Joana Balavoine

French singer & musician born in June 1986.
Daniel Balavoine's posthumous daughter.

Drawn to music from a young age, Joana followed in the footsteps of her famous father (popular French 80s musician-singer-songwriter-producer Daniel Balavoine) and launched a singing career. Having long remained discreet about the father she never knew (being a posthumous daughter), she opened up on the anniversary of his death in an interview in December 2015 and through a documentary, "J'me présente, je m'appelle Daniel" (My name is Daniel). The tragic death of Daniel Balavoine on January 14, 1986, during the Paris-Dakar Rally, deeply affected his generation. He left behind a son, Jérémie, and a daughter, Joana, who was born a few months after his death. After a long legal battle to gain posthumous recognition, the young woman obtained the right to bear her father's name. Aware of this cultural legacy, Joana came to know her father through his records while discovering the quality of his work. Raised on the pop music of the 80s, she composed the electro theme music for the show "Un jour, une heure" (One Day, One Hour), broadcast on France 2 starting in 2007, with DJ Phantom. She then appeared on stage with Marc Lavoine in 2011 to perform one of her father's hits, "Sauver l'amour" (Save Love). Forming the group [a=Gentle Republic] with Alexandre Mazarguil, the duo released their first five-track EP in March 2015, followed by the music video for the song "Better Run" but broke up in June 2017 before releasing a full length album. On September 1, 2021, Joana Balavoine published a graphic novel titled "Les Lions endormis" (The Sleeping Lions), in which she reveals her years-long battle with drug addiction.