Étienne Daho (born January 14, 1956 in Oran) is a French singer, songwriter and record producer who has released a number of synth-driven and rock-surf influenced pop hit singles since 1981.
He sings in a low, whispery voice somewhat akin to Leonard Cohen or Chet Baker and his music established him as a pop cult hero. He cites Serge Gainsbourg, The Velvet Underground,The Beach Boys and Syd Barrett as his musical influences. All his albums have been certified at least gold or platinum, including "Mythomane" in 1981, "La notte, la notte" in 1984, "Pop satori" in 1986, produced with a young William Orbit, "Pour nos vies martiennes" in 1988 and the double platinum "Paris ailleurs" in 1991, recorded in New York. A best-selling recording artist in his own right in France, Daho is best known in Britain for his appearance on the number 2 Saint Etienne hit single "He's On The Phone", which is an English-language adaptation of his 1984 French language big hit "Weekend à Rome". He also collaborated with Saint Etienne on the Reserection EP, his album Eden, and his single hit Le Premier Jour. His collaborations and productions both on stage and in the studio with other artists have been extensive. He has worked with the likes of Arthur Baker, Air, Working Week,'80's new wave band the Comateens, Jane Birkin , Marianne Faithfull, Françoise Hardy and more. He had been remixed among others by Air, Fischerspooner, Amon Tobin and William Orbit.
Translations and covers
* Daho re-recorded the song "Au Commencement" in English as "A New World" for the anglophone market.
* He released dance mixes by remixers such as William Orbit of some of his '80s singles, such as "Épaule Tattoo", in the '90s.
* Spanish singer Luz Casal recorded a cover version of "Duel au soleil" in Spanish called "Un Nuevo Dia Brillara" that became a hit song.
* Saint Etienne's single He's on the Phone is heavily based on Daho's "Week end à Rome", and features his speech from the original recording. Daho also collaborated with the band on several other songs.
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