Marie Myriam
Marie Myriam in March 2007
Background information
Birth name	Myriam Lopes
Born	(1957-05-08) 8 May 1957 (age 66) Luluabourg, Belgian Congo
Occupation(s)	Singer

Marie Myriam (born Myriam Lopes, 8 May 1957, Luluabourg, Belgian Congo, (now Democratic Republic of the Congo)^[1] is a French singer of Portuguese descent.

Career

Representing France, she won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1977 with L'oiseau et l'enfant ("The bird and the child") the day before her 20th birthday, with music by Jean Paul Cara and words by Joe Gracy. The single reached No. 42 in the UK Singles Chart in June 1977.^[2] This achievement made her the first Eurovision winner to be born after the creation of the contest itself.

In 1981, Myriam also represented France in the Yamaha Music Festival with the song "Sentimentale"; she came in ninth place. In recent years, she has read out the votes of the French Jury at the Eurovision Song Contest.^[3]

Myriam made an appearance at the 50th anniversary concert in Copenhagen, Denmark, in October 2005 as a guest presenter and performer. The same year, she wrote the introduction to the French edition of The Eurovision Song Contest – The Official History by John Kennedy O'Connor.^[4]

Personal life

Myriam was married to music producer Michel Elmosnino from the late 1970s until his death at age 67 on 20 December 2013. The marriage produced two children: Laureen, born 1982, now master of ceremony and Rick, born in 1990, assistant director and photographer.^[5][6]

Discography