Born on October 7, 1980, in Nantes, France, she was offered a major-label recording contract with Mercury Records in October 2007 after coming to light via Jury Jeunes Talents, an online talent contest sponsored by the French mobile communications company SFR. Her full-length debut album, Zoë Avril (2008), was released a half-year later and promoted creatively with a range of online media. Produced by Xavier Plèche, Romuald Gablin, and Maël, the album was a modest success, reaching number 74 on the French albums chart and spawning the promotional single "On Ne Changera Pas le Monde." ~ Jason Birchmeier