Matt Pokora
| M. Pokora | |
|---|---|
M. Pokora in 2013
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Matthieu Tota |
| Also known as | MP |
| Born | 26 September 1985 |
| Origin | Strasbourg, France |
| Genres | Pop |
| Occupation(s) |
Singer-songwriter Dancer Actor Businessman |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Labels |
EMI France Universal Music France (2003–2006) |
| Website | mpokoramusic.fr |
Matthieu Tota (born 26 September 1985), commonly known as M. Pokora or Matt Pokora, is a French singer and songwriter who has sold more than 3 million records in France alone. In 2016, he became a coach for The Voice Kids France and The Voice : La plus belle voix.
Matthieu Tota is the son of professional footballer André Tota and Brigitte Tota. His parents divorced in 1998 when he was 13 years old. As a child, he studied in an elementary school in Hohberg, and later at Collège Paul-Émile Victor in Mundolsheim, and Lycée Aristide Briand in Schiltigheim near Strasbourg. When he was younger, football was his first ambition and he wanted to become a professional player. However, he later opted for music.
Matthieu Tota explained the origin of his stage name Matt Pokora in an interview during the documentary Mise à jour broadcast on 26 August 2010 on NRJ 12 TV channel. He said he was searching for an artistic name and happened to be talking to his grandmother of Polish origin and the importance of humility came up. He asked her "how do we say 'humility' in Polish language," and she said "pokora". Tota immediately decided to adopt the word as his stage name, and shortened his first name to Matt.
He earned some public attention as a member of French R&B group Mic Unity.
In fall 2003, he participated in the third season of Popstars, a French talent reality television show broadcast on M6. The concept of the program was to present possible candidates the winners of which would take part in the formation of a boy band or girl band. He was a crowd and jury favourite, and became a member of a boy band called Linkup formed with Lionel and Otis, two other winners in 2003 Popstars. The female winners were formed into another group Diadems formed of Marylore, Angel, Pookie, Ophélie and Alexandra. In the final showdown, the boy band including Matthieu Tota won the series over the girl band Diadems, who ended up runners-up.
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