Anne Sylvestre
Anne Sylvestre was a French singer-songwriter.
Biography
Anne Sylvestre was born in Lyon on 20 June 1934. She was the daughter of Albert Beugras and the sister of writer Marie Chaix. Her father was a politician turned collaborationist during the Occupation of France. Marie Chaix wrote a book about their father's role during the Occupation, Les Lauriers du lac de Constance.While studying literature at the Sorbonne in the fifties, Sylvestre started singing in cabarets and was discovered by Michel Valette. Jean-Claude Pascal recorded her song "Porteuse d'eau" under the title "La terre".
She started recording in 1959, and Georges Brassens wrote a preface for her second album. Since 1962, she also wrote and sang for children. She wrote a song for Serge Reggiani, "La Maumariée". She recorded a comical duet with Boby Lapointe, "Depuis l'temps que j'l'attends mon prince charmant".
In 1973, she created her own recording company to release her albums. In 1976, along with Isabelle Aubret, she recorded the album Fabulettes et Chansons d'Anne Sylvestre. In 1987, she put on a show with Quebec singer Pauline Julien. With fellow singer Michèle Bernard, she put on a show aimed at children, Lala et le Cirque du vent. She also sang on scene with Agnès Bihl in the show Carré de Dames.
Her songs encompass a large range of subjects. Her love songs are often in a nostalgic mode. Some of her songs could not be broadcast because of their strong engagement, and others contain profanity, for instance "Les Gens qui doutent". Some songs deal with difficult subjects such as poverty, homelessness, education in a consumer society, war. Numerous songs give a feminist take on women's life: "Non, tu n'as pas de nom" about abortion, "La Vache engagée", "Une sorcière comme les autres" about maternity, "La Faute à Ève" about women's rights, "Rose" about teen pregnancy, or "Juste une femme" about sexism. She also supported same-sex marriage.