Zen is a 1995 album recorded by French pop singer Zazie. It was her second studio album and was released on 7 January 1995. The album achieved success in francophone countries and provided five singles (two of them were only released as promotional singles): "Larsen" (#38 in France), "Zen" (#23 in France) and "Un point c'est toi" (#24 in France).

Zen
Studio album by
Released7 January 1995
Recorded1994
GenrePop
Length45:42
LabelPolygram, Universal Music
ProducerVincent-Marie Bouvot
Zazie chronology
Je, Tu, Ils
(1993)
Zen
(1995)
Made in Love
(1998)
Singles from Zen
  1. "Larsen"
    Released: 1994
  2. "Zen"
    Released: 1995
  3. "Un point c'est toi"
    Released: 1995
  4. "Homme sweet homme"
    Released: 1997
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

Recording

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The vast majority of the lyrics and the music of the album were written and composed by Zazie. However, Pascal Obispo, Phil Baron and Vincent-Marie Bouvot also participated in this album.

"Zen" was recorded in a cellar named Unrealworld Studios, as reference to Realworld Studios of Peter Gabriel where he had recorded his first album. This album was supported by a 42-concert tours throughout France, including three shows at La Cigale in Paris.

The music video for "Larsen" was produced by Phillippe André and won the prize of 'best music video' at the 1996 Victoires de la Musique. And for the song "Je t'aime mais", it was a tribute to Serge Gainsbourg.

Track listings

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All lyrics are written by Zazie, except "Homme sweet homme (Remix)" by Vincent-Marie Bouvot & Zazie

Zen – Standard edition
No.TitleMusicLength
1."Fou de toi"Vincent-Marie Bouvot, Zazie3:19
2."Homme sweet homme"Zazie3:36
3."Larsen"Vincent-Marie Bouvot, Zazie4:21
4."Un point c'est toi"Vincent-Marie Bouvot, Zazie3:32
5."Je t'aime mais"Zazie4:18
6."Zen"Pascal Obispo3:53
7."Craque monsieur"Vincent-Marie Bouvot3:45
8."Au diable nos adieux"Vincent-Marie Bouvot, Zazie4:37
9."Hissée haut"Zazie3:50
10."Une souris verte"Zazie3:40
11."J'envoie valser"Phil Baron2:51
12."La la la"Zazie4:00
Total length:45:42
Zen – 1996 reedition
No.TitleMusicLength
13."Homme sweet homme" (Remix) (Includes "Les moutons...", hidden track starts at 4:12)Vincent-Marie Bouvot, Zazie13:41
Total length:59:23

Credits and personnel

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Musician
  • Accordion : Phil Baron
  • Acoustic guitar, background vocals : Pascal Obispo
  • Bass : Nicolas Fiszman, Laurent Gueneau and Pierre Jaconelli
  • Clavichord : Vic Emerson, Vincent-Marie Bouvot and Zazie
  • Cristal bachet : Thomas Bloch
  • Djembe, flûte de pong : Nicolas Fiszman
  • Drums : Nicolas Ackermann and Yvan Ackermann
  • Electric guitar : Laurent Gueneau and Pierre Jaconelli
  • Guitar : Michael Ohayon, Nicolas Fiszman, Stéphane Reichart, Kamil Rustam, Laurent Gueneau, Pierre Jaconelli and Vincent-Marie Bouvot
  • Multi instruments : Steve Shehan
  • Organ (hammond) : Jean Mora
  • Organ, piano : Zazie
  • Percussion, scratching : Dee Nasty
  • Udu [shakoeuf] Yvan Ackermann
  • Uilleann pipes : Marc Pollier
  • Strings : Vincent-Marie Bouvot
Recording and photo
  • Mixing : Nick Davis, Zazie, Phil Delire and Vincent-Marie Bouvot
  • Mixing assistant : Shaun DeFeo
  • Executive producer Caroline Molko
  • Programming : Zazie, Vincent-Marie Bouvot and Pascal Obispo
  • Photo : Youri Lenquette and Jean-Christophe Polien

Charts

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Certifications and sales

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
France (SNEP)[5] Gold 100,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r307324
  2. ^ a b "Zen, in various albums charts". Lescharts. Retrieved 26 July 2009.
  3. ^ "1996 French Albums Chart". Disqueenfrance. Retrieved 25 July 2009.
  4. ^ "1997 Belgian (Wallonia) Albums Chart". Ultratop. Retrieved 25 July 2009.
  5. ^ "French album certifications – Zazie – Zen" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 12 May 2022.