Barbara Pravi
French singer (born 1993)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Barbara Piévic (born 10 April 1993), known professionally as Barbara Pravi, is a French singer, songwriter, and actress. She represented France in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with the song "Voilà", securing second place, the best result for France since 1991.[1] Her debut album On n'enferme pas les oiseaux was released on 27 August 2021.
10 April 1993
- Singer
- songwriter
- actress
Barbara Pravi | |
|---|---|
Pravi in 2022 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Barbara Piévic 10 April 1993 Paris, France |
| Origin | Montmartre, France |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Labels | |
Partner | Antoine Molkhou (2021–present?) |
As a songwriter, Pravi has written songs for a number of artists, including Yannick Noah, Julie Zenatti, Chimène Badi, Kylie Minogue and Jaden Smith.
She additionally composed for Valentina and Lissandro, winners of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. She also notably starred in Claude Lelouch's "Finalement".
Early life
Barbara Piévic[2] (Serbian: Барбара Пјевић, Barbara Pjević) was born in Paris on 10 April 1993.[3] Her family primarily consists of artists and musicians. Pravi's father is of Serbian and Moroccan Jewish descent, while her mother is of Polish Jewish and Iranian origin.[4]
She was born and grew up in Asnières-sur-Seine, before moving to Montmartre. Her parents are Emmanuelle and Marc Piévic. She has notably also lived in Paris, Strasbourg Saint Denis and Burgundy. She also has a younger sister, Clémence Piévic, who is a psychologist. Clémence and Barbara also regularly donate and spread awareness to charities.
Career
2014–2018: Early career
Pravi began her music career in 2014, after meeting French musician Jules Jaconelli. With Jaconelli, she began composing songs. The following year, she released an original song titled "Amour Impoli",[5] which led to her signing a contract with Capitol Music France. She adopted the stage name Barbara Pravi from the Serbian word pravi (Serbian Cyrillic: прави, lit. 'real', 'authentic', in the masculine), as a homage to her Serbian grandfather.[6] Pravi has cited her musical influences as Barbara, Jacques Brel, Georges Brassens, Françoise Hardy, and Aragon.[7] Upon beginning her professional recording career, Pravi performed on the soundtrack of the French version of the Swiss film Heidi with the song "On m'appelle Heidi" and afterwards was cast as Solange Duhamel in the musical show Un été 44 in November 2016, performing songs written by Jean-Jacques Goldman, Charles Aznavour and Maxime Le Forestier.[8][9]
In 2017, Pravi released her first official single "Pas grandir".[10] The single was later included on her self-titled debut extended play, which was released the following year. Also in 2017, Pravi starred in the television film La Sainte famille, as the role of Marion,[11] which was later broadcast on France 2 in December 2019.[12] From 2017 until 2018, Pravi performed on the 55 Tour, supporting French singer Florent Pagny.[13] At the end of 2018, Pravi decided to alter her musical style by adopting a more traditional French chanson style, rather than the pop style that had dominated her early releases.[14]
Along with writing and composing her own songs, Pravi has written for several other artists including Yannick Noah,[15] Julie Zenatti,[16] Chimène Badi,[17] Jaden Smith,[12] Louane and Florent Pagny.[18]
2019-2021: Reviens pour l'hiver, Eurovision, Junior Eurovision
In the year 2019 she wrote the song "Bim Bam toi"[19][20] with Igit, with which Carla Lazzari represented France at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2019 in Gliwice and finally took 5th place; the sixth in jury vote and the third in the public vote. "Bim Bam Toi", reposted millions of times on TikTok, which won France their first TikTok golden disc in history. The song was later used in the video game Fortnite.
In February 2020, she released her sophomore EP Reviens pour l'hiver, which consists of 5 tracks. On 8 March of the same year, she released "Chair".
In the year 2020, she wrote the song "J’imagine"[21][22] with Igit, with which Valentina Tronel represented France at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Warsaw and won the competition. The song gave France its first Junior Eurovision Song Contest victory.
In December 2020, Pravi was announced to compete in the French national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2021. On 31 January 2021 she won the competition, gaining the right to represent France at the contest in Rotterdam and finally took 2nd place; but only reached third place in the televoting. Ultimately, Måneskin won the contest by a margin of 25 points, representing Italy. "Voilà" achieved France's best placement at the contest since 1991 as well as the highest points ever for a French entry in the competition (499).
2021–2023: On n'enferme pas les oiseaux, Francophonie Games, publishing and acting debut
In July 2021, Pravi announced her first international tour for her debut studio album, On n'enferme pas les oiseaux, which came out on 27 August 2021.[23][24]
Pravi performed "Voilà" as an interval act at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2021, which took place on 19 December in Paris.[25] Pravi also performed the song "L'homme et l'oiseau"at the 37th edition of the Victoires de la Musique, where she went on to win the Female Revelation of the Year award.[26][27]
In 2022, Pravi continued releasing songs, including "Prière pour soi" for International Women's Day,[28] and "365", which is dedicated to her fans.[29] Pravi also wrote the song "Oh maman!" with Frédéric Château, with which Lissandro Formica represented France at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Yerevan and ultimately won, bringing France its second Junior Eurovision win.[30][31]
On 21 December, Pravi was announced as Florence in the TV film Adieu vinyle, set to be shown on France 2 on 18 September 2023, after being premiered at the Angoulême Festival on 26 August 2023.[32]
Pravi announced on 6 January 2023 that she had signed to Virgin Records France after eight years at Capitol Music France.[33] She revealed two days later that she was in the process of writing and recording her second studio album.
On 13 January 2023, Pravi was announced as a temporary host on the BBC Sounds podcast show Music Life. The first episode she hosted included November Ultra, Pi Ja Ma, Yaël Naïm and Melissa Lauveux as guests, and the second episode described Pravi's tour playlist, "Sur la route" (English: On the road). This appearance followed her French radio debut on RTL2's Foudre with Waxx, during which she co-hosted several episodes with Waxx.
In late February 2023, Pravi announced her first book, Lève-toi, alongside a single of the same name. A collaboration with Editions Julliard, author Huriya Asmahan (who wrote the preface) and Aref Al-Haidari, Lève-toi was written in French and Arabic. The song was released on 8 March, while the book was released the following day.[34] In late May, Pravi was announced to star in Finalement, a film directed by Claude Lelouch.[35]
On 28 July, Pravi was announced as the opening act of the 9th edition of the Francophonie Games. which took place in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the same night. She sang the song "Lève toi" at the ceremony.[36]
On 27 August, Pravi announced a collaboration with Salvador Sobral for his new song "Les eaux qui me gardent" which was released on 29 August.
2024-present: La Pieva and continued acting career
On 19 January 2024 she released her new single "Bravo"[37] talking about self-confidence.[38]
On 8 March, Pravi released "Marianne" with Persian singer Golfshifteh Farahani. Soon later, she was announced as part of the cast for the France Televisions TV-series " Rebelle : les aventures de la jeune George Sand" (in French) which has also been trademarked as "GEORGE: Untamed Spirit" (in English).
On 6 June, Pravi announced her sophomore (second) album "La Pieva" (named after her family name, Piévic) and the albums eponymous song that would be released on 7 June.[39] She later announced the twelve song tracklist, which includes previously released singles.
On 23 July, Pravi (alongside Claude Lelouch and Kad Merad) announced that their upcoming movie Finalement, set to release on 13 November, has been nominated for the 81st Mostra de Venice Fiction Movie competition, being one of three French movies to be selected. Pravi plays the character Barbara as well as singing the entire soundtrack for the movie.[40] On 23 August, the soundtrack for Finalement was released on all streaming platforms, with the soundtrack directed by Ibrahim Maalouf and Didier Barbelivien.[41][42]
In October 2024, she commenced the first leg of the La Pieva tour, named after her sophomore album of the same name. On 23 October, it was announced that she would be on the French talent show Star Academy. Since October 2024, she has been a regular guest on Vivement dimanche to promote Claude Lelouch's Finalement, which has now been dubbed in English and Italian.
Personal life
Health
Pravi has been open about her experiences undergoing abortions in her youth. After her third abortion, she was diagnosed with hyperfertility.[43][44] Pravi has also experienced abuse from former partners.[45]
In 2022, she was also diagnosed with depression.[46]
Literature and law
Pravi has a deep connection with Persian literature, as her maternal grandfather is of Iranian descent. As a survivor of domestic violence, Pravi is active in the fight to end violence against women.[47] She has frequently contributed to music initiatives intended to promote causes involved with women's rights.[48][49][50][51][52] Pravi was also invited to perform "Notes pour trop tard" and speak at Emlyon Business School through TEDx to speak about her career and how she found self-confidence.[53]
In her adolescence, Pravi endured three abortions in "terrible conditions".[54] Pravi's husband at the time, who remains anonymous, was abusive towards her. They are now divorced.[55]
Philanthropy
In 2018, Pravi participated (as part of 39 Femmes; a project group which was formed of 39 French female musicians) in the song "Debout les femmes", which raised money for charitable causes.[56] The song was later used in the Amazon Prime movie Flashback.[57]
She is also the marraine (godmother) of the charity La Collective Arles.[58]
In October 2024, she participated in the Belgian charity show CAP48Heures, singing her latest song "Qui j'étais" as well as co-hosting their 48-hour live stream. Ultimately, it was announced that over 6 million euros had been raised.[59]
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FRA [60] |
BEL (FL) [61] |
BEL (WA) [62] |
NLD [63] |
SWI [64] | ||
| On n'enferme pas les oiseaux |
|
6 | 52 | 8 | 35 | 32 |
| La pieva |
|
26 | — | 64 | 76 | — |
| "—" denotes an album that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||
Extended plays
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Barbara Pravi[65] |
|
| Reviens pour l'hiver[66] |
|
| Les prières[67] |
|
| Les prières - racines[68] |
|
| Les prières - guérir[69] |
|
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album or EP | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FRA [60] |
BEL (FL) [61] |
BEL (WA) [62] |
GER [70] |
IRE [71] |
NLD [63] |
NOR [72] |
SWE [73] |
SWI [64] |
UK [74] | |||
| "On m'appelle Heidi" | 2016 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Heidi |
| "Pas grandir" | 2017 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Barbara Pravi |
| "You Are the Reason" (French Duet Version) (with Calum Scott) |
2018 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Le Malamour" | 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single |
| "Reviens pour l'hiver" | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Reviens pour l'hiver |
| "Chair" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "Voilà" | 24 | 36 | 34 | 62 | 40 [75] | 3 | 19 | 18 | 24 | 62 | On n'enferme pas les oiseaux | |
| "Le jour se lève" | 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "L'homme et l'oiseau" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Saute" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Priére pour soi" | 2022 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles |
| "365" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Lève-toi" | 2023 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Bravo" | 2024 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | La pieva |
| "Marianne" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "La pieva (Chez moi)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | La pieva | |
| "Exister" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Qui j'étais" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "L'exil et l'asile" | 2025 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles |
| "Des éclats dans les nuages" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Où es-tu?" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Prière pour reconstruire" | 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||
Soundtracks
| Year | Album name | Songs Featured |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Heidi | "On m'appelle Heidi" |
| 2016 | Un Été 44 | "Ma chambre", "Les Rochambelles", "Juste", "L'amour est tombé", "Lili sans sommeil", "Whisky vodka", "Paris au ciel d'été", "Seulement connu du Dieu", "Ne m'oublie pas", "Passer le nuit" |
| 2021 | Flashback | "Debout les femmes" |
| 2023 | Adieu Vinyle | "Adieu Vinyle" |
| 2024 | Finalement | "La folie de sentiments", "L'aventure sera toujour l'aventure", "Finalement" (with Kad Merad) |
| 2025 | On ira | "Voyage Voyage", TBA |
| 2025 | Peau d'homme | TBA |
Featurings
| Year | Song title | Other featured artists |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | You Are The Reason | Calum Scott |
| 2018 | Debout les femmes | 39 femmes (a group with 39 french artists) |
| 2019 | À Vide | Molitor |
| 2020 | Le temps de revenir à la vie | Terrenoire |
| 2020 | La fin du monde | Terrenoire |
| 2021 | Mi Amor | Quentin Mosimann, Antoine Delvig |
| 2022 | Les nouveaux rêves | Florent Pagny |
| 2023 | Les eaux qui me gardent | Salvador Sobral |
| 2024 | Homme | Coline Rio, Camille, Clou, Emily Loizeau, La Chica, Laura Cahen, Nach, Poppy Fusee, Raphaële Lannadére |
Songs used in games
| Year | Song | Game | Artist(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Bim Bam Toi | Fortnite | Carla Lazzari | |
| 2021 | Voilà | Let's Sing 2021 (French exclusive) | Barbara Pravi |
Songwriting credits
- Excluding songs with Pravi as the main vocalist
| Song title | Artist |
|---|---|
| Partons | Anaïs Delva |
| Sois | Anaïs Delva |
| L'un près de l'autre | Noee |
| Le bien le mal | Aöme |
| Ton nom déjà | Vaimalama |
| Loin d'ici | Angelina Nava |
| Ma voie | Angelina Nava |
| Maman me dit | Angelina Nava |
| C'est si beau ici | Angelina Nava |
| On oublie le reste | Jenifer, Kylie Minogue |
| Si je le dis | Chimène Badi, Antoine Delis |
| Bim Bam Toi | Carla Lazarri |
| Ce qui m'aime | Chimène Badi |
| Baraka | Yannick Noah |
| Pervers narcissique | Black M |
| J'imagine | Valentina Tronel |
| La fin du monde | Terrenoire |
| Pain | Jaden Smith |
| Faites-nous confiance | Valentina Tronel |
| On verra plus tard | Carla Lazzari |
| Aujourd'hui j'arrête | Carla Lazzari |
| Roller Coaster | Carla Lazzari |
| Pas folle | Carla Lazzari |
| Quand elle rentera | Florent Pagny |
| Les nouveaux rêves | Florent Pagny |
| Oh Maman! | Lissandro Formica |
| Alors chut | Carla Lazzari |
| Bim Bam Toi | Kidz Bop |
| Voilà (cover version) | Emma Kok, André Rieu |
| Voilà (cover version) | Emilio Piano |
| Éte beau | Ali |
| Tha S'Agapo | George Perris |
| Dear Parents | Tali Golergant |
Filmography
As an actress/notable roles as self
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Heidi | Heidi (singing voice) | Singing voice only |
| 2016 | Un été 44 | Solange Duhamel | Musical role |
| 2017 | La Sainte Famille | Marion | TV movie |
| 2021 | Barbara Pravi, voilà qui je suis | Self | TV special |
| 2021 | Révélations | Self | Amazon Music Documentary |
| 2023 | Adieu Vinyle | Florence | TV movie |
| 2024 | Finalement | Barbara | Cinema role |
| On fait quoi maintenant? | Self | Weekly web series leading up to the release of La Pieva | |
| Chez moi, Sur la route | Weekly web series | ||
| 2025 | On Ira | To be announced | Soundtrack, actress |
| La rebelle : Les aventures de la jeune George Sand | Marie Dorval | 4x52 TV series (Francophone title) | |
| Unknown | Finalement, ça ne finira jamais | Barbara | Cinema role, sequel to Finalement |
Other roles
Pravi got involved in the making of the film Finalement in 2021 as an actress but also behind the scenes. She worked as multiple roles for this movie.[76]
Her other roles in TV shows, movies, podcasts and music videos are available on her IMDb page.
Bibliography
| Year | Book name | Genre |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Lève toi (with Huriya Asmahan) | Poetry |
| 2023 | Pour tout l'art du monde (with Saphia Wespheal) | Autobiography |
| 2025 | Rue de la gaîté (main author: Axel Auliert) | Novel - credited as co-editor |
| 2025 (rumored release date) | TBA | TBA |
Radio and podcasts
| Year | Show Title | Role | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-? | Music Life | Host | Radio, BBC Sounds |
| 2024 | Les vagues | Temporary co-host | Podcast |
| 2024 | Le playlist | Host (unsure if permanent) | Radio Show |
| 2024 | La bibliothèque | Guest Host | Radio Show and Podcast |
| 2024 | Dans la jardin | Guest (with Élodie Filleul) | Podcast |
Awards and nominations
Non-Eurovision related awards
| Award | Year | Nominated work | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grands Prix Sacem | 2021 | "Voilà" | Rolf Marbot Award | Won | [77] |
| W9 D'or Award | 2021 | "Voilà" | Female Revelation of the Year | Won | [78] |
| Victoires de la Musique | 2022 | Herself | Female Revelation of the Year | Won | [79] |
| Prix Inter'val d'automne | 2022 | Herself | 2022 Favourite | 1st | [80] |
Eurovision related awards and success
| Year | Name Of Award/Competition | Nominated work | Artist | Category (if any) | Result | Songwriters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Eurovision France 2018 | L'un près de l'autre | Noee | No category | Semi final: 5th | Barbara Pravi, Jules Jaconelli, Tomislav Matosin, Mélanie Di Petrantonio |
| 2019 | Junior Eurovision 2019 | Bim Bam Toi | Carla Lazzari | No category | 5th place | Barbara Pravi, Antoine Barrau |
| 2020 | TikTok Viral Song | Bim Bam Toi | Carla Lazzari | No category | Won | Barbara Pravi, Antoine Barrau |
| 2020 | Junior Eurovision 2020 | J'imagine | Valentina Tronel | No category | Won | Barbara Pravi, Antoine Barrau |
| 2021 | Eurovision France, c'est vous qui décidez! | Voilà | Self | No category | Won | Barbara Pravi, Antoine Barrau, Lili Poe |
| 2021 | Marcel Bezençon Awards | Voilà | Self | Artistic Award | Won | Barbara Pravi, Antoine Barrau, Lili Poe |
| 2021 | Marcel Bezençon Awards | Voilà | Self | Press Award | Won | Barbara Pravi, Antoine Barrau, Lili Poe |
| 2021 | Eurovision 2021 | Voilà | Self | No category | Second Place | Barbara Pravi, Antoine Barrau, Lili Poe |
| 2022 | Junior Eurovision 2022 | Oh Maman! | Lissandro Formica | No category | Won | Barbara Pravi, Frederic Château |
- She has stated that she has been asked to compete in Eurovision prior to Voilà but the song and year is unknown.
