Contents
Édith Piaf
Giving French chanson an international voice through La Vie en rose and Non, je ne regrette rien.
La Vie en rose · Hymne à l’amour
- Born
- 19 December 1915
- Birthplace
- Paris, France
- Died
- 10 October 1963
More people
Édith Piaf
Édith Piaf was a French singer whose concentrated delivery made songs of love, loss and endurance feel intensely personal. Her stage name referred to a little sparrow.
Early life
Performing family
Born to a singer and an acrobat, with an unsettled childhood spent among relatives.
Street singing
Performed with her father before singing on Paris streets independently.
Career
- 1935
Cabaret discovery
Club owner Louis Leplée introduced her to a cabaret audience.
- Late 1930s–1940s
Established singer
Developed a distinctive repertoire and became a major French recording artist.
- 1940s–1950s
International career
Toured abroad and became strongly associated with Parisian chanson.
- 1960–1961
Late performances
Recorded Non, je ne regrette rien and returned to the Olympia stage.
Selected work
La Vie en rose
Her lyrics describe the transforming experience of love.
Hymne à l’amour
A declaration of devotion set to music by Marguerite Monnot.
Non, je ne regrette rien
A resolute statement of starting again.
Beyond work
Artistic encouragement
Supported younger performers, including Charles Aznavour.
Personal loss
The death of boxer Marcel Cerdan, her partner, deeply affected her.
Sources & photo credit
Biography ↗Life and work ↗Non, je ne regrette rien: archival performance ↗Photo: Studio Harcourt. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
