Luc Arbogast (born in La Rochelle, France on 2 November 1975) is a French musician of old instruments and a singer. He was a contestant in season 2 of the French television series The Voice, la plus belle voix. After the show, he was signed to Mercury Records, a Universal Music Division.
Arbogast's father was a military man originating from Strasbourg, and his mother a nurse of German origin. He grew up in Égaux de Landrais, dans in Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis region, south-east of La Rochelle. In 1985 when he was just 10, the family moved to Alsace, in the Munster Valley. Luc went to the communal school of Metzeral, and then Collège Frédéric Hartmann in Munster. He became proficient of the Alsacien dialect. He also started playing the guitar and at young age took part in musical events, notably light and sound show Transhumance that told the history of of Val Saint-Grégoire. He continued his secondary schooling at Lycée Frédéric Kirschleger in Munster, and studied shoemaking.
Following early traditional music, the self-taught Arbogast started singing medieval songs accompanied by traditional instruments, notably Irish bouzouki, lute and bells. His repertoire is inspired by music by Cantigas de Santa Maria, songs from German lyric poet Walther von der Vogelweide, German mystical works of Hildegard of Bingen and from French composer Guillaume de Machaut amongst others. Starting 1996, he worked as a busker choosing locations near cathedrals and town squares and took part in various festival dedicated to traditional medieval music all over France. Starting 2003, he started releasing limited edition independent albums like Fjall d'yr Vinur (2003), Domus (2004), Hortus Dei (2007) and Aux Portes de Sananda (2009). He took a professional musical career in 2011. In 2012, he released the album Canticum in Terra. Artists participating included Mélinda Bressan on the Western concert flute, Aliocha Regnard on violin and nyckelharpa, Jean Louis Renou on percussions, and Sarah Picaud on backing vocals.
In 2013, Luc Arbogast took part in seson 2 of the French reality television competition The Voice, la plus belle voix with all four judges (Garou, Jenifer, Florent Pagny and Louis Bertignac) turning their chairs around. He picked Jenifer as his mentor. He won the battle round against fellow Team Jenifer competitor Thomas Vaccari and reached the live rounds.
Despite being eliminating early in the competition, Arbogast proved popular with the French public with his 2013 album Odysseus entered the SNEP French Albums Chart straight in at number 1.
During the World Figure Skating Chmapionships held in Nice in 2012, French figure skating champion Brian Joubert skated on Luc Arbogast's aong "An Freij de An Neo Era" during the gala Les Étoiles de la glisse in Courchevel on 30 December 2012. Arbogast accompanied him singing live his song "Canción Sefaradí".
| Year | Album | Peak positions | Certification | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR [1] |
BEL (Wa) [2] |
SWI [3] | |||
| 2003 | Fjall d'yr Vinur | – | – | – | |
| 2004 | Domus | – | – | – | |
| 2007 | Hortus Dei | – | – | – | |
| 2009 | Aux Portes de Sananda | – | – | – | |
| 2012 | Canticum in Terra | – | – | – | |
| 2013 | Odysseus | 1 | 6 | 71 | |
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Certification | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR [1] | ||||
| 2013 | "Cancion Sefaradi" | 71 |