There's four artists with the stage name of M. M is a tecnho-pop project of the artist Robin Scott; this project performed the 1979 #1 hit song "Pop Muzik". -M- is the artist name of the French singer Matthieu Chédid. M is a male Korean singer also known as Lee Min Woo. "M" is the pseudonym for the American performance artist Mem Nahadr, a Jazz vocalist hired by Yoko Kanno.
-M-
Mathieu Chedid (also known as as -M-) (born December 21, 1971 in Boulogne-Billancourt) is a French rock singer-songwriter of Lebanese descent through his grandparents.
He is the son of French singer Louis Chedid, and the grandson of the French writer and poetess of Lebanese descent Andrée Chedid who has written lyrics to many of his songs. He has a daughter named Billie.
Chedid took an interest in music at an early age, notably with the sons of Laurent Voulzy and Alain Souchon. Together they formed a few short-lasting groups such as Mat Mat (Checkmate Checkmate), Les bébés fous (The crazy babies) or Les poissons rouges (The "red fish," a French phrase equivalent to the English "goldfish"). In order to jump-start his career, he didn't hesitate to collaborate with a number of artists, both on stage and on his albums. He has collaborated with NTM, Sinclair and Billy ze Kick. He also performed a duet with his father entitled T'as beau pas être beau in 1978, and has played as the opening act for Texas concerts. Recently, he helped Sean Lennon rewrite his song, "Parachutes," writing new French lyrics and retitling the song, "Le Eclipse"
Chedids performs his concerts as the character -M- (a play on the word aime -- like or love in French-- and his own initial). On stage he is often backed by Cyril Atef and Vincent Segal, who both are in the trip hop group Bumcello. He is also accompanied by DJ Shalom on stage and on a few of his album songs, such as (Le complexe du Corn Flakes). On his most recent tour, he did back up work for Sébastien Martel, a member of Las Ondas Marteles
His live performances place a strong emphasis imagery and the nature of Chedid's alter ego -M-. Chedid emphasizes his mysterious nature through his clothes, and hair which is shaped like an M. He is famed for his guitar-playing abilities.
M
He first debuted as a solo artist in late 2003, during a break from Shinhwa activities. Choosing the stage name of "M", he joined forces with other "M" companies (such as Korea's music television network M-Net) to heavily promote his first album. The record company depended on Lee to be successful, and he ended up surpassing expectations. His first album, Un-Touch-Able, sold in excess of 100 000 copies (according to the January 2004 Music Industry Association of Korea chart[1], the last time the album charted). "Just One Night", the lead single from the album, was very successful, and it also had "M" show a very different side to him. As opposed to Shinhwa's music, which tended to be very dance/R&B-oriented, "Just One Night" was a jazzy slow groove song showing a more sophisticated Minwoo. In addition, the performances for the various network music shows were very choreographed, showing that Lee was putting a lot of effort into his solo debut. However, the second single from the album, "비야" (Oh Rain), was not. Although the record company released a slightly remixed version of the single, promotion for it was light at best. Soon into 2004, Lee stopped promoting the album altogether and joined his Shinhwa bandmates in preparing for their 7th album, eventually released in August 2004.
After the success of Shinhwa's Brand New, Shinhwa went into another hiatus. During this time, Lee recorded and released a single, "If You...", in March 2005. Sales did not reach album levels, but the single managed to sell over 30 000 copies. Again, Lee heavily promoted the single, with many performances of the song "If You...", complete with special dance intros performances of other songs. As opposed to the sophisticated image from his first album, Lee promoted this single with a "handsome" image, as the song was a light pop song. However, when fellow Shinhwa member Shin Hye Sung released his solo debut, Lee stopped performing in order to avoid competing with him.
By fall of 2005, Lee was ready for his "comeback special" and released his second album, entitled IInd Winds. Initially released in two versions (including a limited "Lineage II" edition), the album's liner notes showed off a sexier Lee Minwoo, as his new muscular body was clearly displayed; there were many pictures of him in partial attire. M used the sexier image for his lead single "Bump!!!", which was a club-oriented dance hit. Complete with an intense video and heavily choreographed performances, the song pushed M to the top of the various network charts, and his album sold 80 000 copies in the month of September. To capitalize on this success, Good Entertainment (via EMI Korea, their distributor) released yet another version of the album. However, this one had a completely new cover and special bonus tracks; in addition, there was a bonus VCD. This "Girl Friend edition" was released as Lee moved onto his second single, "Girl Friend", a ballad about a lost love. Lee changed his image once again, displaying a rougher, yet sensitive, image. "Girl Friend" was fairly successful as well, allowing Lee to promote his album for over four months, a rarity in Korea's music industry. The album was ultimately a strong seller, placing 12th in MIAK's year-end charts with over 120 000 copies sold.
He started off the year 2006 with a solo concert entitled "M's Girlfriend", promoted as his "first live concert". Held at the Seoul Olympic Gymnasium, he was able to perform two live concerts in early January, in which he performed not only his solo hits, but also songs from other groups (including New Kids on the Block). The concert was released on DVD in the summer. After that, Lee focused on his acting, as he filmed his first movie Wontak's Angel, released in summer of 2006. In addition, he rejoined his group members as Shinhwa released their 8th album, also in the summer. Into early fall, Lee continued to promote the album overseas and performing in many Shinhwa concerts around Asia.
Starting in November, Lee has began to perform as a solo artist again, including one in Shanghai on the 4th. A promotional concert was held at Seoul Melon AX on December 2, and has participated in new singer Sat's first single.
Recently, Lee has decided to create a new entertainment, naming it M RISING Entertainment. |
