Nolwenn Le Magueresse (French pronunciation: [nolwɛn lə maɡəʁɛs]; born 28 September 1982), known by her stage name Nolwenn Leroy (pronounced [nolwɛn ləʁwa]), is a French singer-songwriter and actress.
Originally classically trained (violin and opera singing), she rose to fame after winning the second season of the French television music competition Star Academy in 2002. She has since recorded eight studio albums and scored two number one singles, "Cassé" and "Nolwenn Ohwo!", on the French charts. In 2012, her album Bretonne was certified two times diamond for sales exceeding one million copies.
Leroy is fluent in English, having spent a year in the United States as an exchange student. She sings in many languages, including French, Breton, English and Irish.
Leroy has received numerous awards and nominations. In January 2015, she was ranked 17th on Le Journal du Dimanche's 50 Most Loved Celebrities in France, making her the top female singer on the list since December 2012. She was appointed an Officer of the Order of the Arts and Letters by the French Ministry of Culture in 2021. In 2025, she was named a Knight of the Legion of Honour, the highest French accolade.
Early life
Leroy was born in Saint-Renan (Finistère) in 1982. Leroy's parents left Saint-Renan when she was four years old. After living in Paris, Lille, and Guingamp, her mother, Muriel Leroy, and her younger sister, Kay, settled with Leroy's grandparents in Saint-Yorre. Her mother divorced from her father, professional footballer Jean-Luc Le Magueresse, in 1993.
Nolwenn studied at the "Collège des Célestins" in Vichy. When Leroy was eleven, her music teacher noticed her musical talents and encouraged her to learn the violin. At the age of thirteen she won "Les écoles du désert", a contest sponsored by the Cora supermarket chain, which allowed her to travel with a humanitarian mission from Gao to Timbuktu, Mali; she later claimed this had a profound influence on her.
In July 1998, Leroy was awarded a scholarship by the Vichy Rotary Club to travel to Hamilton, Ohio, United States, as an exchange student. While attending Hamilton High School, she took music lessons at the Performing Arts School and became fluent in English. When she returned to France, she began classical singing classes at the Vichy music conservatory. In 2001, she enrolled in the University of Clermont-Ferrand to study law for a potential alternative career to music.
Career
2002: Star Academy
After watching the first season of Star Academy broadcast on TF1 in 2001, Leroy was impressed by Armande Altaï, a singing teacher and one of the show's judges. She subsequently joined Altaï's singing classes in Paris for over six months. In 2002, Nolwenn was selected for the second season of Star Academy, but she was also given the part of Scarlett O'Hara in the French stage musical Autant en emporte le vent (Gone with the Wind) by Gérard Presgurvic. Leroy ended up choosing Star Academy over the musical. As a contestant on the show, Leroy spent four months in a castle located in Dammarie-lès-Lys, and followed acting, dancing and singing classes. On 21 December 2002, she was declared the winner ahead of fellow finalist, Houcine Camara, earning her a record deal with Universal Music France.
2003–2004: Eponymous debut album
Leroy's first album, Nolwenn, was released in March 2003 and was certified platinum by November for sales exceeding 300,000 copies. In 2006, the album was certified two times platinum by the Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique (SNEP) for more than 600,000 copies sold. Both the album and the first single "Cassé" topped the charts in France and Belgium. Three other songs from the album were released as singles: "Une Femme cachée", "Suivre une étoile" and "Inévitablement". Leroy went on her first solo tour in France, Belgium and Switzerland in late 2003 to promote songs from the album.
2005–2008: Histoires Naturelles
Leroy's second album, Histoires Naturelles, was released on 5 December 2005. It was produced by Laurent Voulzy and Frank Eulry. The album's lead single "Nolwenn Ohwo!", co-written by Alain Souchon, Voulzy and Leroy herself, topped the French charts one week after its release. The second single was the title track, "Histoire Naturelle". Music videos were made for both songs; the video for "Histoire Naturelle" expressed the main theme of the album with Leroy being portrayed as natural history museum exhibits. Of the other single releases, "Mon Ange" was distributed digitally while "J'aimais tant l'aimer" and "Reste Encore" were promotional-only. The album reached platinum status with sales exceeding 400,000 copies. Leroy performed songs from both Histoires Naturelles and Nolwenn on her second solo tour, which started in September 2006. Leroy's first live album, Histoires Naturelles Tour, was subsequently released in late October 2007.
2009–2010: Le Cheshire Cat et Moi
Le Cheshire Cat & Moi was a project that began in 2007, co-written by Leroy and Teitur Lassen, with contributions from Jonatha Brooke, Michelle Featherstone, Mike Errico and Rupert Hine. It was arranged and produced by Lassen, and recorded in Sweden and the Faroe Islands. The album's lead single, "Faut-il, faut-il pas?", was released in November 2009 along with a music video directed by Yoann Lemoine. With the album, Leroy presented "a lighter sound than on previous releases" and she was given the opportunity to write all the lyrics. The album was released on 7 December 2009 and was later certified gold. A tour entitled "Le Cheshire Cat & Vous" to promote the record was held in 2010.
2010–2012: Bretonne
Leroy released a fourth studio album, Bretonne, on 6 December 2010. Cover versions of traditional Celtic songs such as "Mná na h-Éireann", "Tri Martolod", "La Jument de Michao", and contemporary songs such as Christophe Miossec's "Brest" were included on the album. Most of the songs related to Brittany, the singer's birthplace. Four of them were sung in Breton ("Tri Martolod", "Suite Sudarmoricaine", "Bro Gozh ma Zadoù", "Karantez Vro"), one in Irish ("Mná na h-Éireann"), and the rest in French and English. Leroy collaborated with Jon Kelly for the musical arrangements. The album topped the French album charts for seven weeks and the Belgian album charts for five weeks. It was certified double diamond by the SNEP for sales exceeding one million copies.
The album was re-released in November 2011 as a Deluxe Edition with seven additional tracks in English, including "Amazing Grace", "Scarborough Fair" and two Mike Oldfield tracks, "Moonlight Shadow" and "To France". The American version of the album, retitled Nolwenn, was released on 8 January 2013 with a different track listing. The album peaked at number 10 on the Billboard's World Album chart. Leroy made her New York City debut at Drom.
As part of the Bretonne Tour, Leroy played over 100 dates in France, Belgium, Switzerland and Germany. In June 2012, she performed as a special guest with The Chieftains in Paris.
2012–2016: Ô Filles de l'Eau
Leroy's fifth album, Ô filles de l'eau, was released on 26 November 2012, preceded by the lead single "Juste pour me souvenir". The album was produced by Jon Kelly and recorded in London. The title reads 'O Daughters of the Water' but is phonetically similar to 'au fil de l'eau' ('with the current/flow'). Like Bretonne, it contains Celtic inspired music but with more ocean themed lyrics. It includes two tracks in English ("Homeland" and "Limitless"). "Homeland" contains the James Horner composed theme of the film Braveheart. "Ahès" is the only Breton-language song of the album. Leroy wrote and co-composed 9 songs, including the singles "Juste pour me souvenir", "Sixième continent", "J'ai volé le lit de la mer" and "Ophélia". The album cover was created by Australian artist Vee Speers, inspired by her portrait series, Immortal. Reviews of the album were strong, with some praising Leroy's vocal ability and Celtic music and…