Keren Ann

Keren Ann (born Keren Ann Zeidel in Cesarea, Israel, on March 10 1974) is a singer based largely in Paris; her first two albums were sung entirely in French, her third in English and her fourth in both French and English. She is des

Keren Ann (born Keren Ann Zeidel in Cesarea, Israel, on March 10 1974) is a singer based largely in Paris; her first two albums were sung entirely in French, her third in English and her fourth in both French and English. She is descended from Russian Jews on her father's side and is Javanese and Dutch on her mother's, and lived in the Netherlands until the age of 11, when her family moved to France. She retains her Dutch citizenship.

Her first group, KAB (for Keren Ann Band), lasted three years. In 1997, she wrote the song "Father" for the film K by Alexandre Arcady, in which she also acted a small part. The next year, at the age of 24, she formed Shelby with two other women; the group released one album and had a small success with the song "1+1+1," whose composer Benjamin Biolay would become an important collaborator. In 2000 she began her solo career with La biographie de Luka Philipsen -- "Luka" in homage to the Suzanne Vega song, "Philipsen" after her maternal grandmother -- written with and produced by Biolay, who also co-wrote and -produced its follow-up, La disparation. (In return, she helped write his debut album, Rose Kennedy). The pair also wrote several songs for Henri Salvador's best-selling, prize-winning 2000 comeback album, Chambre avec vue.