Amir Haddad עמיר חדד | |
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_(cropped).jpg) Haddad in 2016 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Laurent Amir Khlifa Khedider Haddad |
| Also known as | Amir, אמיר |
| Born | (1984-06-20)20 June 1984 (age 40)[1] Paris, France |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | Warner Music France |
| Website | amirofficiel |
Laurent Amir Khlifa Khedider Haddad (Hebrew:לורן עמיר חליפה חדידר חדד; born 20 June 1984),[2] better known asAmir Haddad (Hebrew:עמיר חדד) or simply asAmir, is aFrench-Israeli singer-songwriter and actor.[3] He took part in 2006 in the Israeli music competitionKokhav Nolad, released his albumVayehi in 2011 and was a finalist in French competitionThe Voice: la plus belle voix as part of TeamJenifer finishing third in the competition. He represented France in theEurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "J'ai cherché", which finished in sixth place.
Haddad was born inParis toMaghrebi Jewish parents fromTunisia andMorocco.[4] He grew up inSarcelles (Val-d'Oise) and immigrated toIsrael in 1992 at the age of eight as part ofAliyah; the family settled inHerzliya, north of Tel Aviv.[4] He sang as a young child in the synagogue and in various social events.
Amir was born with a hearing loss of 50% and only hears out of his left ear.[5][6]
He came to fame in 2006 with his participation in the fourth season of the Israeli song competitionKokhav Nolad (inHebrew כוכב נולד meaning A Star is Born),[7] the Israeli equivalent of thePop Idol held May to September 2006. He was the first candidate to sing mostly French language songs during the audition. He advanced for 4 stages before being eliminated.[4]
The series was won byJacko Eisenberg. Not winning in the season, he finished his obligatory military service in the Israeli Defence Forces and continued his studies in dentistry inHebrew University of Jerusalem graduating in 2012. His song "Kache limtso milim", the Hebrew version ofPatrick Bruel's French hit "J'te l'dis quand même", came alongside a music video. Bruel loved Amir's rendition so much he invited him to sing it with him in a grand event in Raanana Park on 23 May 2008 in front of 8000 spectators.[2] He sang it yet again much later in 2013, during the gala in tribute of Anaelle Ledoroth in Paris on 27 May 2013.
In 2011, Amir Haddad released his debut studio albumVayehi co-written by himself and Omri Dagan[3] during the years when Amir was a university student.[8] The album included his already popular version of "Kache limtso milim". He also revived a 1990s hit "Désenchantée" by French artistMylène Farmer. Haddad's version was produced by the famous Israeli producerOffer Nissim.[8] Meanwhile, he pursued his passion in music.
At the end of the competition, Haddad was signed to a French label,[4] creating a following in France, Switzerland, the United States and Brazil in addition to Israel. He cooperated with a number of artists, notablyShlomi Shabat,Haim Moshe,Dudu Aharon,Gad Elbaz andEyal Golan.
In 2014, he took part inseason 3 of the French television seriesThe Voice: la plus belle voix[7][9] broadcast onTF1 from 11 January 2014 to 10 May 2014. In the blind auditions, Haddad sang "Candle in the Wind" fromElton John with all four coaches,Garou,Mika,Jenifer andFlorent Pagny turning their chairs.[10] Haddad chose to be part of Team Jenifer.[11] He made it to the Final where he finished third.
| Performed | Song | Original artist | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blind audition | "Candle in the Wind" | Elton John | Joined Team Jenifer |
| Musical battle | "Radioactive"(against François Lachance) | Imagine Dragons | Won Battle |
| L'épreuve ultime 1 | "Né en 17 à Leidenstadt | Fredericks Goldman Jones | Saved by coach |
| Live 1 | "Counting Stars" | OneRepublic | Saved by the public vote |
| Live 3 | "Lucie" | Pascal Obispo | Saved by the public vote |
| Live 4 | "Just the Way You Are" | Bruno Mars | Saved by the public vote |
| Semi-final | "Comme un fils" | Corneille | Qualified for the final[A] |
| Final | "All of Me" | John Legend | Third[B] |
| "La voix des sages"(duet with original singer Noah) | Yannick Noah | ||
| "Si seulement je pouvais lui manquer"(duet with coachJenifer) | Calogero |
Amir toured France with otherThe Voice finalists. He also appeared in compilation albumForever Gentleman 2, in the concert by charity associationLeurs voix pour l'espoir inOlympia, Paris, appeared in the #OBJETPUBLIC calendar of the magazinePublic and many other appearances. He also released a music video for "Candle in the Wind", a song he had interpreted during the blind auditions inThe Voice. He is preparing a first album in French.[12] In 2015, he released the hit single "Oasis" under the mononymAmir charting inSNEP, the French Singles Chart.
On Saturday, February 24th, 2018, Anto, Amir's cousin, participated in the blind auditions of season 7 ofThe Voice[13] onTF1 and joinedZazie's team.[14]
In 2016 he was selected by French public broadcasterFrance 2 to represent France in theEurovision Song Contest 2016 inStockholm, Sweden.[15] Amir's song was chosen internally by France 2 by a committee headed by France 2 entertainment director Nathalie André and the newly appointed French Head of Delegation for the Eurovision Song Contest Edoardo Grassi after having received 280 submissions. The song titled "J'ai cherché" is co-written by Amir himself,Nazim Khaled and Johan Errami and contains lyrics in a bilingual mix of French and English.[16]
France 2 had originally planned to reveal the entry on 12 March 2016, however, information that Amir would represent France at the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 was leaked on 25 February 2016 during theD8 talk show programmeTouche pas à mon poste!, hosted byCyril Hanouna.[17] "J'ai cherché" was edited and remixed by Skydancers and Nazim Khaled at the request of the French broadcaster since the song exceeded three minutes in its original version, which had already been released as the first single from Amir's forthcoming album.[18] The entry was formally presented to the public on 12 March 2016 during the France 2 programmeThe DiCaire Show, hosted byVéronic DiCaire.[19] The song finished 6th overall in the grand final with 257 points, France's best placing since 2002 and the country's highest-scoring entry in their contest history.He released his second studio albumAu cœur de moi on 29 April 2016, the album has peaked at number 6 on theFrench Albums Chart and has been certified double platinum, the album has also charted inBelgium andSwitzerland, earning a gold certification in Switzerland. "On dirait" was released as the third single from the album on 29 August 2016. The song has peaked at number 15 on theFrench Singles Chart, and on 17 June 2017 won the Chanson de l'Année prize at the Fête de la Musique event in Nîmes. "Au cœur de moi" was released as the fourth single from the album on 6 February 2017.
He joinedStéphane Bern andMarianne James as a commentator for France 2 at the grand final of theEurovision Song Contest 2017 in Kyiv on 13 May. Also in 2017, Amir collaborated withOneRepublic on the French remix of their new single "No Vacancy". On 25 August 2017, he released "États d'Amour" as the lead single from his third studio album, which will be released on 27 October 2017.[20][21] On 7 September 2017 he announced that his third studio album would be titledAddictions.[22]
He served as one of the domestic jury members for the semifinals ofDestination Eurovision along withChristophe Willem andIsabelle Boulay to help France choose its entry for theEurovision Song Contest 2018 in Lisbon. Due to other commitments, he was unable to attend the final and was replaced by his Eurovision successorAlma.
Along with 2019 Swedish Eurovision representativeJohn Lundvik and famed Swedish composers Peter Boström and Thomas G:son, Amir helped co-write the song "Mon alliée (The Best in Me)" forTom Leeb, who was chosen to represent France at theEurovision Song Contest 2020 in Rotterdam, Netherlands, before it was cancelled.
In June 2024, he began filming the French adaptation of the popular Israeliromcom television series,Beauty and the Baker. Haddad will play the male lead, the role previously played byAviv Alush.[23]
In September 2024, he released his fourth French-language studio album,C Amir. The project was influenced by the death of his mother in 2023.[24] The track "Supernova" was inspired by theRe'im music festival massacre inSouthern Israel.[24]
On 7 July 2014, Amir married Lital, his longtime companion in Israel.[25] Their first child, a son named Mikhaël, was born on 8 February 2019. They welcomed their second son named Or ("Light" in Hebrew) in July 2022.[26]
On November 1st, 2024, Amir and his wife revealed they were expecting their third child during theNRJ Music Awards 2024 when Lital appeared with a rounded belly on the red carpet.[27] Amir later confirmed that the baby would be a boy.[28]
Amir also performs in triathlon.[29]
Amir has been part of theLes Enfoirés troupe since 2017.
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | NRJ Music Awards | Francophone Breakthrough of the Year | Won |
| Francophone Song of the Year ("J'ai cherché") | |||
| MTV Europe Music Awards | Best French Act | ||
| 2017 | NRJ Music Awards | Francophone Duo/Group of the Year (withOneRepublic) | Nominated |
| Francophone Song of the Year ("On dirait") | Won | ||
| MTV Europe Music Awards | Best French Act | ||
| 2022 | MTV Europe Music Awards | Best French Act |
Media related toAmir Haddad at Wikimedia Commons| Awards and achievements | ||
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| Preceded by | France in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 | Succeeded by |
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