Biography
Early years
Also known by her nickname Lili, Alizée started dancing early in her life.[3] By the age of four, she became quite proficient in it. Later, she enrolled herself in Corsica's renowned dance school, Ecole du Spectacle Monique Mufraggi.
In 1995, at the age of eleven, she won a coloring competition organised by Air Outre Mer, a former French airline now partly acquired by Swissair. Her design won first prize and ended up being reproduced on the cabin of one of the airline's aircraft, which was subsequently named after her. For her efforts, Alizée also won a trip to the Maldives.
In 1999, she appeared on the TV talent show "Graines de Star", broadcast on Métropole 6.[5] She initially intended to sign up for the programme's dance contest. However, the dance category was reserved for groups only. Alizée therefore participated in the singing category instead, performing the song Ma Prière. She went on to win the "Meilleure Graine" award for most promising young singing star of tomorrow.
Her winning performance was seen by veteran French pop diva Mylène Farmer and Laurent Boutonnat, who were looking for a young, fresh voice to partake in their new project. They approached Alizée and she was selected after studio auditions. The duo architected her debut with a meticulously orchestrated launch, controlling her image and public appearances. In the year 2000, they produced her maiden album, Gourmandises which was a great success in France. The first single was Moi... Lolita, which set the tone of the album, portrayed Alizée as a Lolita who was capable of "melting the hearts of the local male population".[6] She returned with a follow up album, Mes Courants Électriques, in 2003. This second album was also quite successful, though not to the same extent as Gourmandises. It was followed up with a live album of her countrywide tour.
