Background and career
Mylène Jeanne Gautier (French pronunciation: [milɛn ʒan ɡotje]; born 12 September 1961), known professionally as Mylène Farmer (pronounced [milɛn faʁmœʁ]), is a French singer-songwriter and record producer. Having sold more than 35 million records worldwide, she is among the most successful recording artists of all time in France, where she holds the record for the most number one hit singles, with twenty-one – eight of which were consecutive. Born in Pierrefonds, Quebec, Canada (a former city now part of the Montreal borough of Pierrefonds-Roxboro), to French parents, the family soon relocated to Chaville, near Paris, where Farmer pursued a career in modelling and acting. She later gained prominence as a recording artist with the release of her debut single "Maman a tort" in 1984. In 1988, she released her second studio album, Ainsi soit je..., which sold 1.5 million copies in France. The album spawned Farmer's first number one on the French singles chart, "Pourvu qu'elles soient douces". Her third studio album, L'autre..., sold two million copies, becoming Farmer's best-selling album to date. Its lead single, "Désenchantée", became Farmer's most successful single, and is often described as her signature song. Departing from the synth-pop and Europop soundscape of her first albums, Farmer reinvented her musical style with the release of her fourth studio album, Anamorphosée, in 1995. Recorded in the United States, the album features more live instrumentation and shows rock and R&B-oriented influences. Her fifth studio album, Innamoramento, was released in 1999, featuring more electronic influences. In the second part of the 2000s, Farmer continued exploring a range of genres on her albums, namely acoustic pop music on Avant que l'ombre... and electronica on Point de suture. In 2010, Farmer released her eighth studio album, Bleu noir. The album marked Farmer's return to the dark synth-pop and Europop production of her first albums. The lead single, "Oui mais... non", sold over 130,000 copies in France. In 2015, Farmer's tenth studio album, Interstellaires, debuted at number one in France; the album was preceded by the lead single "Stolen Car", a duet with Sting, which reached the number one position on the French singles chart in September 2015. Her eleventh studio album, Désobéissance, was released in 2018, debuting at number one and selling over 265.000 copies. In addition to her music career, Farmer also worked as a lyricist for French singer Alizée, while also being responsible for her image and public appearances. Her debut single, "Moi... Lolita", co-written by Farmer, reached number one in several countries in Europe, and peaked at number nine on the UK Singles Chart in February 2002. Farmer made her film debut in 1994, starring in Giorgino, and in 2018, she starred in the English-language horror film Ghostland. Throughout her career, Farmer has broken a number of records. She is one of the best-selling French singer since 1984, has a record number of diamond records, and she is the only artist to have obtained a diamond album in four consecutive decades. Selling over two million copies, her 2001 greatest hits album Les Mots is the highest-selling compilation album by a French recording artist.
Having been born in Canada, her family relocated to France when Farmer was eight years old. When she first arrived in France, she took speech classes after her school declared her Québécois accent to be "improper". At the age of 17, Farmer discovered acting and undertook a three-year course at the Cours Florent, a drama school in Paris. Changing her name to Mylène Farmer as a tribute to her idol, 1930s Hollywood actress Frances Farmer, she began to earn a living as a model acting in several TV adverts, such as those for IKEA, Fiskars and Caisse d'Epargne. Farmer also appeared in a local stage production of Le père Noël est une ordure. In 1984, Farmer met Laurent Boutonnat, a young film student, after answering a newspaper advert for an actress for a small film project he was working on. Farmer and Boutonnat became friends and forged a creative partnership, writing and producing the music. Boutonnat, whose ambition was to become a film director, became the creative force behind Farmer's videos. In 1984, Farmer recorded and released the song "Maman a tort", written by Boutonnat and Jérôme Dahan. The trio continued to work together on what would become Farmer's first studio album.
Farmer's debut studio album, Cendres de lune, was released in 1986. During the recording process, it was decided that Farmer would write lyrics and Boutonnat would write music and direct the music videos. "Libertine" was released as the lead single of the album, accompanied by a music video in the style of a short film, inspired by 19th century literature. In 1988, Boutonnat and Farmer started work on her second album, Ainsi soit je.... The album sold 1.5 million copies in France and spawned Farmer's first number one on the French singles chart, "Pourvu qu'elles soient douces". The album also features the songs "Sans contrefaçon" and the Juliette Gréco cover "Déshabillez-moi". Ainsi soit je... was the best-selling female album of the 1980s in France. Following the positive response to small-scale concerts at the Palais de Sport, Farmer agreed to embark on a 50-date tour throughout francophone Europe in 1989. The tour saw Farmer play in arenas and featured dancers and outfits designed by French fashion designer Thierry Mugler. A live album documenting the tour was released at the end of that year, titled En Concert. Farmer released the song "Désenchantée" in March 1991. An uptempo pop song, "Désenchantée" talks about a disillusioned generation. The song was preceded by a number of demonstrations in Paris, led by high-school students, who were "protest[ing] against overcrowded classrooms, inadequate security and too few teachers". The song ended up spending nine weeks atop the French singles chart, becoming Farmer's most successful single to date and her signature song. The song was also successful in Belgium, where it spent six weeks at number one, and it was a top ten hit in several European countries. Its accompanying music video, shot in Budapest, sees Farmer play a rebelling prisoner in a concentration camp. Led by the success of "Désenchantée", L'autre... was released in April 1991. The album spent twenty consecutive weeks on top of the French album charts, becoming Farmer's best-selling studio album to date with two million copies sold. The album also charted in Switzerland, Sweden and Germany. To further promote the album, the singles "Regrets", "Je t'aime mélancolie" and "Beyond My Control" were released. 1992 saw the release of the remix compilation Dance Remixes. It was led by the single "Que mon cœur lâche", which deals with the topic of AIDS and sexual relations. It was accompanied by a video directed by Luc Besson, in which Farmer plays an angel sent down to earth by God to report on the changing ways people experience love.
In 1994, Farmer starred in the film Giorgino, written and directed by Boutonnat. The film received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics and was a box-office bomb. Following this, Farmer relocated to Los Angeles. While in the U.S., Farmer and Boutonnat started working on her fourth studio album, Anamorphosée. The album marked an artistic turn for Farmer, moving away from her early synth-pop music in favour of pop rock, R&B and new jack swing influences. The album was launched by "XXL", the music video of which was directed by Marcus Nispel and features Farmer strapped to the front of a moving train. To further promote the album, the singles "L'Instant X", "California", "Comme j'ai mal" and "Rêver" were released. The music video for "California" was directed by American filmmaker Abel Ferrara and features Farmer in a dual role. The album differs lyrically from Farmer's previous work: "Rêver" deals with the Holocaust and features a call for tolerance, "XXL" talks about universal love from a feminist perspective, and "L'Instant X" offers a humorous look at the end of the world. In summer 1996, Farmer embarked on her second concert tour, during which she performed 21 shows in arenas around France, Belgium and Switzerland. Inspired by American concert tours, Farmer performed the majority of songs from Anamorphosée, songs from her previous studio albums, and a cover of "La Poupée qui fait non" with French singer Khaled. The corresponding live album, Live à Bercy, was released in May 1997. Farmer released her fifth studio album Innamoramento in 1999. The album was preceded by "L'Âme-stram-gram", an uptempo techno song with a music video inspired by the film A Chinese Ghost Story. Both the single and the album reached the second position on the French charts. The music video for the second single, "Je te rends ton amour", sparked controversy because of its religious and transgressive imagery, and was censored by French TV channel M6. Consequently, the video was released on VHS, with the profits donated to French charity Sidaction to support HIV/AIDS research. Furthermore, the singles "Souviens-toi du jour", "Optimistique-moi" and "Innamoramento" were released in promotion of the album. In late 1999, Farmer embarked on her third concert tour, the Mylenium Tour. The stage of the show featured aerial structures and a pharaonic statue at the centre of the stage. Farmer performed 42 shows in total, including three shows in Russia, her first concerts in a non-French-speaking country. The tour concluded in March 2000.
In 2000, Farmer and Boutonnat started working on songs and video ideas they felt appropriate for a younger singer. They discovered Alizée Jacotey on the French television show Graines de stars. Farmer and Boutonnat wrote and produced Alizée's albums Gourmandises (2001) and Mes courants électriques (2003). In addition, Farmer was also responsible for Alizée's image and public appearances. Her debut single, "Moi... Lolita", written by Farmer, reached number one in several countries in Europe, and peaked at number nine on the UK Singles Chart in February 2002. It also went on to sell more than one million copies in France. In 2005, after two albums and a concert tour, Alizée amicably parted ways with the duo to work with different songwriters and producers. In 2001, Farmer recorded "L'Histoire d'une fée, c'est..." for the animated film Rugrats in Paris: The Movie. At the end of the year, Universal released Farmer's first greatest hits collection: Les Mots. Les Mots was the best-selling album of 2001 and 2002, and remains the best-selling greatest hits album in France with more than 1.5 million copies sold. The album also featured new tracks, including the title track, a duet with British singer Seal, "C'est une belle journée" and "Pardonne-moi". After a hiatus of four years, Farmer held a press conference in 2005, announcing her new album, Avant que l'ombre..., the single "Fuck Them All", as well as a special 13-night concert engagement at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in January 2006. The residency in Bercy featured a complex set designed by Mark Fisher, including two stages, a mobile bridge to link the two stages and a water curtain used to project words and the singer's silhouette. A live album and a concert DVD, Avant que l'ombre... à Bercy, were released in December 2006. Following this, Farmer and American electronic musician Moby worked on the French-language duet version of the singer's song "Slipping Away", with the French lyrics translated by Farmer herself. In 2007, Farmer recorded a song "Devant soi" for the soundtrack of the film Jacquou le Croquant, and worked as a voice actress in Luc Besson's animated feature Arthur and the Minimoys, lending her voice to Princess Selenia. Farmer would later reprise her role in the film's two sequels.
Farmer's seventh studio album, Point de Suture, was released on 25 August 2008, debuting at number one on the French album chart. Along with its lead single "Dégénération", the album features more electronic instrumentation and is predominately uptempo. Other singles released from the album include "Appelle mon numéro" and "C'est dans l'air", both of which charted at number one on the French singles chart.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
