Entertainment :: Music
Sliimy bares all with new album and tour by Joseph Erbentraut
EDGE ContributorTuesday Sep 15, 2009
At first glance, French pop sensation Sliimy (that rhymes with Jimmy, not slimy) might look and sound like an all-too-familiar face in the world of quirky pop stars from across the pond.
The musician, whose debut album "Paint Your Face" drops stateside this week, boosts a curly crop of hair and croon reminiscent of Mika, an unabashed personal touch to his lyrics like Lily Allen and a penchant for twee like Kate Nash. And he could very convincingly be cast as a young Prince if "Purple Rain" is ever remade for a Broadway musical or a straight-to-DVD sequel.
But don’t be fooled, this openly queer musician from Saint-Etienne, who was the first artist signed to Perez Hilton’s Warner Bros.-affiliated record label, has talent to back it up. Or some combination of other things, as the 21-year-old shared during a recent phone interview from his tiny studio in Paris.
Destiny, luck or talent?
"I don’t know how to explain it," said Sliimy, born Yanis Sahraouis, of his seemingly instantaneous rise to stardom. He has elicited Twitter posts from everyone from Katy Perry to Lady Gaga and was recently nominated for an MTV Europe music award. "I don’t know if it’s destiny, lucky, talent. It’s a lot of things, I suppose."
Sliimy’s skinny jean-adorned, big-hearted charm first caught the eye of many when he posted a cover of Britney Spears’ "Womanizer" on YouTube last fall. When Hilton posted the video, which has been viewed 500,000 times to date, on his celebrity blog, Sliimy was suddenly catapulted into the spotlight.
It wasn’t long before Hilton approached the musician to offer him a record deal and a chance at fulfilling a long-held dream of being an internationally-known pop star.
"It was one of my dreams to go and play in the U.S. when I was a kid," he shared. "I was singing in the car from when I was nine years old and also sang gospel. Music was really important to me to be more confident and happy, so I always listened to lots of different music: The Beatles, Elton John, Boy George, Michael Jackson."
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Watch Sliimy debut single "Wake Up."
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