Chantal Goya

Born Chantal Deguerre in Saigon in 1946, Goya moved to Paris when she was four. At the behest of Jean-Jacques Debout, Goya auditioned at RCA Records for legendary R&B guitarist Mickey Baker. The audition was a success, and, in 1964, Goya's first single, C'est bien Bernard, propelled her into yé yé stardom.

In 1966, while filming Masculine Feminine, she became pregnant with Debout's child, and the two married. The couple enjoyed an artistic partnership: Debout penned the majority of his wife's songs until Goya's yé yé period ended in 1967.

In the 1970s, Goya again became popular, this time for her work performing children's songs. The singer made a comeback in 1998 with the release of Les Annees 60, an anthology of her 1960's hits. In 2001, Goya re-appeared in the French Top 40 in 2001 when her song Becassine Is My Cousine hit number 26 in the charts. The song was also released in rap and techno-remix versions.

Goya remains a star in France, primarily for her children's albums. The six Goya songs heard on the Masculine Feminine soundtrack (all written by husband Jean-Jacques Dubout) are D'abord dis-moi ton nom, Laisse-moi, Si tu gagnes au flipper (aka Pinball Champ), Tu m'a trop menti, Comment le revoir and Sois gentil (words by Roger Dumas).

Rialto Pictures