Claire Pommet (French pronunciation: [klɛʁ pɔme]; born 2 August 1996), known professionally as Pomme (French: [pɔm]), is a French singer, songwriter, and musician. Born and raised near Lyon, she learned to play several instruments at a young age. Her debut studio album, À peu près (2017), received critical acclaim for its mixture of pop and folk music and entered the French album charts at number 91. Pomme followed with her second studio album, Les failles (2019), which became her first project to reach the top 10 in her home country. The record was later reissued as Les failles cachées (2020) and re-entered record charts in two countries. Her third studio album, Consolation, was released on 26 August 2022.

Pomme
Pomme, performing in 2021
Background information
Born (1996-08-02) 2 August 1996 (age 27)
Décines-Charpieu, France
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • musician
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • autoharp
  • cello
  • omnichord
  • glockenspiel
  • double bass
Years active2014–present
LabelsPolydor
Spouse(s)2022-present Safia Nolin
Websitepommemusic.fr

Life and career edit

1996–2012: Early life edit

 
Pomme playing autoharp at a concert in Bourges, September 2020

Claire Pommet was born on 2 August 1996 in Décines-Charpieu but grew up in Caluire-et-Cuire, a French town in the metropolis of Lyon.[1][2] She learned music theory with her three siblings from the age of 6, joined a children's choir, La Cigale de Lyon, at age 7, and learned to play the cello at age 8.[3][4] Her mother plays the flute while her father, a real estate agent, listened to Michel Polnareff, Serge Reggiani, and Charles Aznavour. One of her father's friends introduced her to American folk and country music.[3][5] She is self-taught and publishes videos on the YouTube web platform.[6]

2013–2015: Career beginnings and En cavale edit

Pommet's stage name "Pomme", which derives from her last name, was a nickname used by her friends at university.[7] In early 2015, Pomme was signed to Polydor Records and began working on her debut extended play (EP) En cavale.[8] 2016 She released her debut single "J'suis pas dupe" in June 2015.[9] Following the EP's release in January 2016, it received a positive reception and was promoted with music videos and concerts.[7][10]

2016–2017: À peu près edit

In September 2017, aged 21, she performed for the first time at La Boule Noire in Paris. In October she released her first chanson française album, titled À peu près; it was described as a mixture of pop and folk by Salome Rouzerol-Douglas in Le Figaro. It was "very encouraging" according to Gilles Renault in Libération.[5] At the same time, Marie-Catherine Mardi of RFI said that "the lyrics do not convince [in their entirety]" but praised Pommet's voice.[3][6][11][12] Despite the acclaim received, Pomme expressed frustration towards the album since she felt trapped by "the desire to please [others] more" instead of herself.[13] She performed in the first part of the Asaf Avidan tour in autumn 2017.[12]

2018–2020: Les failles edit

In February 2018, she performed at the Café de la Danse in Paris, after having performed as an opening act for Louane and Vianney,[6] then took the stage in La Cigale in mid-2018 and in La Trianon in early 2019.[14] In 2019, she released her second studio album Les failles (2019), which was later reissued a year later. Described by Pomme as an album with "absolute truth and humility", she conceived it while reflecting on a breakup.[15][16] In February 2020, she won the Victoires de la Musique award for album révélation ("newcomer album") of the year with Les failles.[17] The singer later released the EP Quarantine Phone Sessions in May 2020, which she stated to be available only during the COVID-19 lockdowns.[18]

2021–present: Consolation edit

In 2021, she was crowned artiste féminine ("female artist") of the year.[19] On New Year's Day, Pomme revealed plans of releasing a third studio album in 2022 through her Twitter account.[20] Later in that month, her collaboration "Everything Matters" with Norwegian singer-songwriter Aurora was released as a single from the latter's third studio album, The Gods We Can Touch (2022).[21] In May 2022, she published the children's book Sous les paupières with French singer Pauline de Tarragon, who also did the illustrations.[22]

Artistry edit

Pomme's music incorporates chanson française,[23] folk-pop,[13] French pop and indie folk.[24] The journalists of Libération and Le Figaro emphasized the quality of Pomme's live performances, during which she primarily plays the autoharp and the guitar.[5][6] The lyrics she writes often evoke themes of love, death, and "everyday situations that resort to romanticism".[3][6] She has dedicated songs to her wife and Quebec singer Safia Nolin.[3] Other topics she explored are intimacy, feminism, and environmentalism, which she considered to be "natural and obvious to me for my generation and for myself."[25]

Pomme noted that despite being heavily influenced by folk music, she has also listened to pop musicians.[4] She cited French singers Barbara, Édith Piaf and Lorie as her primary influences, with Barbara and Lorie being singers she listened to during her childhood and youth. Other influences include Lady Gaga, Lizzo, Celine Dion,[26] Lily Allen, Camélia Jordana, Cœur de Pirate, Keaton Henson, Aldous Harding,[4] Feist, Sufjan Stevens, Mylène Farmer,[27] Dolly Parton and Kate Nash.[8] Vogue France called her appearance "a fairy-like look straight out of a Tim Burton movie," with Pomme calling Burton's film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and its protagonist Willy Wonka as style icons for her.[26] She was also inspired by French poet Paul Éluard and feminist works and comics.[13]

Personal life edit

Pomme explained in an interview with Télérama: "I am naturally comfortable with my homosexuality, for example, using female pronouns in my songs. And I think it's important, given the amount of thank-you messages I get. As a teenager, I would have also liked to recognize myself in lesbian singers".[14] Pomme's songs also often refer to her love story with singer Safia Nolin,[3] who became her wife in 2022.[28] The two now share their life between Paris and Montreal. For the 2020 municipal elections in Lyon, she made public her support for the Europe Écologie Les Verts party.[29] In February 2021, in support of the MeToo movement, Pomme stated that she had been "manipulated and morally and sexually harassed" from age 15 to 17.[30][31]

Discography edit

Studio albums edit

Title Details Peak chart positions
FR
[32]
BEL
(Wa)

[33]
SWI
[34]
À peu près 91 200
Les failles
  • Released: 1 November 2019
  • Label: Polydor
  • Formats: CD, LP, digital download, streaming
10 24 87
Consolation
  • Released: 26 August 2022
  • Label: Polydor
  • Formats: CD, LP, digital download, streaming
4 5 32

Reissues edit

Title Details Peak chart positions
FR
[32]
SWI
[35]
Les failles cachées
  • Released: 14 February 2020[36]
  • Label: Polydor
  • Formats: CD, LP, digital download, streaming
144 73

Extended plays edit

Title EP details
En cavale
  • Released: 1 January 2016
  • Label: Polydor
  • Formats: CD, digital download, streaming
A Peu Près – Sessions Montréalaises
  • Released: 21 April 2018
  • Label: Polydor
  • Format: LP
Quarantine Phone Sessions
  • Released: 20 April 2020
  • Label: Polydor
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming

Singles edit

As lead artist edit

Title Year Peak chart positions Album
BEL
(Wa)

[33]
"J'suis pas dupe" 2015 66 En cavale
"Même robe qu'hier" 2017 76 À peu près
"Mon frère" (Rough Version) 2018 Non-album single
"De là-haut" (Radio Remix) À peu près
"J'attends" (with Ben Mazué) Les femmes idéales
"2019" 2019 Non-album single
"Je sais pas danser" Les failles
"Anxiété"
"Vide" 2020 Les failles cachées
"La lumière"
"Grandiose"
"À perte de vue" 2021 Non-album singles
"Itsumo Nando Demo"
"Tombeau" 2022 Consolation
"Nelly"

As featured artist edit

Title Year Peak chart positions Album
BEL
(Wa)
[33]
"Okay"
(Matthieu Mendès featuring Pomme)
2013 57 Echo
"Debout les femmes
(as part of 39 Femmes)
2018 Non-album single
"Le train du soir"
(Raphaël featuring Pomme)
2020 Haut fidélité
"Galore (French Version)"
(Oklou featuring Pomme and Danny L Harle)
2021 "Galore Anniversary" single
"Everything Matters"
(Aurora featuring Pomme)
2022 The Gods We Can Touch

Guest appearances edit

List of non-single guest appearances, with other performing artists, showing year released and album name
Title Year Other artist(s) Album
"Entre ses bras" 2016 Cécile Corbel Vagabonde
"Soleil brûlant" Various We Love Disney 3
"Ghost" 2019 Waxx Fantôme
"Je serai (ta meilleure amie)" Safia Nolin Reprises, Vol. 2
"Ceux qui s'aiment" 2020 Various De Béart a Béart(s) Vol. 2

Music videos edit

Title Year Director(s)
"J'suis pas dupe" 2015 Sébastien Brodart
"Je t'emmènerais bien"
"En cavale"
"Jane & John"
"Sans toi" 2016
"De là-haut" 2017 Marta Bevacqua
"A Lonely One"
"On brûlera"
"Pauline"
"Je sais pas danser" 2019 Vladimir Féral
"Anxiété" Hugo Pillard
"Les oiseaux 2020 Claire Pommet
"Grandiose" Claire Pommet and Ambivalently Yours
"Chanson For My Depressed Love" Claire Pommet and Hugo Pillard
"Magie bleue"
"À perte de vue" 2021 Vincent René-Lortie and Claire Pommet
"Nelly" 2022 Jeanne Joly and Claire Pommet
  • Director information obtained from each video description on YouTube.[37]

Bibliography edit

  • Sous les paupières (2022) (with Pauline de Tarragon)

References edit

  1. ^ "Biographie Pomme". Chérie FM (in French). Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  2. ^ ben Névert (8 November 2020). "TARTINE DE VIE avec Pomme, Camille Combal et Camélia Jordana" (in French). Retrieved 2 August 2022 – via YouTube.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Bonnaud, Maguelone (13 January 2019). "Concert: on craque pour Pomme". Le Parisien (in French). Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  4. ^ a b c "Pomme : une jeune artiste lyonnaise à la Pop Folk énergique". Putsch. 15 September 2017. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Renault, Gilles (9 October 2017). "Pomme, le fruit détendu". Libération (in French). Archived from the original on 30 July 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  6. ^ a b c d e Rouzerol-Douglas, Salomé (24 February 2018). "La voix est libre pour la chanteuse Pomme". Le Figaro (in French). Archived from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  7. ^ a b Faucheron, Guillaume (25 May 2017). "Pomme poursuit sa maturation musicale". Le Berry (in French). Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  8. ^ a b Sarradin, Audrey (12 October 2015). "Pomme : Son 1er EP « En cavale » Prévu Pour Début". Azikmut (in French). Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  9. ^ "En cavale – Pomme". Qobuz. 1 June 2016. Archived from the original on 24 November 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  10. ^ "En cavale". Pomme. 1 January 2016. Retrieved 6 August 2022 – via YouTube.
  11. ^ "Onirisme et grands frissons avec Pomme à la Boule Noire". RockNfool (in French). 19 September 2017. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  12. ^ a b Mardi, Marie-Catherine (12 December 2017). "L'ascension soyeuse de Pomme". RFI Musique (in French). Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  13. ^ a b c Grelard, Philippe (11 February 2022). "Pomme, la victoire de l'intime". Le Télégramme (in French). Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  14. ^ a b Lehoux, Valérie (28 January 2019). "Pomme: "Ado, j'aurais aimé pouvoir me reconnaître dans des chanteuses lesbiennes"". Télérama (in French). Archived from the original on 21 September 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  15. ^ Williams-Chalmers, Jeremy (28 April 2022). "Interview With Pomme". The Yorkshire Times. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  16. ^ "Pomme | Her exclusive playlist ahead of the What the France Night in Copenhagen!". What the France. 20 April 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  17. ^ "Victoires de la musique : Les Failles de Pomme, album révélation". Le Figaro (in French). 14 February 2020. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  18. ^ "La chanteuse Pomme publie un EP éphémère disponible pendant la durée du confinement". BFM TV. 23 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  19. ^ "Victoires de la Musique : Pomme sacrée meilleure artiste féminine de l'année". Le Figaro (in French). 13 February 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  20. ^ Aubrun, Clément (4 January 2022). "Pomme annonce un nouvel album pour cette année (et on a hâte)". Terrafemina (in French). Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  21. ^ Clarke, Patrick (7 January 2022). "AURORA shares two new singles, 'A Dangerous Thing' and 'Everything Matters'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  22. ^ "Sous les paupières" (in French). La Ville Brule. 20 May 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  23. ^ Kosmala, Lucie (6 October 2017). "Pomme sort son premier album " À peu près ", pour un moment musical envoûtant et impertinent". Madmoizelle (in French). Archived from the original on 3 May 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  24. ^ "Pomme – A Peu Près" (in French). Les Oreilles Curieuses. 22 October 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  25. ^ "Pomme : "Le bleu, c'est la couleur de ma voix"" (in French). 4 January 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  26. ^ a b Garrigues, Manon (20 May 2021). "Video : Pomme reveals her icons, from Barbara to Lady Gaga". Vogue France. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  27. ^ "Pomme dévoile les chansons qui ont marqué sa vie | Les chansons de ma vie". Vanity Fair (in French). 10 May 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  28. ^ https://www.noovomoi.ca/en-vedette/mariage-safia-nolin-amoureuse.html
  29. ^ "Vidéo soutien de la chanteuse Pomme à la liste écologiste de Caluire et Cuire !" (in French). Europe Écologie Les Verts. 19 February 2020. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  30. ^ Lecharpentier, Charline (22 September 2020). "#Musictoo : quand la musique déconne". Libération (in French). Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  31. ^ "De là où je suis, j'ai décidé de dire les choses". Mediapart (in French). 11 February 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  32. ^ a b "Pomme discography". lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 30 March 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  33. ^ a b c "Discographie Pomme". ultratop.be. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 22 November 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  34. ^ "Pomme – Les failles". hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 22 November 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  35. ^ "Pomme – Les failles". hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 22 November 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  36. ^ "Les failles cachées by Pomme on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  37. ^ "PommeMusic". YouTube. Retrieved 2 August 2022.

External links edit