Née un 24 février: Santa, nouvelle star de la chanson française 

Samantha Cotta was born on February 24, 1991, in Nice. Her mother, an American singer in the band Daisy Duck, and her father, an architect, raised her under the southern sun in an artistic atmosphere. 

She confides about her childhood: "I grew up in a terribly free atmosphere and I started playing the piano simply because there was a piano in the living room." 

In 2009, the young woman founded the band Hyphen Hyphen ("hyphen" in English) with her friends Adam (Romain Adamo), Line (Laura Christin) and Zac (Zaccharie Schütte). Together, they toured the stages of France and released their first album, "Times", in 2015. A few months later, they received their first Victoire de la Musique, in the category Revelation Stage of the Year. The quartet continues to perform, garnering not only good reviews from the press but also praise from the public. The group, whose black lines under their eyes on stage have become their distinctive sign, seems unstoppable. That was without counting on Covid, which slowed their rise for a while.

In 2022, a new adventure, this time solo, for the singer who released her first EP, "999", quickly awarded a gold record. "Popcorn salé" is the first single and is a dazzling success in France. A year later, it's with a unique and spectacular performance that she once again conquers the hearts of the public by giving a concert in Brussels suspended 40 meters above the ground with her grand piano. The young woman releases her first album in 2024, entitled "Recommence-moi". Another full house, both for the critics and for her fans, who are growing in number.

Her solo career, however, doesn't prevent her from performing alongside her Hyphen Hyphen acolytes (now a trio) with whom she is releasing a new album entitled "C'est la vie", announcing a major tour that will take place in 2025. Coach in "The Voice Kids", the pretty blonde also came to the Château de la Star Academy, whose "Recommence-moi" was chosen as the anthem, for a recording with the students. "I want something spectacular. I get bored very quickly and I want to do things in a big way," confides the one who seems to reign over French song nowadays. There's no doubt that the sparkling singer still has many surprises in store for us in the years to come.

(Céline Massart - Tr.: MH - Photo: © Music Etienne Tordoir)
Photo: SANTA on stage at the Cirque Royal in Brussels on October 10, 2024