Zaz looks back on her early days... at CIAM
In a profile published by Le Monde, singer Zaz looks back on her career and emotionally recalls a decisive stage in her training: her time at CIAM in Bordeaux, one of the training centers of the Archipel des Sons collective.
After a difficult adolescence marked by breakups and tough choices, it was at the Libourne local mission that an advisor encouraged her to apply for a scholarship. Thanks to this support, Zaz went straight into the second year of CIAM, where she discovered an open, lively, and multidisciplinary teaching approach.
There, she explored a wide variety of styles—gospel, jazz, Brazilian music, Afro-Cuban workshops—under the guidance of her teachers:
" My singing teacher had me try gospel, jazz, Brazilian music... I tried everything," she says.
It was also at CIAM that she formed her first blues band, laying the foundations for a vocal identity that would lead her, a few years later, to an international career. Today, Zaz remains one of the most listened-to French-speaking artists in the world, with recognition that extends far beyond France's borders.
His testimony perfectly illustrates CIAM's mission: to provide a learning space where every artist can seek, explore, and find their own voice. This pride is shared by the entire CIAM community , the Archipel des Sons collective, and the School of Arts networknetwork.
