We take you behind the scenes of his musical career, on the occasion of the release of his new album “Imposteur”.
Julien Doré was born in Alès, in the Gard, on July 7, 1982, he is the great-great-nephew of the famous painter and sculptor Gustave Doré, 19th century artist. After studying at the Beaux-Arts, the Gardois earned his first salaries by working for facade cleaning and moving companies, it was in fact one of them that would have fired him to encourage him to start in Music.
It was in Nîmes that he founded his first groups : “Dig up Elvis” which means “Dig up Elvis” and “The Jean D’Ormesson Disco Suicide”. The latter is a cover band, which covers both Patrick Hernandez and “Les Démons de midnight”. Music then takes an important part in his life, it reveals his true nature and above all offers him a key to understanding the world and himself, he who is hypersensitive.
Deep down, Julien Doré had another dream: to work on the radio but it was on television, in 2007, that he met the public. This 5th edition of the show “La nouvelle star” will allow him to release a first album “Ersatz”, this word has the synonym “substitute” which can be understood as the “success of the year”.
Julien Doré publishes an album that suits him, far from imposed figures, he does not want to be dependent on a production which imposes on him what to sing and what message to carry. The title “Les Limits” was chosen as the first single and really marked the beginning of his solo career. With his text, he clearly says that he does not want to be part of the system. The music video for the song is available in 3 versions.
Julien Doré – Limits (Julien dances / Patricia sings) (Official music video)
At the beginning, Julien Doré was a rather solitary child, it's the theater that helps him overcome his shyness. After the success of his first album, the Nîmes releases “Bichon” his 2nd opus carried by the titles “Kiss me forever” and “L’été summer”. Success is not really there, the artist is then in doubt and wonders if he is really made for this profession.
In 2013 he released “Løve”, a Danish word meaning 'lion'. Julien admits to having first been sensitive to the spelling of the word, with the “o” crossed out like an erasure or a scar. “Løve”, a word rich in meaning linked to love, animality, travel, nature and which well reflects the artist's universe through his songs. An album carried by the duo “Chou wasabi”, with Micky Green, he co-wrote this title with his pianist friend.
The origin of this song is original: Julien Doré and his friend are at his house, they have ordered sushi and are composing a melody for a chorus. It is upon receiving their order that Julien pronounces these words “Hey, it’s funny, it has wasabi cabbage”, the brand of this song was thus born!
Julien Doré – Chou wasabi (Official music video) ft. Micky Green
In this album, Julien Doré sings about the breakup but approaching a form of healing. In this album, Julien Doré addresses geographical spaces as well as space-times with “Paris Seychelles”, the first single. It is true that the artist's writing is not necessarily obvious, sometimes absurd, but this allows for several readings. In the title “Paris-Seychelles”, Julien writes “Smile outside in Angoulême”, he spent a lot of time in Angoulême doing work residencies for the shows of the two previous albums. He has a real attachment to this town where he likes to stop at concerts.
Julien Doré – Paris-Seychelles (Official music video)
Three years after the album “Løve”, and a very long tour crowned by the release of a live album, Julien Doré announces a new opus with also a surprising name: “Esperluette”. The artist composed and wrote the 13 songs in a small refuge, a family chalet in the Alpes-Maritimes, with the mountain as a backdrop.. His new titles can be summed up in 3 words: cocoon, human and solar, the artist no longer speaks about himself but about love in general. In the title “Sublime et silence”, he tells of the absence of a woman, two lovers who witness a suspended moment and the man one day loses the love of his life before his eyes. He then comes to leave flowers because he knows she is still there. In chaos, something is always born which will be fertile, and will be useful later. On this album we discover another melancholic and luminous ballad “Porto Vecchio”, he recounts a painful breakup which bruised him, with the sea as a backdrop, this natural element so strong, so comforting too. Another title which reveals this opus to us: “The Lake”, this song once again depicts a passionate love story that takes place in a serene natural setting. It explores themes of intimacy, vulnerability and fear of society's judgment. The song captures both the enchantment and the challenges we face in our relationships. The clip is very surprising: we discover Julien Doré accompanied by Pamela Anderson“she’s a bit like the iconic woman of my generation! I knew her as a child, a pre-adolescent, on TV, at the time of carnal awakening, aspiring to the beauty of the feminine and the awakening of sexuality” it is with these words that Julien Doré talks about it.
Julien Doré – The lake (Official music video)
Since 2013, Julien Doré has been on a royal road, his albums are acclaimed by the public, the singles are on all the radios and his tours are sold out, nothing can stop our favorite Nîmes! In 2020, he released a new album which responds to the sweet name of “Aimée” which is the first name of his grandmother who was involved in the CGT, she dedicated her life to defending the rights of widows of miners. Aimée is also the first name of Julien Doré's mother, who got involved in welcoming battered women. It is these struggles that were able to build the man and the awakened artist that he became. This 5th opus banishes the love songs that have made it successful until now to focus on current issues, notably ecology.. Exiled for three years in the Cévennes, the Nîmes singer intends to denounce the absurdities of the world and his great hopes, which is reflected in the title “Lampedusa”.
Julien Doré is in line with the singers who inspire him, such as Christophe and Francis Cabrel. The song “Kiki” is aimed at the younger generation and evokes the problem of climate change. This album, Julien Doré wants it to be less self-centered, the proof with the title “Nous”, we find in the choirs, the voices of his pianist’s daughters. The artist wanted this imprint of childhood which does not make a difference between the possibility of dreams and reality. The title “We” captures a feeling of rebellion and a desire to break free from social norms. Pop music remains catchy, the singer refuses to let himself be defeated and refuses the idea that it is impossible to tackle strong and sometimes sad subjects on pop music.
Julien Doré – Us (Official music video)
Julien Doré returns to us with a new album, a bit special since it is an album of covers: “Imposteur”. Among the titles chosen, “Pourvu qu'elles sont éclairs” by Mylène Farmer, but also “The midnight demons” and a little nursery rhyme “The crocodiles”, perhaps a nod to her son. On this album, he is not alone, duets as legendary as they are surprising can be discovered, including Hélène Ségara and Francis Cabrel for a cover of William Sheller's title: “Un homme Heureux”. Julien Doré even shares a duet with American actress Sharon Stone on “Paroles mots”, a cover of the hit by Dalida and Alain Delon. This cover album was unveiled with the title “All the women in your life”, originally performed by L5.
Julien Doré – All the women in your life (Official music video)
Always with this offbeat state of mind, which had pushed him a few years ago to play with journalists. For an interview, Gala magazine asked him for photos of him as a baby, he pushed his vice so far as to provide photos of a baby who was not him and who ended up on the full page. What is certain is that the artist has just released his album “Imposteur” and that he will once again be on the roads of France for a major tour of the zeniths which starts on March 1, 2025 in Aix-en-Provence.
