Irma (singer)

Irma Pany (born 15 July 1988), better known as Irma (French: [iʁma]), is a Cameroonian singer-songwriter living in France.

Irma
Irma during a charity concert on 14 July 2011
Background information
Birth nameIrma Pany
Born (1988-07-15) 15 July 1988
Douala, Cameroon
OriginParis, France
GenresFolk, pop
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter
InstrumentsVocals, guitar, piano, drums
Years active2007–present
LabelsMy Major Company, Universal Republic Records
Websiteirmaofficial.com

Early life and education

She was born in Douala in a family with a scientific background. Her father is a biologist and her mother is a pharmacist.

As a child Irma was performing at masses too. At age 15, she went to a high school in Paris, France, to improve her school education.

In 2008, Irma entered ESCP Europe (Top French Business School) and graduated in the Master in Management in 2012.[1]

Career
Irma at a festival in 2012

By 2007, she had posted her first videos on YouTube. Those included her own compositions, including "Letter to the Lord" and a piano piece "Somehow", as well as cover versions of songs including "I Want You Back" by The Jackson 5, "Bubbly" by Colbie Caillat, and "New Soul" by Yael Naim.

She released several home-made videos with acoustic covers on YouTube in collaboration with French and international musicians, including Tété ("Hey Ya!"), Matthieu Chédid ("Rolling in the Deep"), Gad Elmaleh ("Isn't She Lovely?"), Tom Dice ("Talkin' 'bout a Revolution") from Belgium and Patrice ("The Times They Are a-Changin'") from Germany. Together with will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas, she performed a cover version of "I Want You Back".

In the summer of 2008, she met Michael Goldman (son of a French musician Jean-Jacques Goldman), who in 2007 co-founded the music label My Major Company. Irma signed a record deal with My Major Company and released her first album Letter to the Lord in February 2011 in France, where it peaked in the top ten and was certified platinum a year after the release. In Switzerland, she debuted at number 46 and in Wallonia, Belgium, at number 18. The first single "I Know" reached number two in France.[2] The music video was directed and shot by J.G. Biggs.

In 2011, she went on tour around Europe and in late 2011, signed a record contract to release her debut album in the US with Universal Republic Records. In 2012, she was featured in a European Google Chrome ad which chronicles her rise to fame after posting videos on YouTube, and she was nominated for the best French act at the 2012 MTV Europe Music Awards. In early 2013, she re-released her successful single "I Know" as a duet for the German market with German singer-songwriter Mic Donet.

Irma's music video Save Me (directed by Xavier Maingon) won 2014 the "Starz People’s Choice Award" in the section Music Video at the 37th Starz Denver Film Festival.[3][4]

Discography

Albums
Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
BEL
(Wa)
[5]		 FR
[6]		 SWI
Letter to the Lord 18 6 46
Faces
  • Released: 2 June 2014
  • Label: My Major Company
 68 17 27
The Dawn
  • Released: 8 February 2020
  • Label: Irma Pany
Others
  • 2012: Letter to the Lord (Special 'Collectors Edition')

Singles
Year Single Charts Album
BEL
(Vl)		 BEL
(Wa)
[5]		 FR
[6]		 SWI
2011 "I Know"[8] – 7 2 42 Letter to the Lord
2012 "Letter to the Lord"[9] – – 128 –
2014 "Hear Me Out" 51*
(Ultratip)		 27*
(Ultratip)		 54 – Faces
"Save Me" – – 98 –

*Did not appear in the official Belgian Ultratop 50 charts, but rather in the bubbling under Ultratip charts.

Others
Year Single Charts
FR
[6]
2011 "Watching Crap on TV"[10]  –
2012 "I Know" (Remix Street version)
(featuring Youssoupha)		 138
2012 "I Know"
(featuring Mic Donet)		  –

Awards
Year Nominee / work Award Result
2012 Irma Talent Découverte France Bleu[11] Won
Irma MTV European Music Awards – Best French Artist[12] Nominated
Irma Victoires de la musique – Live discovery[13] Nominated
2014 Irma – Save me 37th Denver Film Festival – Starz People's Choice Award for Music videos[3] Won

See also

References
  1. "Irma, the Voice of ESCP Europe". Archived from the original on 27 April 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
  2. "Charts in France (SNEP)". SNEP. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
  3. "The 37th Starz Denver Film Festival Award Winners | OUT FRONT". Outfrontonline.com. 3 December 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  4. "DENVER FILM SOCIETY Winners Announced 37th STARZ DENVER Film Fest | HNN". Horrornews.net. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  5. "Irma discography". ultratop.be/fr/. Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  6. "Irma discography". lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  7. "French certifications – Irma" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  8. Steffen Hung. "Irma [FR] – I Know". Lescharts.com. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  9. "Irma fait des étincelles dans "Letter to the Lord"". Chartsinfrance.net. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  10. "Irma ŕ New York pour le clip "Watching Crap On TV"". Chartsinfrance.net. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  11. France Bleu – Une soirée avec les meilleurs moments des "Talents France Bleu 2012" Archived 10 December 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  12. "Soutenez les artistes français aux MTV Europe Music Awards – Voici". Voici.fr. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  13. "Irma aux Victoires de la musique". Jazzradio.fr. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
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