Natasha St-Pier

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Natasha St-Pier
St-Pier during her concert in Denain, on 2010 France Tour
Background information
Birth name	Natasha St-Pier
Born	(1981-02-10) 10 February 1981 (age 43) Bathurst, New Brunswick, Canada
Origin	Saint-Hilaire, New Brunswick, Canada
Genres	Pop, French pop, pop/rock, adult contemporary, dance
Occupation	Singer
Years active	1996–present
Labels	Guy Cloutier Communications, Sony Music France
Website	www.natashastpier.com

Natasha St-Pier (born 10 February 1981) is a Canadian singer and songwriter of Acadian origin. She has spent most of her career in France, and represented France in the 2001 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Je n'ai que mon âme" (English translation: "I have only my soul").

She began her professional career at a young age in Canada, bringing out her first single at the age of 12, followed by her first album (Émergence) in 1996, at the age of 15. Her international career was launched with the English version of the musical Notre-Dame de Paris, which played in Canada and the U.K. In the musical she sang the role of Fleur-de-Lys.

St-Pier has had considerable commercial success in francophone countries, including France, Canada, Belgium and Switzerland. She has also become popular in a number of other countries, including Spain, Poland, Russia, Turkey and Japan. Her Eurovision song ("Je n'ai que mon âme") reached second position on the charts in France and Belgium when released as a single in 2001. In the following year, her single "Tu trouveras" ('You will find') reached position no. 3 in France and Belgium, and position no. 1 in Quebec. In 2006, her single "Un ange frappe à ma porte" ('An angel is knocking at my door') reached no. 1 in Belgium and no. 2 in France. Her albums De l'amour le mieux (2002) and Longueur d'ondes (2006) also reached places 3 and 1 respectively in French album sales.

In interviews, Natasha St-Pier has spoken about the importance of her Catholic faith. She recorded most of the tracks of the concept album Thérèse – Vivre d'amour (2013), based on the poetry of St Thérèse of Lisieux. She herself released two further albums based on St Thérèse´s poetry: Thérèse de Lisieux – Aimer c'est tout donner (2018) and Croire (2020). St-Pier also released the album Jeanne (2022), focused on St Joan of Arc.

St-Pier has appeared as a guest in a number of TV series. She was coach in the second and third season of The Voice Belgique (The Voice of Belgium). In 2024, she and her dancing partner were winners in the French TV series Danse avec les stars season 13.

Natasha St-Pier was born 10 February 1981 at Bathurst, New Brunswick (Canada). Together with her brother Jonathan, she grew up in Saint-Hilaire, New Brunswick, a small village in the valley of the Saint John River near Edmundston. Both of her parents are ethnically Acadian. Her father, Mario Saint-Pierre, was a primary school teacher who became teacher in a prison for minors and later director of the prison. Later he worked in the Ministry of Justice and in public security. Her mother, Rose-Marie Bard was a nurse, before becoming director of a retirement home.^[1][2][3] In April 2013, Natasha St-Pier stated during a broadcast of the radio programme Faites entrer l'invité (presented by Michel Drucker) that she is a cousin four times removed of Pope Pius X.^[4]

At the age of 8 years, St-Pier took the stage for the first time, and began studying classical dance, modern jazz, piano and song. When she was 12, she was a finalist in the singing competition Le pouvoir de la chanson. At the same age, she released her first single: "Le parcours du cœur".^[5] Subsequently, she concentrated her artistic efforts on singing.

Her first album Émergence was released in Canada in August 1996, when she was 15 years old. The album was produced by the Canadian songwriter-producer Steve Barakatt.^[2]

St-Pier commenced her international career at the age of 17, under the management of Guy Cloutier, singing the role of Fleur-de-Lys in the English version of the musical Notre-Dame de Paris, which played in Canada and the U.K. In the same year, she completed her baccalaureate, majoring in the sciences since she wished to become a biologist.^[2][3]

Natasha St-Pier´s second album À chacun son histoire was initially released only in Canada (11 April 2000). The same year, she brought out three singles from the album (the title track, as well as "Et la fille danse" and "Tu m’envoles"). In the same year, she appeared as supporting act for the Québecois singer Garou at Olympia (Paris).^[2]

St-Pier was chosen by the media network France 3 to represent France in the 2001 Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen, singing the power ballad "Je n'ai que mon âme". Music and lyrics for the song were written by Robert Goldman (as "Jill Kapler"), the brother of Jean-Jacques Goldman. St-Pier released the song as a single (30 April 2001) and added it to the European recording of the album À chacun son histoire (released 3 April 2001).

Several days before the Eurovision Song Contest, St-Pier revealed in a media interview that she was undecided as to whether to use English or not in her performance of the song. (The single and video clip had been recorded only in French.) On 12 May 2001, she performed the song under its French title, but sang the final verse in English.^[6] She was given 12 points (the maximum score) by Bosnia & Herzegovina, Portugal and Russia, and gained fourth place overall among the 23 participants.^[6] Her performance was the seventh time a French contestant had gained 4th place since the beginning of the competition, and was not again equalled until the second place gained by Barbara Pravi in 2021.

The single version of "Je n'ai que mon âme" reached no. 2 on the charts in France and Belgium. St-Pier subsequently released an English version of the song: "All I Have Is My Soul". The album À chacun son histoire gained Gold certification in France.^[7]

In 2002, her collaboration with Pascal Obispo on the album De l'amour le mieux propelled Natasha St-Pier to her greatest commercial success. The album was certified as double platinum status in France,^[8] and gold in Canada, Belgium and Swizerland.^[9][10][11] Three tracks from the album were released as singles ("Tu trouveras", "Nos rendez-vous" and "Alors on se raccroche".) All three singles reached the top 100 singles, and "Tu trouveras" was certified platinum in France and Belgium and no. 1 in Quebec.^[12][13][14]

The album was released in slightly different versions in France, Canada, Japan and Spain. The Spanish version featured three tracks re-recorded in Spanish, including "Encontrarás" ("Tu trouveras"), with Miguel Bosé singing the male vocal part taken by Pascal Obispo in the French original.^[15] When released as a single on 5 October 2003, "Encontrarás" peaked at no. 2 on the Spanish charts and remained in the charts for 15 weeks.^[16] Also in 2003, St-Pier appeared in a duo with Johnny Hallyday at the Parc des Princes in Paris (10 and 11 June). The two performed his song J'oublierai ton nom.^[17][18][19]

In 2004, St-Pier released the album L'Instant d'après, which included the singles "Tant que c'est toi" and "Mourir demain"; the album reached platinum status in France.^[20] In the same year, Sony Music France released a Natasha St-Pier DVD, Un Instant Avec Natasha St-Pier, that included a video tour diary, a personal video dictionary, and seven music videos.^[21]

By 2010, St-Pier had released 7 albums, topped the French album and singles charts, and made it to the top 10 of the Eurochart Hot 100.^{[citation needed]} St Pier has become popular in francophone Europe, and in countries such as Poland and Russia.^[22] Her seventh album, Tu Trouveras: 10 Ans De Succès, which is largely a "Best of" compilation of her songs previously recorded, was released in November 2009. During 2010 she toured Canada, Belgium and France.

St-Pier has recorded duos (and trios) with Pascal Obispo, Florent Pagny, Mickaël Miro, Anggun, Élisa Tovati, Sonia Lacen, Grégory Turpin, Les Stentors, Les Petits Chanteurs à la croix de bois, Jean-Michel Di Falco, Roch Voisine, Tony Carreira, Michel Fugain, Grégoire, Florent Mothe, Hélène Segara, Vincent Niclo, Anne Sila and Glorious, among others. She has also appeared in the troupe of Les Enfoirés.

Since September 2013, Natasha is the host of the television show "Les chansons d'abord" (Songs First) to France 3. She was also one of the commentators of the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 for French television.^[23] In October 2015 St-Pier, signed to the Smart label, released the album Mon Acadie, a collection of covers of traditional folk songs.

In 2024, St-Pier announced a new tour between November 2025 and January 2026 under the title "Mon histoire d'amour c'est vous", with concerts in France featuring her great hits and giving homage to composers and singers who have inspired her.^[24] She also continued her programme of performances in Catholic churches, based on the albums Jeanne and Thérèse.^[25]

Beginning 2001-2004, the French media began referring to St-Pier as one of the grandes voix québécoises (big Quebecois voices) at the centre of contemporary trends in popular music. Other singers grouped in this category included Isabelle Boulay, Céline Dion, Lara Fabian, Garou, Daniel Lavoie, Lynda Lemay, Bruno Pelletier and Roch Voisine. However, the musicologist Catherine Rudent concludes that only Boulay, Dion and Fabian truly resemble St-Pier in répertoire, voice and techniques of interpretation. These singers have in common a style inherited from soul music, in which expressive vocality takes priority over the text, making full use of registers of the chest and head, vocal ornamentation and improvisation.^[26]

On 9 March 2012, she married her boyfriend of a year and a half, Gregory Quillacq, a member of the aquatic and subaquatic fire brigade of Paris). They married at a private ceremony in Lit-et-Mixe.^[27] St-Pier has a son named Bixente Maxime, who underwent a successful heart operation.^[28] She is a dietitian, vegetarian^[29] and a Catholic. She is also a yoga teacher^[30] and an occasional scuba diver. In 2021 she announced she and her husband were separated.

Studio albums

Rereleases / Compilations

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Natasha St-Pier.

• Official website (in French)
• Natasha St-Pier at IMDb
• Biography of Natasha St-Pier, from Radio France Internationale
• Private fanpage (in German)