Anne Sylvestre

Born in Lyon and mainly active in Paris from the late 1950s, Anne Sylvestre developed a body of work located at the crossroads of French singer-songwriter chanson, everyday poetry, and writing attentive to social relations, women and childhood. After beginnings in Left Bank cabarets such as La Colombe, Les Trois Baudets or Le Port du Salut, she drew attention as early as 1959 with her first records and established herself in the 1960s with precise lyrics, often carried by a sober interpretation and an accompanying guitar. Parallel to her repertoire for adults, Anne Sylvestre created in 1962 the Fabulettes, a cycle of songs for children that became an essential facet of her career, without integrating them into her recitals. Her career continued on stage for more than six decades, from Bobino and l’Olympia to later piano-voix formats, notably with Philippe Davenet, Nathalie Miravette or Dorothée Daniel. Among her notable albums are Les Pierres dans mon jardin (1973), D’amour et de mots (1994), Partage des eaux (2000), Les Chemins du vent (2003), Bye mélanco (2007) and Juste une femme (2013). Anne Sylvestre also shared the stage or the record with Boby Lapointe, Pauline Julien, Michèle Bernard, Agnès Bihl, Aldebert, Les Ogres de Barback or Gauvain Sers. Until her death in 2020, Anne Sylvestre maintained a clear, often ironic writing, where tenderness, lucidity and attention to detail intertwine.