Miguel Rafael Martos Sánchez (born May 5, 1943 Linares), often simply referred to as Raphael, is a worldwide acclaimed Spanish singer and television, film and theatre actor. A pioneer of modern Spanish music, he is considered a major influence in having opened the door and paving the way to the flood of Spanish singers that follow. His wide-range voice, added to his quality as showman, has entertained and engaged people worldwide for more than five decades.

Childhood[link]

Raphael was born Miguel Rafael Martos Sánchez in Linares, province of Jaén (Spain), on May 5, 1943. As a consequence, he is nicknamed both "El Ruiseñor de Linares" ("Nightingale of Linares") and "El Divo de Linares" ("The Divo from Linares"). His family moved to Madrid when he was nine months old, and he started singing when he was just three years-old. He joined a children's choir at age four. When he was 9, he was recognized as the best child voice in Europe at a contest in Salzburg, Austria.

Raphael in a concert.

Professional career[link]

Raphael began his professional career by signing with the Dutch record label Philips. To distinguish himself, he adopted the "ph" of the company's name and christened himself 'Raphael'. His first singles were "Te voy a contar mi vida" and "A pesar de todo", among others. Raphael adopted his own peculiar singing style from the beginning; he is known for acting each one of his songs while on stage, emphasizing his gestures with high dramatic effect. It is not unusual for Raphael to ad lib lyrics as to localize a song depending on the venue he's singing at, wear Latin American peasant costumes and dance folk dances within a song, kicking and demolishing a mirror, or doing the moves of a flamenco dancer or a bullfighter onstage. He also possesses a wide vocal range, which he often used in the beginning of his career as to evoke a choirboy approach to some songs.

When he was nineteen, he won first, second and third awards at the famous Benidorm International Song Festival, Spain, 1962, with the songs: "Llevan", "Inmensidad" and "Tu Conciencia". After a brief relation with Barclay record label, who produced just an EP, he signed contract with Hispavox recording company, and began a long artistic relationship with the musical director of this label, the late, talented argentinian orchestrator Waldo de los Ríos and intensify the partnership with outstanding Spanish songwriter Manuel Alejandro.

In 1966 and 1967 he represented Spain at the XII and XIII Eurovision Song Contest in Luxembourg, singing "Yo soy aquél" and Vienna, "Hablemos del amor" and placing both 7th and 6th position, although he did not win. It was the first time that Spain obtained a high place in the competition,leaving the door ready for the next year victory which Spain got with "La, la, la", another song of modern style too,which for political reasons still in Spain then was sung instead by Massiel. This served as a turning point in Raphael's career, making him an international star. He traveled and performed worldwide in Europe, Latin America, the United States, Russia and Japan. Songs such as "Yo soy aquel" (his signature song), "Cuando tú no estás", "Mi gran noche", "Digan lo que digan", "Tema de amor", "Estuve enamorado" and "Desde aquel día" cemented his status as a major international singing star.

Raphael also began a lucrative film career, appearing in, Cuando tú no estás (Mario Camus, 1966), which was followed by Al ponerse el Sol (Mario Camus, 1967) Digan lo que digan (Mario Camus, 1968, filmed in Argentina), El golfo (1969, filmed in México), El ángel (1969), Sin Un Adiós (1970, partially filmed in England) and Volveré a nacer (1972).

Latin American popularity[link]

As Raphael became a success in Latin America, he made a habit of recording Latin American folk standards including "Huapango torero", "Sandunga" and "Llorona"; they were hits in Mexico.

He appeared live on The Ed Sullivan Show with great success on October 25, 1970, singing (in Spanish, English and Italian) "Hallelujah" and "Hava Nagila." He appeared again on December 27, 1970, with the songs "Maybe"(Somos), "When my love is around" (Cuando llega mi amor) and "The sound of the trumpet" (Balada de la trompeta).

In 1975, Raphael began his own successful program on Spanish Television called "El Mundo de Raphael", where he sang with international stars. He also had a radio program, where he and his wife spoke with and interviewed outstanding personalities, and he starred in soap operas, starting with the Mexican production "Donde termina el camino", shown in the spring of 1978 and later in other countries like Peru and Chile.

Raphael succeeded in the early 1980s with songs such as "¿Qué tal te va sin mí?", "Como yo te amo", "En carne viva" and "Estar enamorado." In 1981, he was awarded with the Uranium Disk for exceeded sales over 50 million albums around the world on Hispavox record label. During 1984 and 1985 he recorded two albums with songs written by José Luis Perales like "Ámame", "Yo sigo siendo aquel", "Dile que vuelva", "Y... Cómo es él" and "Estoy llorando hoy por ti".

In 1984 a parody of "Yo soy aquél" was used in a radio spot in Puerto Rico's gubernatorial race. Then-governor Carlos Romero Barceló used the parody (complete with a Raphael sound-alike) namely as a jab against opponent, Raphael's namesake, (and noted Spanophile), former governor Rafael Hernández Colón. Raphael was surprised by the unauthorized use of the music, but was highly amused by the reference.

In 1987 he left Hispavox and signed a contract with Columbia (now Sony Music), where he again recorded songs written by Roberto Livi like "Toco madera", "Maravilloso corazón". In 1991 he had a hit with "Escándalo" in Spain, Latin America, and in Japan, where it reached number one. At the end of the 90s, after ending a contract with PolyGram, he went back to EMI. In 1998 the artist published the first part of his memories: "¿Y mañana qué?", from his childhood until his marriage in 1972.

Raphael took part in the 2000 Spanish version of the stage musical Jekyll & Hyde for seven months, with great success.

Personal life[link]

He married journalist and writer Natalia Figueroa, in Venice (Italy) on 14 July 1972. They have three children: Jacobo, Alejandra and Manuel.

Raphael's health faced a major setback in 2003, when his liver started failing due to a latent bout with Hepatitis B; he recovered successfully after a transplant. Since then he is an active organ donation promoter.

Awards and accomplishments[link]

Raphael can be singled out as one of the most important singers in the Spanish language for the second half of the twentieth century, along with Joan Manuel Serrat, Camilo Sesto, Juan Gabriel, Julio Iglesias, Luis Miguel, Rocío Dúrcal, Rocío Jurado and José José.

Discography[link]

• Raphael (1965)
• Raphael Canta (1966)
• Al Ponerse El Sol (1967)
• Digan Lo Que Digan (1967)
• El Golfo (1968)
• El Angel (1969) - Ecuador Only)
• Raphael (1969)
• Aqui! (1969)
• Live at the Talk of the Town (1970) (recorded at the London Talk of the Town)
• Aleluya (1970)
• Algo Mas (1971)
• Hablame De Amor (1971)
• Volvere A Nacer (1972)
• Le Llaman Jesus (1973)
• From Here On (1973) - English Album
• Ven Conmigo! (1974)
• Dama Dama (1974)
• Que Diran De Mi (1974) - United States Only
• Sombras (1974) (Ecuador)
• No Eches La Culpa Al Gitano (1974)
• Recital Hispanoamericano (1975) - With Los Gemelos
• Con El Sol De La Manana (1976)
• Raphael Canta Boleros (1976)
• Una Forma Muy Mia De Amar (1978)
• Y Sigo Mi Camino (1980)
• Vivo Live Direct (1980) - 20th Anniversary & Live Double Album
• En Carne Viva (1981)
• Raphael: Ayer, Hoy y Siempre (1982) - Greatest Hits
• Enamorado De La Vida (1983)
• Eternamente Tuyo (1984)
• Yo Sigo Siendo Aquel (1985) - 25th Anniversary
• Todo Una Vida (1986)
• Las Apariencias Enganan (1988)
• Maravilloso Corazon, Maravilloso (1989)
• Andaluz (1990)
• Ave Fenix (1992)
• Fantasia (1994)
• Desde el fondo de mi alma (1995)
• Punto y Seguido (1997)
• Vete (1997) - Duet with Nino Bravo
• Jekell & Hyde (2001)
• Maldito Raphael (2001)
• De Vuelta (2003)
• Vuelve Por Navidad (2004)
• A Que No Te Vas (2006) - Duet with Rocio Jurado
• Cerca de ti (2006)
• Maravilloso Raphael (2007)
• Archivo: Raphael 50 Anos Despues (2008)
• Viva Raphael! (2009)
• Raphael En Directo y Al Completo (2009)
• Te Llevo En El Corazon (2010)

Filmography[link]

• Las Gemelas (1963) - As "singer"
• Cuando Tu No Estas (1966) - As himself
• Al Ponerse El Sol (1967) - As David Alonso
• Digan Lo Que Digan (1968) - As Pablo
• El Angel (1969)
• Sin Un Adios (1970) - As Mario
• Volvere A Nacer (1973) - As Alex
• Donde Termina El Camino (1978)

External links[link]

• Raphael's official site
• Raphael's Worldwide site
• Letra de su canción Yo Soy Aquél (Spanish and English)
• Letra de su canción Hablemos Del Amor (Spanish and English)

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy
First Lady of France
In office 2 February 2008 – 15 May 2012
President	Nicolas Sarkozy
Preceded by	Cécilia Ciganer-Albéniz
Succeeded by	Valérie Trierweiler
Personal details
Born	(1967-12-23) 23 December 1967 (age 44) Turin, Italy
Spouse(s)	Nicolas Sarkozy (2008–present)
Children	Aurélien (by Enthoven) Giulia (by Sarkozy)

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy^[1] (born Carla Gilberta Bruni Tedeschi, Italian pronunciation: [ˈkarla dʒilˈbɛrta ˈbruːni teˈdeski]; 23 December 1967) is an Italian-French songwriter, singer, actress, and former model. She has been married to Nicolas Sarkozy, the former President of the French Republic, since February 2008.

Early life[link]

Carla Gilberta Bruni Tedeschi was born in Turin, Italy, and is heiress to the fortune created by the Italian tyre manufacturing company CEAT, founded in the 1920s by her grandfather Virginio Bruni Tedeschi. The company was sold in the 1970s to Pirelli (the brand lives on via its former subsidiary in India, founded in 1958).^[2] The family moved to France in 1975,^[3] reportedly to escape the threat of kidnapping by the Red Brigades, a Marxist-Leninist Revolutionary group active in Italy in the 1970s. Bruni grew up in France from age seven and attended boarding school in Switzerland. She went to Paris to study art and architecture, but left school at 19 to become a model.^[4]

She is legally the daughter of Italian concert pianist Marisa Borini and industrialist and classical composer Alberto Bruni Tedeschi. However, in 2008 Bruni told Vanity Fair that her biological father is Italian-born, Brazilian grocery magnate Maurizio Remmert. At that time, Remmert was a 19-year old classical guitarist, and his affair with Borini lasted six years.^[3] Her sister is actress and movie director Valeria Bruni Tedeschi. She had a brother, Virginio Bruni Tedeschi (1959–4 July 2006), who died from complications of HIV/AIDS.^[5]

From her biological father, she has a half-sister, Consuelo Remmert.^[6]

Career[link]

1987–1996: early career and modeling[link]

Bruni signed with City Models at age 19.^[4] Paul Marciano, president and creative director of Guess? Inc., came across her picture among composite cards of aspiring models and chose her to model with Estelle Lefébure in campaigns for Guess? jeans.^[4] Bruni subsequently worked for designers and fashion houses such as Christian Dior, Givenchy, Paco Rabanne, Sonia Rykiel, Christian Lacroix, Karl Lagerfeld, John Galliano, Yves Saint-Laurent, Shiatzy Chen, Chanel and Versace.^[4] By the 1990s, Bruni was among the 20 highest-paid fashion models, earning $7.5 million a year. While modeling, Bruni dated Eric Clapton, then Mick Jagger.^[7] On 11 April 2008, a 1993 nude photograph of Bruni sold at auction for US$91,000 (€65,093) – more than 60 times the expected price.^[8] She was a modeling subject of a 1999 trompe-l'œil wool-knit dress body painting by Joanne Gair that is included in Gair's second book, Body Painting: Masterpieces by Joanne Gair.^[9]

1997–2005: music career and debut album[link]

Carla Bruni with actor Vincent Pérez at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival.

In 1997, Bruni quit the world of fashion to devote herself to music.^[3] She sent her lyrics to Julien Clerc in 1999, based on which he composed six tracks on his 2000 album Si j'étais elle.^[10]

In 2002, her debut album Quelqu'un m'a dit, produced by Louis Bertignac, was released in Europe with success in Francophone countries.^[10] Three songs from the album appear in Hans Canosa's 2005 American film Conversations with Other Women,^[11] the song Le Plus Beau du quartier was used in H&M's Christmas 2006 commercial, and the title track was featured in the 2003 movie Le Divorce^[12] and in the 2009 movie (500) Days of Summer.^[13] In January 2010, her song "L'amoureuse" was featured in an episode of NBC's Chuck, "Chuck vs. First Class".^[14]

In 2005, she wrote the lyrics for ten out of twelve songs for Louis Bertignac's new album Longtemps, and performed two duets with him on the album, Les Frôleuses and Sans toi.^[15] In 2006, Bruni recorded "Those Little Things", an English-language translation of the Serge Gainsbourg song "Ces petits riens" for the tribute album Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited. She took part in the opening ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics in a parade paying tribute to the Italian flag.

[edit] 2006–2008: No Promises and Comme si de rien n'était

Her second album, No Promises containing poems by William Butler Yeats, Emily Dickinson, W. H. Auden, Dorothy Parker, Walter de la Mare, and Christina Rossetti, set to music, was released in January 2007.

She continued recording after her marriage. She released her third album Comme si de rien n'était on 11 July 2008. The songs are self-penned except for one rendition of "You Belong to Me" and another song featuring Michel Houellebecq's poem La Possibilité d'une île set to music.^[16] Royalties from the album will be donated to unidentified charitable and humanitarian cause.^[17]

2009–present: new studio album and other projects[link]

Bruni sang for Nelson Mandela's 91st birthday on 18 July 2009 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.^[18]

In September 2009, she recorded a duet with Harry Connick, Jr. for the French edition of his album Your Songs. They sang the Beatles song "And I Love Her".^[19] The album was released in France on 26 October 2009.^[20]

Following months of speculation, in a television interview broadcast on 23 November 2009, Bruni revealed that she had accepted a role in a forthcoming Woody Allen film. She admitted her reasoning for embarking on the Paris production; "I'm not an actress at all. Perhaps I'll be completely hopeless but I can't miss an opportunity like this one. When I'm a grandmother I'd like to be able to say I made a film with Woody Allen."^[21][22] The film, Midnight in Paris, was released in 2011; Bruni appeared as a guide at the Musée Rodin, who discusses sculptor Auguste Rodin with the leading characters.

In September 2010, she contributed a cover of David Bowie's "Absolute Beginners" to the War Child charity record We Were So Turned On : a tribute to David Bowie (Manimal Vinyl). They also released the track as a split 7" vinyl split with UK legends, Duran Duran.^[23]

Italian singer/songwriter Simone Cristicchi’s entry in the 2010 San Remo Italian Song Festival was the song “Meno Male”, with the chorus lyrics of “Meno male che c’è Carla Bruni” (“Thank goodness for Carla Bruni”). The song appears to mock Bruni and her husband, but Cristicchi stated in an interview for Italian television weekly TV Sorrisi e Canzoni that the song is about “our way of being Italian, [we are] always ready to follow any type of gossip and are uninterested in real problems”.^[24] Bruni was to be a guest singer at the 2010 San Remo festival but withdrew from participating, purportedly because she was offended by Cristicchi’s song.^[25]

Personal life[link]

Marriage to Nicolas Sarkozy[link]

Carla Bruni with Michelle Obama

Bruni met the recently divorced French president Nicolas Sarkozy in November 2007 at a dinner party.^[26] After a brief romance they married on 2 February 2008 at the Élysée Palace in Paris. The marriage is Bruni's first and Sarkozy's third. Bruni obtained French nationality not long afterwards.^[1] She has since made contradictory statements as to whether she still holds Italian nationality as well.^[27]

Following her marriage to Sarkozy, in February 2008, Bruni continued accompanying him on state visits, including to the United Kingdom in March 2008, which created a sensation in the international press and the public in the UK and France.^[28] She has an office and staff at her disposal in the East wing of the Élysée Palace.^[29]

There was controversy on the eve of the state visit to the UK, with the publication by Christie's auction house of a nude photograph of Bruni taken during her career as a model.^[30] The photograph sold for $91,000.^[31] There was also great interest in Bruni's wardrobe, which was Christian Dior, seen as a diplomatic choice, being a French design house designed by John Galliano, a British designer.^[32] Another controversy was the use of a popular photo of the French President and Bruni in the print advertising of Ryanair. The couple was awarded damages by a French court^[33] which they donated to Les Restos du Cœur, an organisation which provides meals to the homeless.

In December 2008, Bruni sued the makers of a bag featuring a nude shot of the French first lady taken during her supermodelling youth. Clothes designer Pardon has produced 10,000 of the shopping bags emblazoned with the nude photo taken in 1993, showing Bruni staring at the camera with her crossed hands covering her crotch.^[34]

On 19 October 2011, Carla Bruni gave birth to a baby girl, Giulia, in the Clinique de la Muette, in Paris.

Carla Bruni at the 2009 NATO summit, 4 April 2009.

Philanthropy and charity work[link]

Involved for years in humanitarian and charity work, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy became world ambassador for the protection of mothers and children against HIV in 2008.^[35] In April 2009, she launched the Fondation Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, to promote access to culture and knowledge for all.^[36][37]

In a letter of support to the association People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), she took a position against fur in fashion.^[38]

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy is involved in various charitable activities. She gave her royalties for her album Comme si de rien n’était to the Fondation de France,^[39][40] and supports different events or causes, such as the Born HIV Free campaign,^[41] animal rights,^[42][43] the Nelson Mandela foundation, the French association Aides for AIDS research, the French association La Chaîne de l'Espoir or the association Warchild UK. She also participated in a concert with Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin for the 91st birthday of Nelson Mandela,^[44][45] and recorded a song for the album We Were So Turned On: A Tribute to David Bowie.^[46] She is involved in the promotion of young artists, and did a duet with French singer Marc Lavoine for the Prix Constantin, an annual French music prize awarded to newer artists.^[47][48] Furthermore, she supported French guitarist Jean-Pierre Danel's charity album,^[49][50] and sold a self-portrait to the benefit of third-world children.^[51]

Bruni met the Dalai Lama in August 2008 at Lerab Ling, a Buddhist temple on a hill in Languedoc, France.^[52] Bruni received Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to France in September 2008.^[53] Bruni visited New York City in September 2008 with her husband, where she attended a meeting on poverty and female mortality with Queen Rania and Wendi Murdoch, met for lunch with First Lady Laura Bush at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the Symposium on Advancing Global Literacy and attended the General Assembly in the UN with her husband.^[54] She also attended state dinners with the Emir of Qatar and wife and with Iraq's president in Paris in 2009. She and Sheikha Mozah (wife of Emir of Qatar) will be working together on the topic of education promotion.^[55] Bruni visited Doha on invitation of Sheikha Mozah in November 2009.^[55] She also took cause for a woman in Iran, Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani, fighting a death penalty by stoning.^[56][57]

In April 2009, Carla was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III on the occasion of the couple's Spanish State Visit.^[58]

In October 2009 she launched CarlaBruniSarkozy.org, a website largely dealing with her philanthropic work.

In January 2010, Carla visited Benin, her second visit as ambassador for The Global Fund.^[59] She also received Haitian orphans who survived the Haiti 2010 earthquake and were adopted by French families.^[60]

She has been critical of Pope Benedict XVI on the controversial topic of religion and AIDS.^[61] According to Le Canard Enchainé, Bruni was asked by Vatican officials not to join her husband in an official visit for fear that the Italian newspapers would reprint racy pictures dating from her modelling career.^[62]

In late August 2010, Iran's state-run daily paper Kayhan called Bruni-Sarkozy a 'prostitute' after she had condemned the stoning sentence against Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani for adultery in an open letter, along with several French celebrities.^[63] The paper later also called for Bruni to be put to death for supporting Sakineh Ashtiani, and for what the paper described as Bruni's moral corruption and having had extra-marital affairs herself. Even though Kayhan is a state-sponsored paper and it continued its tirade against Bruni along with other state-run Iranian media, Iranian officials tried to distance themselves from that violent stance and openly condemned it, while a spokesman for the French Foreign Ministry criticized the comments as being 'unacceptable'.^[64] President Ahmedinejad also condemned the remark made by the paper.^[65]

Other relationships[link]

It has been claimed that Bruni has been involved with Louis Bertignac, Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, Léos Carax, Charles Berling, Arno Klarsfeld, Vincent Pérez^[66] and former French Prime Minister Laurent Fabius.^[67][68]

The Enthovens[link]

While living with Jean-Paul Enthoven, Bruni fell in love and started an affair with his son, philosophy professor Raphaël Enthoven (the song "Raphäel" from Bruni's album Quelqu'un m'a dit is named after him), who was at the time married to novelist Justine Lévy, daughter of philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy.^[69] Bruni later denied ever having an affair with Raphaël's father in an interview published in Vanity Fair, "I never slept with him, not even a minute."^[3]

The affair and the end of her marriage inspired Justine's 2004 book Rien de Grave (published in English in 2005 as Nothing Serious).^[70]

Bruni and Raphaël had a son, Aurélien, in 2001. Bruni told Vanity Fair that the couple broke up in May 2007 because Raphaël thought their relationship did not have a commitment.^[3]

Discography[link]

Filmography[link]

Honours[link]

Foreign Honours[link]

•  Spain: Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III ^[74]

Further reading[link]

• Gair, Joanne (2006). Body Painting: Masterpieces by Joanne Gair. Universe Publishing. plates section. ISBN 0-7893-1509-2. 

References[link]