1973年Benjiamin在里昂附近出生，他的父亲是一位音乐爱好者，在当地的一个业余音乐团体中担任乐手。从很小的时候开始，benjamin就耳濡目染了大量的古典音乐，随后，benjamin进入一所音乐学校学习小提琴和风琴。在Benjamin15岁的时候，和他的堂兄弟们组成了他的第一个乐队。17岁那年Benjamin考入了声名显赫的里昂音乐学院，主修长号，成绩斐然。然而，benjamin并未在莫扎特和贝多芬的殿堂里停留太久，他很快投身于流行音乐界。1994年他以团体Mateo Gallion的名义发行第一张现场录音唱片，不幸的是这张唱片很快隐没于当年发行的众多的唱片中。之后，benjamin又出版了两三张个人唱片，却均以失败告终。直到1999年，karen ann的出现改变了这一切。Benjamin和karen ann的相识纯属偶然，但这偶然的相识却碰撞出了美丽的火花。Keren ann和benjamin有着相同的音乐理念和追求，他们的合作极为成功。1999年karen ann 初试啼音发行了la Biographie de Luka Philipsen，结果是好评如潮。la Biographie de Luka Philipsen的成功引起了法国乐坛常青树henri salvador的注意，在他2000年发行的Chambre avec vue中，henri翻唱了karen ann的Jardin d'hiver (在www.zoann.com主页中,男歌手第21张和女歌手第33张中有henri版和karen版的jardin d’hiver，大家可比较一下) 。这是一首非常抒情的法国小调，henri翻唱的jardin d’hiver不久即成为热门歌曲。Karen ann 与benjamin的合作是非常成功的，不过相比较而言，karen ann 获得的成功似乎更多一些，直到此时benjamin的事业仍然没有太大的起色。 此时的Benjamin正经历着一段漫长的低潮，不过他并没有放弃，而是继续接触各种各样的歌手，为他们制作音乐，这一经历为benjamin日后成为出色的唱片制作人奠定了坚实的基础。人们一直将benjamin与serge gainsberg相比较，benjamin自己也承认在成长过程中受gainsberg的影响颇深。Serge gainsberg的遗孀和儿子也曾邀请benjamin为gainsberg逝世10周年制作过一张纪念单曲Ne dis rien。从1994年到2001年这7年间，benjamin和许多大牌明星合作过，但是，他的名字却始终隐没于众多星光背后，这个音乐天才与另外一个法国著名音乐人jean-louis murat有着极为相似的命运。 2001年5月，benjamin发行了新专辑rose kennedy。这张唱片以kennedy家族的故事为线索，包括遇刺的kennedy总统和他们的女家长rose kennedy。专辑被淡淡的忧伤笼罩着，既忧伤又美丽，benjamin精心的创作终于得到了挑剔的乐评人的认同，名誉随之而来。尽管已经声名鹊起，Benjamin仍然专心的做着他的音乐。2002年，benjamin与著名女演员Chiara Mastroianni在巴黎登记结婚，这条新闻使benjamin再次成为报纸上的头条。2003年，benjamin迎来了其事业上的第二个春天。他先是为Valérie Lagrange制作了Fleuve Congo，又为Julien Clerc制作了爵士风格的专辑Studio，其后发行了其第二张专辑Négatif，尤其是当年10月在奥林匹亚中心举行的演唱会更是将其事业推到了高潮。2004这一年，bejamin和他的妻子Chiara以一部公路电影为线索，制作了名为home的专辑。Home是benjamin一贯的忧郁舒缓的延续，淡淡的和弦，淡淡的曲调以及淡淡的吟唱。不久，benjamin应Arnaud Viard之邀为电影Clara et moi创作了他的第一张电影原声音乐，唱片中的大部分歌曲都是由chiara和karen ann演唱的。2005年，benjamin发行了他的第三张唱片A l'origine，这张唱片与他以往的风格很不同，专辑中体现的不再仅仅是benjamin的个人浪漫与抒情，更多的是对社会黑暗面的控诉。A l'origine为benjamin赢得了满堂喝彩，关于benjamin的不利传闻逐渐被人们所淡忘，人们把他看作是第二个gainsberg。by Kathleen C. FennessyOften compared to the legendary Serge Gainsbourg, singer/songwriter/arranger Benjamin Biolay is less apt to call on some lovely like Brigitte Bardot or Françoise Hardy to sing his songs when he can do it just as well himself -- although Gainsbourg did often duet with his protégées, most notably Jane Birkin on the scandalous international hit "Je T'aime...Moi Non Plus." Not that the handsome, honey-voiced Biolay hasn't worked with a few female vocalists on occasion, like, for instance, his younger sister, Coralie Clément, who has sometimes been compared to Hardy and Birkin. Biolay arranged and wrote most of the songs on her 2001 debut, Salle des Pas Perdus (which was released in the U.S. in 2002). Benjamin Biolay was born in Villefranche-sur-Saône, France, in 1973. His father was a clarinet player and member of the local orchestra. Biolay played the violin as a young man, going on to study the instrument at the Lyons Conservatoire. Over the years, his musical interests would grow to encompass classical (Mozart, Beethoven), American pop (Chuck Berry, the Beatles), and traditional French music (Trenet). From the violin, he moved on to the tuba, trombone, guitar, and piano. When he was 13, he discovered Gainsbourg's "Histoire de Melody Nelson," which would have a big influence on his own concept recording (2001's Rose Kennedy). From his teens through his early twenties, Biolay was a member of several groups, including Wind? and Mateo Gallion. The latter released a CD in 1994, which made little impact. In 1996, he was signed as a solo artist to EMI, but his initial singles also met with little success. Then, in 1999 he met Keren Ann Zeidel (aka Keren Ann), with whom he composed the 2000 French hit "Jardin D'hiver" for Henri Salvador's comeback album (Chambre Avec Vue). He would go on to collaborate with Keren Ann on Biographie de Luka Phillipsen (2000) and La Disparition (2002). In some form or another, Biolay has also worked with Hubert Mounier (aka Cleet Boris), Isabelle Boulay, Françoise Hardy, and Jane Birkin.In 2001, Biolay released his full-length debut, Rose Kennedy, a concept album full of hushed vocals, lush strings, and lyrical musings about the Kennedy family -- and Marilyn Monroe -- mostly from the point of view of family matriarch Rose. The recording features audio excerpts that evoke those golden years when JFK was in the White House, brother Robert was attorney general, and Monroe was on the silver screen. Other than the English samples (from Some Like It Hot, Monroe's "River of No Return," etc.), Rose Kennedy is in French and wasn't released in the U.S. Also in 2001, Biolay issued the Remix EP, featuring new versions of seven Rose Kennedy songs. 2002 continued to be a big year for Biolay as he entered his own "dynasty" of sorts -- a Franco-Italian-acting dynasty, that is -- when he married Chiara Mastroianni, daughter of Catherine Deneuve and Marcello Mastroianni. In 2003, he released Négatif, featuring guest appearances by Chiara and Coralie.