Olivia Bouyssou[1] (born 25 February 1982),[2] known professionally as Olivia Merilahti and Prudence, is a Finnish-French singer and composer, best known for being the frontwoman of the musical duo The Dø. Her work has been compared to that of Björk, whom she cites as a major influence.[3] Merilahti was born to a French father and a Finnish mother.[4] She primarily uses English in music, which she learned at an early age.
Olivia Merilahti | |
|---|---|
 Merilahti performing with The Dø in 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Olivia Bouyssou |
| Also known as | Prudence |
| Born | 25 February 1982 Paris, France |
| Genres | Indie rock, folk rock |
| Occupations | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, keyboards |
| Years active | 2007–present |
Finnish is my intimate language; I speak Finnish with my mum and I've been living in France for most of my life, so it's been my secret language. My secret weapon somehow. So these different languages play different roles in my life, and English has always been the musical one.[5]
Having studied classical music in Helsinki, Merilahti gravitated to rock music, then jazz and electronic music. In 2004, during the writing of music from the movie Empire of the Wolves, she met Dan Levy, with whom she formed French indie rock band The Dø. In 2020, she released a solo project under the name Prudence.[6]
Discography
editStudio albums
edit| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Beginnings |
Extended plays
edit| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Be Water |
|
| The Submarine Files |
|
Singles
editAs lead artist
edit| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Never With U" | 2020 | Be Water |
| "Passionfruit" (Drake cover) | non-album single | |
| "Offenses" | Be Water | |
| "Freed from Desire" (Gala cover) | 2021 | non-album single |
| "Good Friends" | Beginnings | |
| "Here & Now" | ||
| "Your Power" (Billie Eilish cover) | The Submarine Files | |
| "La Nuit N'en Finit Plus" (Petula Clark cover) | non-album single |
As featured artist
edit| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "The Thrill I Need" (Newem featuring Prudence) |
2022 | Moonpark |
| "Zenith" (Kavinsky featuring Prudence and Morgan Phalen) |
Reborn | |
| "Feels Like Home" (Newem featuring Prudence) |
2023 | non-album single |
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Empire of the Wolves | Co-composed with Luca De' Medici, Grégory Fougères, Dan Levy, Pascal Morel, and Samuel Narboni |
| The Passenger | Co-composed with Dan Levy | |
| Wild Camp | Co-composed with Dan Levy, Nicolas Baby, and Philippe Neil | |
| 2017 | Sparring | Also portrays Marion Landry |
| 2023 | Aspergirl | 10 episodes |
References
edit- ^ Pliskin, Fabrice (23 May 2021). "L'ex-chanteuse de The Dø devient Prudence". L'Obs (in French). Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
- ^ "Olivia Merilahti Discography". Qobuz. Archived from the original on 11 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
- ^ "Global Hit piece on PRI's The World, October 1st, 2010". Archived from the original on 4 October 2010. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
- ^ Suomalaisranskalaisesta yhtyeestä indie-suosikki Ranskassa (in Finnish) Yle.fi
- ^ "Catching Up with the Dø, the Separated French Couple Who Still Make Music Together – Noisey". Noisey. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
- ^ "Olivia announcing her solo project". Facebook. 9 March 2020.
- ^ "Prudence Releases Debut Solo album "Beginnings" & New Music Video for "Here & Now" Out Now". Sony Music. 28 May 2021. Archived from the original on 16 June 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
- ^ Sonsa-Kini, Kevin (18 November 2020). "Prudence : "Ma carrière solo ne fait que commencer" (Interview)". Toute La Culture (in French). Archived from the original on 18 November 2020. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
- ^ "The Submarine Files, Prudence". Qobuz. Archived from the original on 11 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
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