Diam's

Diam's
Diam's preparing for a bungee jump.
Background information
Birth name	Mélanie Georgiades
Also known as	Diam's, Diamant
Born	25 July 1980
Origin	Nicosia, Cyprus
Genres	French Hip-Hop, R&B, hip hop soul
Years active	1998–2012
Labels	Hostile, EMI
Associated acts	Sinik
Website	www.diams-lesite.com

Diam's (French: [djams]; born Mélanie Georgiades on 25 July 1980) is a French-language rap artist of French and Greek Cypriot origin.

Early career

In 1998, when she was just 19, Diam's signed a development deal with BMG Music Publishing France. With the publisher's help, Diam's worked on her craft and signed with Universal Records in 1999. She appeared in a song on DJ Mehdi's 2002 album "(The Story Of) Espion".

2003's Brut de Femme was her breakthrough, reaching gold and spawning the top 10 single "DJ." In concert at the 2004 Dour Festival in Belgium, people threw objects at Diam's when she began singing. In 2005, she cemented her importance as a songwriter with "Ma Philosophie"—a huge number one hit for Pop Idol star Amel Bent.

In 2005, she collaborated with Indonesian singer Anggun for her song "Juste Être Une Femme" (Just to be a Woman), which is featured on the French version of her current studio album Luminescence..

Dans ma bulle 2006

Dans ma bulle (Inside my Bubble) was released in February 2006, debuting at number one on the French album chart selling 50,000 copies in its first week. Diam's first single from Dans Ma Bulle, La Boulette (The Moron) gained immense popularity and airtime. It stayed at number one on the French music charts for 6 consecutive weeks. Her second single Jeune Demoiselle debuted at #4. Ma France à moi and Confessions nocturnes with Vitaa also proved to popular. Dans Ma Bulle went on to be the biggest-selling French album in France in 2006 and reached diamond status (1,000,000 copies sold). Diam's won the award for Best French Act at the 2006 MTV Europe Music Awards.

However, according to friends, Diam's could not handle the fame resulting from her latest album and checked into a psychiatric hospital for depression. She was then diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

2009 to present

In October 2009, while working on her third studio album "SOS", following her conversion to Islam, she adopted a black covering and hijab, explaining to the French Press, “Medicine was not able to heal my soul, so I turned toward religion.” When a photo of her coming out of a Mosque wearing a veil was taken and used for an article "France and her Muslims" and a fictional interview created from the lyrics of a song emerged in the media, she declined all interviews and stayed out of the public eye.

In 2013, she released her autobiography along with an interview for the French documentary series "Sept à Huit", saying that she is leaving the music business as it was too emotionally draining for her mental health and that the fame was making her miserable.

Personal life

Diam's is known for her political activism in both her lyrics and her public persona. She embraced Islam in late 2010 after studying and reading Islam, and wears a hijab.^[1]

Discography

Albums

Year	Album	Peak chart positions
		FR	FR (DD)^1	BEL (WA)	SWI
1999	Premier mandat	-	-	-	-
2003	Brut de femme[2]	7	-	45	-
2004	Ma vie / Mon live (Live album)[3]	53	-	-	-
2006	Dans ma bulle[4]	1	-	3	19
2009	S.O.S.[5][6]	1	1	6	18

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions
		FR	FR (DD)^1	BEL (WA)	SWI
2003	"DJ" (music video directed by J.G Biggs)[7]	2	-	1	16
2003	"Incassables"[8]	31	-	8	29
2004	"Évasion" (Diam's feat. China)[9]	29	-	31	45
2006	"La boulette (Génération nan nan)"[10][11]	1	2	1	12
2006	"Jeune Demoiselle"[12][13]	4	3	3	20
2007	"Ma France à moi"[14]	11	-	12	-
2009	"I am somebody"	-	-	-	-
2009	"Enfants du désert"[15][16]	-	6	21	80
2010	"Coeur de bombe"[17]	-	43	-	-
2010	"Peter Pan"	-	-	-	-
As featured artist
2003	"Un peu de respect" (Lady Laistee feat. Diam's)[18]	90	-	-	-
2003	"Promise" (music video directed by J.G Biggs) (Kamnouze vs. Diam's feat. Jango Jack)[19]	50	-	-	-
2004	"Relève la tête" (Kery James feat. Diam's, Passi, Matt & Kool Shen)[20]	39	-	-	-
2006	"Les mains en l'air" (Admiral T feat. Diam's)[21]	29	-	-	76
2006	"Non c'sera non (omri omri)" (Cheb Mami feat. Diam's & Leslie)[22]	30	-	-	-

¹ Digital Downloads

Recognitions

Year	Award-giving Body	Award	Result
2004	Victoires de la Musique	Rap/hip-hop album of the year (Brut de Femme)	Won
2006	MTV Europe Music Awards 2006	Best French Act	Won
2007	NRJ Music Awards	Francophone Album of the Year (Dans Ma Bulle)	Won
2007	NRJ Music Awards	Francophone Female Artist of the Year	Won
2007	NRJ Music Awards	Francophone Song of the Year (La Boulette)	Won
2007	NRJ Music Awards	Music Video of the Year (Jeune Demoiselle)	Nominated
2007	L'Année Du Hip Hop	Best Song (La Boulette)	Won
2007	L'Année Du Hip Hop	Best Rap Artist	Won
2007	L'Année Du Hip Hop	Best Album (Dans Ma Bulle)	Won
2010	NRJ Music Awards	Francophone Album of the Year (S.O.S.)	Nominated
2010	NRJ Music Awards	Francophone Female Artist of the Year	Nominated

References

1. "French rapper stuns fans, makes first TV appearance wearing hijab". Ramdane Belamri. AL ARABIYA. 1 October 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
2. "Diam's : Brut de femme". Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
3. "Diam's : Ma vie — Mon live". Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
4. "Diam's : Dans ma bulle". Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
5. "Diam's : S.O.S.". Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
6. "French Digital Albums Chart - 21 November 2009". Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
7. "Diam's : DJ". Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
8. "Diam's : Incassables". Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
9. "Diam's : Évasion". Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
10. "Diam's : La boulette". Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
11. "French Digital Singles Chart - 11 March 2006". Disqueenfrance. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
12. "Diam's : Jeune demoiselle". Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
13. "French Digital Singles Chart - 5 May 2006". Disqueenfrance. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
14. "Diam's : Ma France à moi". Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
15. "French Digital Singles Chart - 21 November 2009". Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
16. "Diam's : Enfants du désert". Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
17. "French Digital Singles Chart - 30/01/2010". Lescharts.com. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
18. "Lady Laistee feat. Diam's : Un peu de respect". Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
19. "Kamnouze vs. Diam's feat. Jango Jack : Promise". Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
20. "Kery James present Lino, AP, Diam's, Passi, Matt & Kool Shen : Relève la tête". Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
21. "Admiral T feat. Diam's : Les mains en l'air". Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
22. "Cheb Mami feat. Diam's & Leslie : Non c'sera non (omri omri)". Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.