Spleen (artist)
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Spleen (born Pascal Oyong-Oly in 1982) is a French rapper, beatboxer, singer and musician.
Biography
[edit]Early life
[edit]Born to a family of Cameroonian immigrants[1] in the Paris region, with a father who was an electronics engineer, he initially took an interest in handball (which he wanted to pursue professionally), but without success. He then decided to become a musician, influenced by James Brown, whom he saw perform at a music festival.
Debut
[edit]A rapper, composer, and human beatbox, Spleen was discovered by Raphaël Hamburger and Marc Lumbroso, the producer of the label Remark Records.[2] He won the 2005 CQFD contest organized by Les Inrockuptibles, who described him as "a case of musical cyclothymia rarely seen in these parts." He refused to sign with a major label and instead self-produced his debut album She Was a Girl,[3] created the Black & White Skin label, and contributed to the soundtrack of Cédric Klapisch's film Les Poupées Russes.
Career
[edit]His second album, Comme un enfant, was released in 2008 under Universal. It featured his usual mix of influences along with collaborations from various artists like TV on the Radio, Keziah Jones, Antony and the Johnsons, CocoRosie, Yael Naim, and Pauline Croze. He directed the music videos for this album himself.
After various roles in theater, cinema, and television in 2009, he wrote and directed a rock opera reimagining the story of Romeo and Juliet, titled The Story of a Sad Loving Man.[4] It was produced with many close collaborators such as Yael Naim, Hugh Coltman, Cécile Cassel, and Sara Forestier. That same year, he appeared on On n'est pas couché, where he had an altercation with the critic Éric Zemmour.
In October 2013, he released Voices, a self-produced album partially funded through crowdfunding.
Participation in The Voice Season 3
[edit]In 2014, he took part in the third season of The Voice: la plus belle voix, where he joined Mika's team with a performance of Britney Spears' Toxic. He surprised the audience by asking a randomly chosen girl from the crowd to pick the team for him, and as a result, he joined Mika's team. He was eliminated during the first live show, facing off against Kendji Girac and Caroline Savoie. In July of the same year, he collaborated with Michel Gondry on the song Beautiful from his album.
Accusations of Sexual Assault and Rape
[edit]In 2020, he was accused of sexual assault and rape by several women, following an investigation by Julien Chavanes and Benjamin Monnet published in Neon magazine. He was charged in February 2021 with rape, sexual assault, and psychological harassment involving three women. On 6 April 2023 he sued one of his accusers for defamation, which her lawyer labeled as a SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation).[5][6][7]
Discography
[edit]- 2005: She Was a Girl
- 2008: Comme un enfant
- 2013: Voices
Filmography
[edit]As an actor
[edit]Television
[edit]- 2004: Nos vies rêvées by Fabrice Cazeneuve
- 2010: Mes chères études by Emmanuelle Bercot
- 2013: Jo
Cinema
[edit]- 2005: Franckie by Fabienne Berthaud
- 2009: Un envol by Simon Wallon (short film)
As a musician
- 2005: Les Poupées russes by Cédric Klapisch
- 2010: L'Épine dans le cœur by Michel Gondry
As a director
- 2013: Je suis un beau souvenir (short film)[8]
Theater
[edit]- 2002: Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, directed by Irina Brook, Théâtre de Chaillot, tour
- 2004: Haïti Chérie based on Maryse Condé, directed by Romain Picolet
- 2005: William Burroughs surpris en possession du chant du vieux marin by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, directed by Dan Jemmett, Théâtre des Abbesses
- 2010: The Story of a Sad Loving Man by Spleen, La Cigale
- 2010: Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, directed by Alexis Michalik, Ciné 13 Théâtre, Avignon Off Festival, Comédie des Champs-Élysées.
References
[edit]- ^ "Spleen, l'outre-rap d'un poète furibard - Le Temps". 30 April 2005 – via www.letemps.ch.
- ^ "The Voice : Spleen en concert à Paris".
- ^ "She was a girl | Les Inrocks". www.lesinrocks.com.
- ^ "SPLEEN". www.agencesartistiques.com.
- ^ "Un ex-candidat de "The Voice" accusé d'agressions sexuelles et de viol par plusieurs femmes". Le HuffPost. 27 November 2020.
- ^ "Faits divers. Viols et agressions sexuelles : Spleen, ex-candidat à "The Voice", mis en examen". www.ledauphine.com.
- ^ "Accusé de viols, le chanteur Spleen face à l'une de ses dénonciatrices". Le Nouvel Obs. 7 April 2023.
- ^ "Archives 2013/2014 - Nikon Film Festival". www.festivalnikon.fr.
External links
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