Renaud

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Renaud
Renaud in 2017
Background information
Birth name	Renaud Pierre Manuel Séchan
Born	(1952-05-11) 11 May 1952 (age 72) Paris, France
Origin	Paris
Genres	Chanson country pop rock
Occupations	Musician actor
Instrument	Guitar
Years active	1975–present
Labels	Polydor (1975–1983) Virgin
Website	www.renaud-lesite.fr

Renaud Pierre Manuel Séchan (French pronunciation: [ʁəno pjɛʁ manɥɛl seʃɑ̃]; born 11 May 1952 in Paris), known as Renaud, is a French singer-songwriter.

With twenty-six albums to his credit, selling nearly twenty million copies, he is one of France's most popular singers. Several of his songs are popular classics in France, including the sea tale "Dès que le vent soufflera", the irreverent "Laisse béton", the ballad "Morgane de toi" and the nostalgic "Mistral gagnant". His songs, with their slang lyrics and idiosyncratic Parisian phrasing, deal with both light and serious themes, alternating humor, emotion, and social criticism.

Although he enjoyed great success in France in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, his career took a roller-coaster ride thereafter, with the singer regularly falling victim to depression and alcoholism, ailments he recounts in various songs. His work remains little known outside the French-speaking world.

He also appeared in several films, including Claude Berri's adaptation of Germinal in 1993.

Although his political stance has provoked controversy, he has nicknamed himself "le chanteur énervant" (the irritating singer), due to his many commitments to causes such as human rights, ecology, and anti-militarism, which are frequently reflected in his songs.