53 Facts About Mireille Mathieu

Mireille Mathieu has recorded over 1,200 songs in eleven languages, with more than 122 million records sold worldwide.

Mireille Mathieu was born on July 22,1946, in Avignon, France, as the eldest daughter in a family of fourteen children; the youngest brother was born after she moved to Paris.

The Mireille Mathieu family lived in poverty, but their living conditions improved significantly in 1954, when subsidized housing was built in the Malpeigne neighborhood near the cemetery.

Mireille Mathieu included her father's operatic voice on her 1968 Christmas album, where it was mixed into the Minuit Chretiens song.

Mireille Mathieu's first paid performance before an audience, at age four, was rewarded with a lollipop when she sang during Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve 1950.

Mireille Mathieu performed poorly in elementary school due to dyslexia, requiring an additional year to graduate.

Mireille Mathieu was born left-handed, and her teachers would strike her hand with a ruler each time she was caught writing with it.

Mireille Mathieu eventually became right-handed, although her left hand remains quite animated when she sings.

Mireille Mathieu has an excellent memory and never uses a prompter on stage.

Mireille Mathieu's sister Monique, born on July 8,1947, began working at the same factory a few months later.

Mireille Mathieu began her career by participating in an annual singing contest in Avignon called On Chante dans mon Quartier.

Mireille Mathieu received private singing lessons from Madame Laure Colliere, who was a piano teacher in Avignon.

Mireille Mathieu's victory earned her a free trip to Paris and a pre-audition for the televised talent show Jeu de la Chance, where amateur singers competed for audience and telephone votes.

Stark had worked with artists such as Yves Montand, and the relationship between him and Mireille Mathieu is often likened to that of Colonel Tom Parker and Elvis Presley.

Mireille Mathieu was invited to Paris by impresario Regis Durcourt to sing on the Song Parade television program on 19 November 1965.

The exact circumstances remain unknown, but Mireille Mathieu was suddenly moved up to compete live on the Sunday, 21 November 1965 episode of Jeu de la Chance, a talent segment of the popular French program Tele-Dimanche.

Mireille Mathieu explained that Song Parade offered only one opportunity to sing, while Jeu de la Chance offered multiple chances, but only if she won, and she intended to win.

Mireille Mathieu was surrounded by her sisters Monique and Christiane, with Stark hovering in the background as she faced her first on-camera interview.

Mireille Mathieu appeared uncomfortable, staring at the floor during many of the questions and even looking dumbfounded at one point, until Stark finally came to her rescue.

Mireille Mathieu had always prayed that she could get her family out of poverty, but the touring and singing were much more important at the time.

Mireille Mathieu arrived in Paris with two dresses and a change of underwear, and Stark set her up in style, sent for Mireille Mathieu's two eldest sisters, and let them go shopping for a week.

Mireille Mathieu then rented her a home and a maid in the smart district of Neuilly after she had won, and made sure she only had her singing to worry about.

Mireille Mathieu sang at the London Palladium during royal performances, first in 1967, with further performances in 1969 and 1981.

Mireille Mathieu toured Canada and the United States, where she appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show and the Danny Kaye Show.

Mireille Mathieu writes in her book that they received a note which said, "we will get you next time", but it was not proven to be anything other than an accident.

In 1972, Mireille Mathieu toured Canada and produced a live album.

In 1974, Mireille Mathieu formed her own publishing company, Abilene Music.

In 1985, Mireille Mathieu joined Placido Domingo in performing a children's show called The Tales of Cri-Cri.

In 1986, Mireille Mathieu returned to Paris with tremendous concerts at the Palais des Congres.

Mireille Mathieu then performed in China, with a French television crew from TF1 filming Mireille Mathieu in China.

In 1988, W Kordes' Sohne, a German rose-breeding company, introduced the Mireille Mathieu Rose to match her favorite lipstick color.

Mireille Mathieu wanted to be a singer, and he was tired of people who merely sought fame.

Mireille Mathieu's guiding principle was simply to sing and ensure that her family never returned to the tenements of Croix des Oiseaux.

Mireille Mathieu lived here with her aunt Irene, and her siblings would often visit.

The pool was designed to be shallow all around and deep in the center, as Mireille Mathieu had a fear of drowning and never learned to swim.

In 1989, President Francois Mitterrand invited Mireille Mathieu to sing a tribute to General Charles de Gaulle.

Mireille Mathieu performed again at the Palais des Congres in November and December 1990 with a special two-hour concert without intermission, featuring a new haircut reminiscent of Louise Brooks and a very simple black dress created by French couturier Pierre Cardin.

Mireille Mathieu sold 100,000 copies of the French album, which was available in the United States.

Mireille Mathieu adapted this album into the German version In meinem Traum, which included two mini-CDs.

In 2002, Mireille Mathieu released her thirty-seventh French album, De tes mains, followed by a series of concerts at the Paris Olympia in November and a tour in France, Belgium, and Switzerland.

Reviews in the French press were quite positive, and the public gave Mireille Mathieu standing ovations every evening.

In January 2011, Mireille Mathieu was promoted from Chevalier to Officier of the Legion d'honneur.

In November 2011, Mireille Mathieu canceled her concert in Israel for the second time that year due to the promoter's failure to meet the required ticket sales.

In October 2012, Mireille Mathieu announced on her webpage that she would be re-releasing her album Chante Piaf, with two new recordings added in celebration of her 50th year as a singer and the 50th anniversary of Piaf's death.

Mireille Mathieu had contracted these shows through a Yekaterinburg company called Mix Art, via her Malta agent, Foresa Investment Ltd.

Mireille Mathieu performed the rescheduled concert in Ufa on 7 March 2013.

Mireille Mathieu had an active tour schedule for 2014, celebrating her 50th year in show business.

Mireille Mathieu performed her 50th Anniversary tour in Germany and Austria from 1 to 16 March 2015, singing at sold-out venues in twelve different cities.

On 26 May 2015, Mireille Mathieu performed at the "Culture Without Borders" project at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

Mireille Mathieu participated in a concert titled The Allies of the Great Victory: A Musical Story, featuring the Jazz Band of Igor Butman.

On 20 March 2016, Mireille Mathieu's mother died at the age of 94 from a pulmonary embolism.

Mireille Mathieu was entombed in the mausoleum Mathieu at the Saint-Veran cemetery in Avignon.

Mireille Mathieu is a devout Catholic and attends Catholic Mass with her family.