Corneille Nyungura was born in Fribourg, Germany, where his parents were students. At the age of six, his family returned to Rwanda. “When I came to Rwanda for the first time, there was a sense of going to the place where I belonged,” he says. “But because my parents were very much Westernized, I still felt like I didn’t fit in.” As a boy, Corneille began to develop an interest in music, initially discovering Michael Jackson (although “because we were so far from MTV, most kids didn’t even know what he looked like”), and then the great soul artists who would shape his style: Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, Prince. He credits his father for nurturing his interest. “I was singing something in my room,” he says, “and my dad heard me, and said, ‘That sounds good, it kind of sounds like Tracy Chapman.’ And I remember thinking, ‘Oh, it’s OK for me to make music.’ At the age of 16, he made his first recording, and was selected as a finalist in a music contest sponsored by Rwanda Television. During the 1994 genocide his parents and other family members were killed. He managed to escape, first to Kinshasa, and then to Germany, where he was taken in by some family friends. Corneille stayed in Germany for three years before moving to Montréal. He attended Concordia College, but decided that it was time for him to get serious about his music. He formed a band called O.N.E. (Original New Element), and, in 2002, released his first studio album, Parce Qu’on Vient de Loin. Initially, Parce Qu’on Vient de Loin made little impression in Canada, but it was soon discovered in France. At his first shows, in a small Parisian club, the room was already packed with fans singing all of his lyrics; they had chased down copies of the album, imported from Quebec. Following its success overseas, the album was re-released in Canada, and took off behind the single “Rêves de Star,” eventually achieving Platinum sales status. Corneille received his first Felix Award, selected by the public, for Best Male Artist. In France, sales of Parce Qu’on Vient de Loin soared past a million. In 2005, Corneille recorded a song with Senegalese superstar Youssou N’Dour in support of UNICEF and the fight against AIDS. (Corneille is a Red Cross Canada spokesperson, and has been made a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.) That same year, his second studio album, Les Marchands de Rêves, was released. A sixty-date tour of France had a total attendance of over 200,000 fans, and was followed by an acoustic tour in 2006. Corneille currently resides in the United States where he plays and records his music. LYRICS TO THE SONG ‘SEUL AU MONDE’ On dit souvent que j’ai l’air d’avoirTout pour moi, mais c’est sans savoirLes fantômes qui me hantent ( et )Les requiem que je me chanteJe joue au dur chaque jour qui passeMais les pierres de chaque mur, un jour se cassentJ’suis peut-être la roche qu’on voitMais je suis plus fragile que j’veux qu’on voitMaman m’a dit avant de partirMontre jamais tes faiblesses et dans le pire,Reste fort, ravale tes larmesCar ta fierté restera ta plus belle armeDonc je sais rire quand il le faut,Mais ‘faut pas croire, je craque dès qu’on tourne le dosJe marche droit pour ne pas plierD’ailleurs je chante souvent pour ne pas crierQuand je pense à ma vieJe fais face à mes nuitsChaque jour qui se lève me dit que Chorus:Je suis seul au mondeIl n’y a rien à faireJ’suis seul au mondeJ’peux plus le taireJ’suis seul au mondeJe m’sent seul au mondeJ’haïs Noël et toutes ces bêtes fêtes de famillesEt tout ce qui rappelle ma plus belle vieJe suis jaloux de vous les chanceux qui,Prenez votre chair et votre sang pour acquisJ’ai horreur de votre pitié, je prends très mal votregénérositéça fait déjà un bout que je me suffis,C’est pas vrai mais pour être fort, c’est ça que je me disQuoi qu’il arrive faut que je reste dans mon rôle(ouais)Quoi qu’il arrive faut pas que je perdre le contrôle (ouais)Je pense à moi avant le reste du mondeCar avec les années je me suis rendu compteQue si c’est pas moi, ce sera personnePas lui pas toi, ni personne, ici bas c’est chacun pour soiPour les pauvres et fiers solitaires comme moiQuand je pense à ma vieSeul face à mes nuits,Chaque jour qui se lève me dit que Chorus (x2)Des fois je trouve amour dans les yeux de l’uneDes fois je trouve le jour dans les bras de l’autreEt à toutes celles qui m’aiment encore,Qui m’aiment à tort, qui m’aiment trop fortJe vous dois ma survie, merci encoreCela n’empêche queChorus (x2) dedantos2002@yahoo.com
