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The Olympics 2024 kicked off with a stunning opening ceremony in Paris on Friday, July 26, 2024. The highlight of the evening was French singer-songwriter Juliette Armanet's emotional rendition of John Lennon's iconic 1971 song Imagine.
Armanet's performance was preceded by the Parade of Nations. Sofiane Pamart supported her on a piano set aflame. The pair performed aboard a small craft that floated down the Seine River.
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This is not the first time Imagine has been performed at the Olympics. The song, which speaks of world peace, has become a tradition at the international sporting event since its debut performance by Stevie Wonder during the closing ceremony in 1996.
Apart from the Olympics, Juliette Armanet has performed at the Cannes Film Festival opening ceremony
Juliette Armanet was born in Lille, France, on March 4, 1984, to bookseller parents with a love for the piano. Her father is the renowned post-modern composer, Jean-Pierre Armanet. With an avid interest in books and music, she began writing songs when she was just 14 years old.
According to Allmusic, the 40-year-old began her career working as a documentary journalist for six years before emerging as a musician in the 2010s with her debut single L'amour en Solitaire. This was followed by her EP Cacalier Seule (2016) and her first full-length album, Petit Amie.
The album won her the award for the Album révélation de l'année at the Victoires de la Musique Awards (the French equivalent of the Grammys) in 2018. The project peaked at No. 15 on the French charts and was certified double platinum by the SNEP (Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique, or National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing).
Armanet's second album, Brûler le feu (2021), debuted at No. 10 on the French charts. Its single, Le dernier jour du disco, an upbeat club song, peaked at the forty-second position.
In addition to the Olympics, Juliette Armanet has previously performed Les Moulins de Mon Cœur at the Cannes Film Festival opening ceremony. The musician also won the inRocKs lab competition in 2014.
The singer-songwriter is known for her Nouvelle Chanson (an offshoot of rock and electronica genres) style of music. Her other influences include Euro-pop, contemporary, and soul.
The Paris Olympics will be held from July 26 to August 11 across Paris and 16 other French cities, including in French Polynesia. This is the first time in the history of the Olympics that the Summer Games opening ceremony would be held outside the stadium.
Former French midfielder Zinedine Zidane kicked off the ceremony with a pre-recorded video of him sprinting with the torch.
In addition to Armanet, French opera singer Axelle Saint-Cirel sang the country's national anthem, La Marseillaise. Lady Gaga, the French metal band Gojira, rapper Rim'K, and Aya Nakamura also performed at the opening ceremony of the Olympics.
