Corneille (singer)

Corneille
Corneille photo session, by Victor Diaz Lamich
Background information
Birth name	Cornelius Nyungura
Born	(1977-03-24) 24 March 1977 (age 39) Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
Origin	Rwanda
Genres	Soul, Rhythm and Blues
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1993-present

Cornelius Nyungura (born 24 March 1977) is a singer who performs under the name Corneille. He was born in Germany to Rwandan parents, spent most of his childhood in Rwanda, and eventually emigrated to Quebec, Canada in 1997. He sings in French and English. His work is greatly influenced by American funk and soul music; among those he admires are Prince, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder.

Corneille was born in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, although he spent much of his childhood in Rwanda. He discovered his passion for music in 1993, and so joined an R&B group, who won the Découverte 1993 competition. This also introduced him to songwriting and musical composition. However, his life changed after the Rwandan genocide in 1994. His father, Émile Nyungura, was a Tutsi leader of the political party PSD and therefore a target; Corneille witnessed the assassination of his parents and his three brothers and sisters when he was 16 years old. He fled to Germany, where some of his parents' friends took him in.

In July 1997, Corneille decided to leave Germany in order to pursue studies in communication, and moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada to attend Concordia University. During this time, he founded O.N.E., an R&B band, with Pierre Gage and Gardy Martin, whom he had met shortly after arriving in Quebec.Zoukin, one of the group's songs written by Corneille, rose to first place in Canadian airplay. Then, at the beginning of 2001, Corneille left the group, wishing to pursue a solo career. He began to centre his songs on his past.