Chimene Badi

Chimène Badi (born October 30, 1982 in Melun, Seine-et-Marne), also known by her mononym Chimène, is a French singer of Algerian descent.

Badi was born in Melun in the Paris suburbs to a family of Algerian origin. She spent her entire childhood in the south-west of France, growing up in Villeneuve-sur-Lot with her parents, Chérifa and Mohammed, her sister, Déborah, and her brother, Karim. Her sister Déborah encouraged her to persevere with her singing and Chimène went on to hone her vocal style still further, performing at family parties and regional song contests from the age of six.

Badi also made her mark at her school's end-of-year shows, wowing the audience with her confident vocal performance. Teachers barely recognised her since, when she was off stage, Badi was a notoriously shy pupil, given to daydreaming and complexes about her appearance. Meanwhile, she plugged away at her studies, going on to obtain a "BEP" in agribusiness.

Chimène Badi became popular when she was selected for a french TV program "Popstars 2". She wasn't selected in the final group but the producer Valéry Zeitoun gave her the opportunity to make her first album, called "Entre Nous".

In october 2004 she released her second album "Dis-Moi Que Tu M'aimes" which topped the french chart.

Badi did not win the French reality TV show, Popstars, but she released her first single Entre Nous in 2003, which reached number 1 in the French charts. An album of the same name reached number 4 in domestic charts, and became the 5th best selling French album of 2003.

Badi's follow-up albums and singles enjoyed moderate success in Francophone Europe, including Wallonia and Switzerland. She also provided the French language theme song to The Day After Tomorrow - "Le Jour d'après" (The Day After).

In 2011, Badi covered the soul classic "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" with American singer Billy Paul.
She is also expected to join the Glee cast as a guest star.