Born on July 31: Jakie Quartz hides behind a pseudonym with 1000 facets

Her real name is Jacqueline Cuchet, the singer of "Mise au point" was born in 1955 in Paris.

However, she spent most of her childhood in Brittany before returning to Paris to train in singing, dancing, and acting. She achieved her first success in the early 1980s, notably thanks to a television show where she was invited by actress Annie Girardot. It was thanks to this unexpected boost that the first doors opened, and she met Manu Katché, a producer also known for being a drummer alongside Peter Gabriel.

Her first single, "Histoire éphémère," was quietly released in 1981, followed two years later by "Mise au point," a hit that went far beyond France to appeal to a large part of Europe. This catchy chorus, blending disco-rock and electro sounds, eventually sold over a million copies and still generates over 8 million streams on Spotify today!

Sometimes following in the footsteps of Jeanne Mas, she then released several albums in the 1980s, always tinged with romanticism, such as—with a touch of humor—"Alerte à la blonde!" (Alert to the Blonde!), "Vivre ailleurs" (1986), and "À la vie, à l'amour" (1987), all of which achieved some success.

Her fourth album in 1988, "Emotion au pluriel," marked an attempted comeback with the same artistic team from the beginning, but the public did not respond. Deemed too daring, even controversial, her single "Non, mais qu'est-ce que tu crois!" (Non, but what do you think!) was even boycotted by radio stations.

Like many artists of this generation, she now regularly participates in joint tours with a strong nostalgic flavor, such as "Totalement 80."

(MH with Stéphane Soupart - Photo : © Etienne Tordoir)

Photo: Jakie Quartz on an RTBf TV set in Brussels (Belgium) on September 6, 1983