Coeur de Pirate is the solo project of award-winning singer, songwriter, and pianist Béatrice Martin. Martin has been playing piano and keyboards since she was only 3 years old, and from that early age, felt the desire to express her feelings and experiences through a universal musical language.
After a brief stint as keyboardist with the now defunct December Strikes First, Martin briefly joined the Montreal-based indie pop band Bonjour Brumaire as a vocalist and pianist but left in 2008 to record her debut album.
Coeur de Pirate was issued in September 2008 to immediate national and international acclaim, propelled by massive popularity via her MySpace page, and an unexpected gift courtesy of YouTube.... Francis Vachon, a photographer from Quebec City used the album cut, 'Ensemble', as the soundtrack to a time-lapse video of his 9-month old son. This immensely popular clip showcased her music to millions of new fans, earning her praise from Good Morning America, The Globe and Mail, and Perez Hilton, among many others. Pieces in popular fashion magazines (Elle, Chatelaine) and on TV and radio quickly followed, leading to a record deal in France. Coeur de Pirate has since been certified Platinum in Canada and Triple Platinum in France, Platinum in Belgium and Gold in Switzerland. The album has gone on to sell over 600,000 copies worldwide (and counting)!
North American and European tours followed, gaining her legions of fans in France and Germany especially. Béatrice then went into the studio to record a duet with Julien Doré and collaborated on the Coca-Cola theme song for the Vancouver Olympics 'Open Happiness' with Jay Malinowski and Kardinal Official. She also recorded a duet with David Usher ('Everyday Things'). Two Felix Awards followed both in 2009 and 2010 and a 2010 Victoire de la Musique Award for Original Song of the Year. Coeur de Pirate has also been nominated for a Juno and long-listed for the Polaris Prize.
After previously singing exclusively in French, she appeared on Bedouin Soundclash's 2010 album Light the Horizon, adding haunting English vocals to the standout track 'Brutal Hearts'. She further collaborated with singer Jay Malinowski on a 5- track EP entitled Armistice, released in February 2011.
Martin was also recently invited to add her voiceover talents as the voice of Smurfette in the major motion picture The Smurfs in theatres across France.
Coeur de Pirate is now set to release her highly-anticipated sophomore effort, Blonde, co-produced by Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire, Basia Bulat, Godspeek You! Black Emperor, The Dears) and Beatrice Martin herself. The first single, 'Adieu' is a sophisticated pop mini-masterpiece. Featuring rolling waves of bass and drums, supported by her pixie- dusted vocals; 'Adieu' is a bouncing melody of keyboards, guitar, and handclaps, kissed with a hint of menace.