Mylène Jeanne Gautier (born 12 September 1961), known professionally as Mylène Farmer, is a Canadian-born French singer, lyricist, writer, and entrepreneur. Having sold more than 30 million records in France, she is among the most successful recording artists of all time in that country. She holds the record for the most number one hit singles in the French charts, with twenty-one to date – 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 techno 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 170,000 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 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 sophomore 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.