Le Gall

*This name uses Grelic naming customs. The matronymic is* NiwGwennaëlle*, while the family name is* Le Gall*.*

**Riwana NiwGwennaëlle Le Gall** (born 12 March 1986), known professionally as simply **Le Gall**, is a Maronan singer, songwriter, model, and former beauty pageant titleholder. Her music style has been described as a mix of soul, pop, and Grelic folk music.

Le Gall was born to a Ditronian family in Quéré, and first achieved public recognition as a beauty pageant titleholder, winning Miss Quéré 2006 and Miss Ditrone 2006, and placing as the first runner-up at Miss Marone 2007. After graduating from the University of Upper Ditrone with a degree in media studies in 2007, Le Gall signed a recording contract with Ditronian record label Relist Music, beginning a career as a Grelic folk recording artist. She later released her debut extended play under her birth name in 2008, which was a minor success in Ditrone.

Le Gall was later signed to Global Music Marone and Nitro Records in 2009, and rebranded herself under the name Le Gall, abandoning her Grelic folk music roots to become a soul and pop singer. Her first single under the name Le Gall, "Nord du sud," was later released in 2009, becoming a minor success in Marone. The song was followed by the release of the follow-up single "La pitié," which became Le Gall's breakout song and an international hit, peaking at number-one in several countries throughout Eurea. Her debut studio album *Nord du sud* (2010), later peaked at number-one in Marone. Le Gall has gone on to release four subsequent studio albums: *Sans indécision* (2011), *Belle-de-jour* (2013), *L'Étoile polaire* (2016), and *Mes chansons de la chambre* (2019), all of which peaked within the top ten in Marone. On television, Le Gall has appeared as a judge on *Idol Marone* (2015–2017) and later as a mentor on *Starmaker* (2020–present).

## Early life and education

Le Gall was born on 12 March 1986 in the small town of Kernasboch, in Quéré, to parents Wanig Le Gall (born 1950) and Gwennaëlle Quintin (born 1954). Her father worked in construction, while her mother was a primary school teacher. Le Gall was raised in a Ditronian-speaking family. She is the youngest of three daughters; her elder sister is Morgane (born 1983), while she also has an elder fraternal twin sister by six minutes named Maëlysse.

Le Gall began her education in 1991, attending bilingual primary schooling in Kernasboch. While in primary school, Le Gall suffered from behavioral issues, and was enrolled in dance classes to combat her hyperactivity. After enjoying her dance classes, Le Gall later began singing and performing in musical theatre as well. By her teenage years, she became interested in Ditronian folk music. Le Gall graduated from primary school in 1998, and later completed *collège* in 2001. She subsequently enrolled in a *lycée* to study a *lycée académique* program in literature and languages, graduating in 2004. Afterwards, she moved to Robic to study media studies at the University of Upper Ditrone, and graduated with her degree in 2007. While a university student, Le Gall supported herself by performing local gigs at pubs and coffeehouses.

Prior to beginning her music career, Le Gall was a model and beauty pageant titleholder. In 2006, she won the Miss Quéré and Miss Ditrone beauty pageants, and later placed as the first runner-up at Miss Marone 2007.

## Career

### 2007–2008: Career beginnings and Ditronian folk music career

Le Gall began her professional music career in November 2007, after signing a recording contract with Ditrone-based independent record label Relist Music. Prior to signing with the label, Le Gall was working full-time as an administrative assistant at a modeling agency in Robic, and was discovered by an executive at the label while performing a nighttime gig at a pub. After signing with the label, Le Gall began to develop a career as a Ditronian folk music musician, performing in the Ditronian language.

Le Gall released her debut single "Penaos 'teus c'hoarvezet ?" in February 2008. While the song did not chart nationally or internationally, it was a minor hit in Ditrone, receiving radio airplay from local Ditronian radio stations. The single was followed by the release of a self-titled extended play in April 2008, featuring four self-penned folk songs in the Ditronian language. Much like its lead single, the extended play was a moderate hit in Ditrone. Le Gall promoted the extended play with various live performances at small music venues in Ditrone and Pays-du-Verne.

### 2009–2010: *Nord du sud* and breakthrough

Following the release of her self-titled extended play, Le Gall felt unsatisfied with her career trajectory and the vision that her label had for her amidst her own shifting musical interests away from Grelic folk music and towards pop and soul music of the 1960s. In August 2008, she parted amicably with Relist Music and moved to Delmas to work with new management. After recording various demo tracks incorporating her new desired sound, Le Gall signed a recording contract with Global Music Marone and Nitro Records in March 2009. Despite initially planning to continue performing under her birth name, record executives convinced Le Gall to adopt solely her surname as her stage name, finding it to be catchier.

Le Gall released her debut major-label single "Nord du sud" in September 2009. The song was a departure from her Grelic folk origins, instead being a soul ballad sung in the Maronan language. "Nord du sud" was a moderate commercial hit, peaking within the top forty in Marone and receiving some radio airplay, although it was a major critical success, with several music critics identifying Le Gall as one of the most promising newcomers in Maronan music. Le Gall followed up the song with the release of the single "La pitié" in January 2010, an upbeat soul and pop track. The song went on to become Le Gall's breakthrough single, peaking at number-one in Marone while also peaking within the top ten in fourteen other countries internationally. The third single, "Gare Hôtel Bleu," a soul and pop ballad, was released in May 2010, becoming her second top five hit in Marone, peaking at number-three. Her debut studio album *Nord du sud* was later released in June 2010, which topped the charts in Marone and performed well in several international markets as well. To promote the album, Le Gall appeared at a number of music festivals throughout the summer of 2010, and later embarked on the Le Gall Eurean Tour, performing shows in six Eurean countries from October to December 2010.

### 2011–2014: *Sans indécision*, *Belle-de-jour*, and continued success

Le Gall returned to the studio immediately after completing the Le Gall Eurean Tour in December 2010, in order to begin work on her sophomore studio album. Despite being happy with the sound of *Nord du sud*, Le Gall wished to incorporate more pop into the sound of her follow-up release, believing that some of the songs on *Nord du sud* were "too musically elitist." She later released the album's lead single "Ça alors !" in July 2011, an upbeat soul and pop song taking heavy inspiration from the soul-pop dance music popular in Northern Ditrovia in the 1960s. The song went on to become a critical and commercial success in Marone, and Le Gall's second number-one hit. Her second studio album *Sans indécision* was later released in November 2011. While still a commercial success, peaking at number-two in Marone, the album received mixed critical reviews, with some critics deeming it inferior to her debut album and admonishing the shift towards pop music. The album also produced the top ten hit single "Mon mec." Le Gall promoted the album on the Ça alors World Tour ! from January to May 2012, and served as a judge at Miss Marone 2012.

For her third studio album, Le Gall opted to return to the prominent soul sound featured in her debut studio album, deeming the shift to pop music seen in *Sans indécision* to be a "stupid mistake." Calling the upcoming third studio album her "heartbreak album," Le Gall released the song "Selon les ragots" in June 2013, an upbeat soul song influenced by blues and jazz. "Selon les ragots" was both a critical and commercial success, becoming Le Gall's fifth top ten hit in Marone, peaking at number-four, and additionally charting within the top ten in six countries internationally. Her third studio album *Belle-de-jour* was later released in November 2013, becoming Le Gall's most critically acclaimed album of her career, winning the Hélophone Award for Album of the Year. *Belle-de-jour* also produced three additional hit singles: "Quelqu'un comme toi," "Assez proche," and "La rivière." She promoted the album with the Belle-de-jour World Tour, which performed shows in fourteen countries from December 2013 to July 2014, becoming the largest concert tour of Le Gall's career.

### 2015–2017: *Idol Marone* and *L'Étoile polaire*

In December 2014, it was announced that Le Gall would be joining *Idol Marone* as a judge for its upcoming ninth season. The show aired from August to December 2015, after which it was confirmed that Le Gall would return for its tenth season. Le Gall returned once again for its eleventh season, before announcing her departure from the series in January 2018, in order to focus on motherhood and her music career.

In January 2016, Le Gall confirmed that she had begun work on her fourth studio album, intending for it to be a departure from her earlier work and instead feature a return to her roots as a Grelic folk singer. The album's lead single "On se rendra" was later released in April 2016, being identified by music journalists as a folk-pop song with heavy Ditronian folk instrumentation. The song was a moderate hit in Marone, peaking within the top twenty. The following month, she released a Ditronian language version of the song titled "Treuzfurmiñ 'ran," which became a radio hit on local Ditronian radio stations. Le Gall later released the album *L'Étoile polaire* in July 2016. The album was described by critics as stylistically eclectic, incorporating both Grelic folk music and soul, and containing songs sung in both Maronan and Ditronian. The album peaked at number-five in Marone. Le Gall promoted the album with a series of small concerts throughout Ditrone in August and September 2016.

### 2018–present: *Mes chansons de la chambre* and *Starmaker*

Le Gall began working on her fifth studio album in late-2016, but paused production after discovering that she was pregnant. After taking time off from her career due to her pregnancy, Le Gall returned to the studio in June 2018. Struggling with writer's block, Le Gall continuously scrapped and rewrote several songs on the album, before pausing production again in September 2018. In March 2019, during a week-long trip to Île-de-Feuilloy, Le Gall ultimately wrote twelve songs to use on the album that she was satisfied with, and recorded the songs after returning to her home in Morvand. She released the single "La chanson de Caroline" in July 2019, which peaked within the top forty in Marone. Much like her previous release, the song heavily borrowed from Ditronian folk music. Le Gall later released her fifth studio album *Mes chansons de la chambre* in December 2019, which peaked at number-eight in Marone.

In January 2020, Le Gall was announced as one of the mentors for the upcoming revival of *Starmaker*. The show later aired from October 2020 to February 2021. She later returned for the fifth season the following year, and the sixth season as well.

## Personal life

In February 2017, Le Gall announced that she was pregnant with her first child. She later gave birth to a daughter in August 2017. Le Gall has never confirmed the identity of her child's father, and has described herself as a single mother. Since 2018, Le Gall has resided in Morvand, and commutes to Delmas by train for work when needed.

Le Gall was raised bilingually in Ditronian and Maronan, and is also fluent in Ditrovian. She has commented frequently on her identity as a Ditronian, and how record executives early in her career had encouraged her to minimize Ditronian culture from her music and persona in order to appear less divisive. Le Gall endorsed the Ditrone People's Party (PPD) ahead of the 2014 and 2019 legislative elections.

## Discography

*Main article: Le Gall discography*
* *Nord du sud* (2010)
* *Sans indécision* (2011)
* *Belle-de-jour* (2013)
* *L'Étoile polaire* (2016)
* *Mes chansons de la chambre* (2019)

## Concert tours

* Le Gall Eurean Tour (2010)
* Ça alors World Tour ! (2012)
* Belle-de-jour World Tour (2013–14)

## Awards and nominations

*Main article: Awards and nominations received by Le Gall*