoult in the final, she signed a major-label deal with Sony and began working on material with Philippe Katerine, Carmen Maria Vega' Max Lavegie, and Svinkels' Gérard Baste. Featuring the lead single, "Ete Noir," and a collaboration with French rapper Orelsan ("La Machine"), her debut album, Premiere Phalange, was released in 2011. ~ Jon O'Brien, Rovi