Patrick Fiori

Patrick Chouchayan (French pronunciation: [patʁik ʃuʃajɑ̃]; born 23 September 1969), known by his stage name Patrick Fiori (French: [patʁik fjɔʁi], Corsican: [ˈfjɔri]), is a French singer of Armenian descent.

Biography

Beginnings

Fiori was born in Marseille to a French-Armenian father (Jacques Chouchayan) and a Corsican mother (Marie Antoinette Fiori). His father's family were escapees of the Armenian genocide. He was born in a family of five siblings. He spent part of his childhood in Marseille south of France and part in Ajaccio in Corsica. He started music at the age of 12 in 1981 thanks to encouragement from Franck Fernandel, who offered him a role in the musical La Légende des santonniers. In 1985, at the age of 16, he recorded his first song "Stéphanie" with financing from his parents followed by other recordings like "Dans ton regard" and "Le Cœur à fleur d'amour".

Original successes, until 1993

Taking part in Léon Zitrone's show Les Habits du dimanche gave him more exposure. In 1987 he opened for singer Gilbert Montagné for a number of shows. He later opened for other renowned artists like Michèle Torr and Barry White. In 1992 he had great success with "Au fil de l'eau" written by his childhood friend Bernard Di Domenico during the Francophonie. He won first prize during Fenouillèdes Song Contest held in Sournia, the Pyrénées-Orientales). That year's event had been sponsored by Fabienne Thibeault who encouraged him to go further in his career.