Born on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean, Orlane has been surrounded by colourful rhythms and cultures since childhood, blending words and music in a fusion of African, Caribbean and French influences.
At the age of eighteen, she left her island for Paris to study English. It was at this point that she made the encounters that would reveal her as a fully-fledged artist. She sang a lot, won a Sacem competition with a song of her own composition, and worked with Touré Kunda in 1992 on their album "Sili béto".
In 1996, she hit the road again, and her taste for discovery took her to Martinique, in the French West Indies. There she met Eric Virgal. They performed frequently in Miami, New York, Boston, Washington and Montreal, where their zouk was a big hit with the Creole diaspora. They also travelled to Paris, Abidjan, Libreville, Haiti, Réunion and French Guiana, not forgetting the West Indies of course, where their duets were a big hit.
Orlane's first album, TOUT SIMPLEMENT, was released in 1997. She put her songwriting talents to good use, and her hit song "Voilà Pourquoi" was voted Song of the Year by the Sacem.
Her second album, entitled "J' AIME", came out in May 1999. Orlane finds her true dimension in her instinctive, lively and sensitive interpretations. The album received rave reviews from the public and also won three Sacem awards in 2000: best female singer, album of the year and best composition.
This album naturally paved the way for Orlane's first concert at two major venues in the French West Indies in 2004: the Atrium in Fort-de-France and the Centre des Arts in Pointe-à- Pitre. Both venues were packed to the rafters, and Orlane made it clear that she is first and foremost a live performer. The result was a double live album. The emotion and magic were there for all to see, and the audience made no mistake, coming back the following year to fill the Atrium two nights in a row. This time, a DVD was produced to capture those moments that only the stage can produce.
Her songs "Chokola" and "Trêve de Bavardages" were top of the radio charts for several weeks, demonstrating Orlane's ability to keep evolving in her art.
Her work as an artist has led her to support a number of causes in Martinique and elsewhere, including the fight for research into sickle-cell anaemia, the cause of underprivileged young mothers, the Union des Femmes de Martinique and the association of parents of Down's syndrome children.
The tours are testimony to a passionate career in which the stage is the revelation of a talent to be discovered or rediscovered: Orlane is definitely a live artist. More than twenty years of playing to so many audiences is also a promise for the future: unforgettable entertainment where emotion, gentleness and swing will carry you away, lull you to sleep and leave their mark...
"Orlane's voice has soul. Those who listen to her agree. But listen to her... and you'll be won over.
