Barbara

Monique Andrée Serf (June 9, 1930 - November 25, 1997) was a popular singer best known under the stage name of Barbara.

Monique Serf, born in Paris, France, into a Jewish family, was ten years old when she h

Monique Andrée Serf (June 9, 1930 - November 25, 1997) was a popular singer best known under the stage name of Barbara.

Monique Serf, born in Paris, France, into a Jewish family, was ten years old when she had to go into hiding during the German occupation of France in World War II. After the war ended, a neighborhood professor of music heard Monique sing and took an interest in helping her develop her talents. She was given vocal lessons and taught to play the piano and eventually she enrolled at the Ecole Supérieure de Musique. However, money was a problem and she gave up her musical studies to sing at "La Fontaine des Quatre Saisons," a then popular cabaret in Paris.