Anaïs grows up in Marseille, in Bouches-du-Rhône, and studies English in Aix-en-Provence. She starts singing as a child in a choir, learns musical theory and the violin when young, and later plays clarinet. She also says she wants to be an actress and, later, a film director.

Opossum

From 1999 to late 2002, she is the lead singer, lyricist and bass guitarist in Opossum. The group splits after around 200 gigs in France, Switzerland and Germany, and releases a seven-track CD, Excuse-moi, j'voulais te d'mander.

Solo work

After Opossum ends, Anaïs goes on a solo tour in March 2003 and builds a solo reputation through songs marked by wit and energy. Her style combines folk, blues, chanson, rap, raggamuffin and heavy metal. She writes about personal subjects as well as wider themes, including love, betrayal, racism, depression and loneliness, often treating them with humour.

Her songs also include imitations or live tributes to Francophone performers such as Francis Cabrel, Eddy Mitchell, Bandolero, France Gall, Fabulous Trobadors, Carla Bruni and Lynda Lemay. Other material includes songs about teenage flirtation, Scottish folklore and different accents, from Scots to Québécois. She is known for interactive stage performances and for acting out caricatured characters on stage.

Influences and approach

Her influences include Judy Garland, Jerry Lee Lewis, Brenda Kahn, Peaches, Chris Isaak, Etta James, the Beach Boys, Marie Dubas and the White Stripes. She says she can only play guitar on her own songs and does not know the names of chords and tunings, despite her earlier training on instruments.

Recognition

Opossum is named Découverte, or best newcomer, at the 2003 Printemps de Bourges. Anaïs returns to the festival two years later and wins the Attention Talent Disque award for best new album and the Attention Talent Scène award for best new stage artist. She is also shortlisted for the 2005 Prix Constantin and for the 2006 Victoires de la musique in the Révélation scène de l’année category, though she does not win either prize.

The Cheap Show sells more than 40,000 copies by March 2006, with word of mouth as its only publicity. A studio version of her first album is released with five new tracks, three of them recorded during Lenoir’s Black Session on France Inter. She also appears as Alain Souchon’s support act at the Olympia in Paris.