Jeff Dahlgren | |
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Background information | |
Born | Los Angeles, California, US |
Occupation(s) | American actor, music producer, musician, singer, songwriter, guitarist |
Instrument(s) | Guitar, Vocals |
Years active | Present |
Labels | Formerly EMI Music Independent |
Jeff Dahlgren is an American actor, singer, guitarist and music producer. Dahlgren's career includes singing in punk rock band Wasted Youth, star in the London-based film/mini-series Kosmos, and star of the French thriller film " Giorgino". As a studio guitarist he has played on the highest-selling albums in French history and as lead guitarist performed in the largest grossing tours in Europe. As a producer he has produced some twenty albums gaining top 20 in Germany, France and Italy and has received two diamond albums.
In 1994 Dahlgren was cast as lead actor and starred as Giorgino [1] in the French film Giorgino, directed by Laurent Boutonnat. Giorgino's DVD went on to be one of the biggest sellers in Russia. [2] In 2015, Dahlgren was cast as lead actor and starred as Philip Huyt in the London-based film Kosmos, [1] a sci-fi thriller released as a five-part mini-series. Kosmos was written and directed by award-winning director Simon Horrocks of Third Contact [3]
From 1982 to 1985, Dahlgren was the singer in the punk rock band Wasted Youth. Dahlgren and Al Stiritz (the Wasted Youth drummer) met in Southern California, both having a love for alternative music, skating and surfing. They attended a Black Flag concert in Santa Monica California with Wasted Youth guitarist Chett Lehrer, and soon after Dahlgren was brought in as the frontman. Later, Dahlgren left the band for undisclosed reasons.
Mylène Farmer met Dahlgren in the early 1990s in Los Angeles, California. At the time of their meeting she was working on the single "Que mon cœur lâche". Immediately they began working together. Around the same time Dahlgren met producer and director of film "Giorgino", Laurent Boutonnat. Dahlgren and Farmer went on to record several albums together.
Farmer's fourth studio album marked the beginning of Dahlgren and Farmer's musical collaboration. Dahlgren had a great influence in the early composition of this album and was part of the Anamorphosée team involved in preparing it. The album Anamorphosée was released and launched by the single "XXL". The single became Farmer's first to debut at #1. Anamorphosée debuted at #2 in the album charts and sold half a million copies in 3 months. The album continued to sell well with the release of "L'Instant X", "California", "Comme j'ai mal", and "Rêver", which helped the album reach #1 in January 1997, 16 months after its release, gaining a Diamond certification.
Dahlgren embarked on Farmer's 1996 tour as lead guitarist, which was commercially successful. The corresponding live album, Live à Bercy , is currently the best-selling French live album ever. During the tour, Farmer sang a Raï version of Michel Polnareff's La Poupée qui fait non with Khaled, which was released as a promotional single from the live album and became a Top 10 hit in France. The band's lineup included Abe Laboriel, Jr., Brian Ray, Jerry Watts and Yvan Cassar.
Dahlgren returned to record guitar parts in spring 1999 with Farmer's fifth studio album Innamoramento . The lead single "L'Âme-stram-gram" was a futuristic up-tempo techno-ballad. Both the single and the album went straight to #2 on the charts.[16] The album is certified Diamond in France. In late 1999, Farmer with Dahlgren embarked on the Mylenium Tour , named by Dahlgren which set the record of the highest-grossing tour by a non-English speaking artist.
In 2001 Dahlgren signed as a producer to EMI/Warner Music Group France and went on to produce Christia Mantzke. [4] Her single "I'm Not a Boy" gained #100 for one week in France. Dahlgren also produced and directed the I'm Not a Boy video for Europe. Dahlgren and Farmer also signed a co-producing deal together with EMI.
From 2009-2014 Dahlgren was producer, guitarist and co-writer of the Texas band Katsuk. One music blog wrote about the band:
One of the best things about this band is their live performance. They create an atmosphere that envelops the listener like a wall of sound one does not want to escape from. They are powerful performance artists who weave smoky, woodsy vocals into elemental guitar melodies, harmonies, and percussion. [5]
Katsuk's single "Cut The Cord" has been nominated[ by whom? ] along with the band for best album, live performance, and best song. In 2010 Dahlgren produced, co-wrote, and played on Katsuk's Zero Point album. He also produced Katsuk's second album Skeleton Key. Dahlgren also produced and mixed albums from the Denton, Texas based band Hatch.
As of 2015, Dahlgren is working on a new studio album - his first single, Ever Clear, is finished, but yet to be released. Farmer and Dahlgren produced two albums in the past which he did not release, citing interference with his European touring schedule. Dahlgren created and led the band Water, which went on to play at Whisky a Go Go, The Roxy, The Troubadour and The House of Blues on Sunset Boulevard between European tours. Band Members included Grammy Award-winning Mike Elizondo on bass, French drummer Mathieu Rabate, and Pete Straub.
Mylène Jeanne Gautier, known professionally as Mylène Farmer, is a French singer and songwriter. Having sold more than 30 million records worldwide, she is among the most successful recording artists of all time in France, where she holds the record for the most number one hit singles, with twenty-one – eight of which were consecutive.
Anamorphosée is the fourth studio album by Mylène Farmer, released on 17 October 1995. Led by the number-one single "XXL", the album was something of a departure from her previous work. Although it received mixed reviews from critics, the album was very successful, peaking at no.1 and staying on the French album chart for almost two years.
Innamoramento is the fifth studio album by Mylène Farmer, released on 7 April 1999. With sales of 1.5 million, the album is one the singer's most successful ones. It reached Diamond status in France and landed Farmer a number of awards, including Album of the Year at the 1st NRJ Music Awards. On the heels of the album's success, Farmer was also named Best Female French-language Artist in two consecutive years: 2000 and 2001.
Live à Bercy is the second live album by Mylène Farmer, released on 21 May 1997. It was also produced as a video.
Mylènium Tour is the third live album by Mylène Farmer, released on 5 December 2000.
Laurent Boutonnat is a French film composer and music video director, best known as the songwriting partner of Mylène Farmer and the director of several music videos.
"XXL" is a 1995 song recorded by French singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer. The song was the lead single from her fourth studio album Anamorphosée and was released on 19 September 1995. It marked an important change in the singer's career, with more pronounced variété sonorities, more accessible lyrics, and a music video directed by a new producer. Although it entered directly at number one on the French singles chart, it dropped quickly and achieved mixed success.
"Dessine-moi un mouton" is a 1999 song recorded by French singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer, first in a studio version, then in a live version during her 1999 concert Mylenium Tour. The song was the only single from her third live album Mylenium Tour and was released on 5 December 2000. The title draws from a direct quotation to a well-known scene in French children's book Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Although it was generally appreciated by critics and was a top ten hit in France, it had moderate success in terms of sales.
"Innamoramento" is a 1999 song recorded by French singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer. It was the fifth single from her fifth studio album, Innamoramento, and was released on 18 July 2000. This pop ballad was written by Farmer with the music composed by Laurent Boutonnat. Lyrically, the song is about the need of love, and was accompanied by a music video directed by François Hanss which displays alternatively images of the singer on stage during her 1999 tour and in the Bois de Vincennes. "Innamoramento" received positive reviews from critics who generally praised the quality of the remixes and the concept of the music video. The song became Farmer's 20th top ten hit in France, reaching number three in the first week of release; however, the song was the less-selling single from the album.
"L'Âme-stram-gram" is a 1999 song recorded by French singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer. It was the lead single from her fifth studio album Innamoramento and was released on 9 March 1999. The lyrics were written by Farmer and the music was composed by Laurent Boutonnat. Musically, the song has techno and dance influences which marked an artistic change in the singer's career, although the rest of the album contains more pop songs. Based on a famous children's counting rhyme, the song is primarily about confidence, secret, and confession and uses the lexical field of psychoanalysis; however, the many puns and double entendres can also provide another meaning explicitly referring to sexuality.
"L'Instant X" is a 1995 song recorded by the French artist Mylène Farmer. It was the second single from her fourth album Anamorphosée and was released on 12 December 1995. Directed by Marcus Nispel in New York, the music video humorously depicts the apocalypse and shows Farmer bathing in foam. The song became the biggest hit from the album, reaching number six in France. In January 2004, the song was the subject of a remix produced by One-T and was released as promotional single.
"Comme j'ai mal" is a 1996 song recorded by French singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer. Fourth single from her fourth album Anamorphosée, it was released on 1 July 1996. It was a relative failure: indeed, it failed to reach the top ten in France and was the least-selling single from the album.
"Rêver" is a 1995 song recorded by French singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer. It was the fifth single from her fourth album Anamorphosée and was released on 16 November 1996. In spite of moderate sales and chart performances, the song remains one of the most known by the general public because of the subjects it deals with, notably war and a call for tolerance.
"California" is a 1995 song recorded by the French artist Mylène Farmer. It was the third single from her fourth studio album, Anamorphosée, and was released on 26 March 1996. The song marked her only collaboration with American movie screenwriter and director Abel Ferrara, who directed the very expensive music video in which Farmer appears both as a bourgeois woman and a prostitute. A tribute to California, the song is generally deemed one of Farmer's signature songs and has been performed during most of the singer's subsequent tours. It has met with relative success in France and Belgium, and became one of her hits in Russia.
"Allan" is a 1988 song recorded by French singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer from her second album, Ainsi soit je... It was the first single from her first live album, En Concert, released in December 1989. The lyrics clearly refer to a fairy tale by Edgar Allan Poe, mentioning one of his characters. Although the single met with success in discothèques, its sales remained relatively low in comparison with Farmer's other singles.
Avant que l'ombre... à Bercy is the fourth live album by Mylène Farmer, released on 4 December 2006.
"Sans contrefaçon" is a 1987 song recorded by French artist Mylène Farmer. It was released on 16 October 1987 as the first single from her second studio album, Ainsi soit je.... It was a big hit in 1987 and is one of her three best-selling singles. It became a very popular song in France over the years and has been covered by many artists. A remixed version by the DJ J.C.A. was released on 5 August 2003 as the first single from the compilation album called RemixeS.
Music Video II & III is a DVD recorded by the French singer Mylène Farmer, containing all the singer's videoclips from 1992 to 2000. It was released in March 2001 in France.
Giorgino is a 1994 French thriller film directed by Laurent Boutonnat.
Mylène Farmer 2019 was a concert residency by French recording artist Mylène Farmer, launched in support of her tenth and eleventh studio albums, Interstellaires and Désobéissance. It began on 7 June 2019 and concluded on 22 June 2019 at the Paris La Défense Arena in Nanterre, France. It is Farmer's second residency after Avant que l'ombre... à Bercy in 2006, and her seventh series of concerts, 30 years after her first tour in 1989.