Overview
A mentor, Jean-Jacques Debout, and her first hit song, "Adieu les jolis foulards", secured Chantal Goya idol status among young children.
Chantal Goya and her characters have captivated several generations who, filled with nostalgia, continue to adore her with the same sense of wonder.
Chantal Goya was just five years old when she left Indochina to return to France with her family. As a teenager, she began to put on little musical shows for children. But it was in cinema, in 1963, that she made her debut in the film “Charade,” alongside Audrey Hepburn and Gary Grant.
It was during this period that she met a young composer, Jean-Jacques Debout... It was love at first sight. That was when Chantal de Guerre became Chantal Goya, after Jean-Jacques told her one day that she looked like a portrait by Goya.
Children and their parents marvel at the sumptuous sets and costumes of her musicals. Chantal Goya has been performing to sell-out crowds for years, at venues such as the Olympia, the Palais des Congrès, throughout France, and in every French-speaking country.
Jean-Jacques Debout, the son of General de Gaulle’s optician, told his father that he would not be taking over the family business and was kicked out of the family home in Saint-Mandé. After being expelled from every school, the young boy developed a passion for music and began singing in a choir. His grandmother enrolled him in a singing competition held in the Place du Tertre. He sang a classic by Charles Trenet, who came along to watch and congratulated the young man on his delivery.
The swinging sixties arrived and Jean-Jacques composed songs for stars such as Sylvie Vartan and Johnny Hallyday. He met Chantal Goya and returned to cabaret, composing songs for Roland Petit's Review at the Casino de Paris.
He created La Forêt Magique (The Magic Forest), the first music hall show for children, starring Chantal Goya.
Success was just around the corner: they sold 40 million records in ten years.