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VIBE, Maiya Norton - Corneille Nyungura graces the cover of The Birth Of Cornelius unassumingly, clad in muted colors with a white backdrop. Visually, it’s no Marvin Gaye’s I Want You. In fact, it’s far from exciting. But Corneille’s third studio album isn’t cut from that R&B cloth.

On his first stateside bid, the Rwandan-Canadian singer laces The Birth of Cornelius with a bevy of soft, but thought-provoking songs. As a survivor of the ethnic cleansing in Rwanda, Corneille artfully pays homage to lost loved ones on songs like “Murder” and “I’ll Never Call You Home Again.” Though the subjects are melancholy at times, his breathy voice is soothing, often resembling Seal. Lyrically, he invites you to wander through his experiences on “A Man of This World,” where he refers to himself as “stranger,” trying to piece together the elements of his diverse roots. (more…)

New York, NY — DJBooth.net has long been bringing music-lovers everywhere exclusive insights from all the game’s hottest artists, and, recently, a few movers and shakers on the business end. Now, we are proud to introduce the newest addition to our interview arsenal. For the first installment of In The Mix, a new series in which we’ll take an up-close-and-personal look at some of the most noteworthy up-and-coming talents in the industry, we shine the spotlight on Corneille, the Québécois soul singer who made his Booth debut with the reader-acclaimed “Liberation.”

Described as a fusion of Sting, Seal, and John Legend, the Montreal native has already achieved tremendous success in his home country, as well as across Europe and Africa, selling out countless concerts on the strength of several acclaimed LPs in his native tongue. With the March 10th release of English-language album The Birth of Cornelius via Universal Motown, he’s given US audiences their first taste of his unique take on R&B. In this exclusive, five-question interview, Corneille gives his thoughts on his stateside success thus far, and reveals a few of his biggest musical influences.

Your newest album, The Birth of Cornelius, was recently released in the US. What type of response has it received?

I’ve had great feedback so far!

Music is one of a few internationally-recognized languages; what challenges have you faced breaking records in our biggest markets (New York, LA, Chicago)?

I haven’t broken any records yet, I’ll let you know when I do! (more…)

Hometown: Montreal, Canada.

The lineup: Cornelius Nyungura (vocals).

The background: There are some musicians whose backstory is so extraordinary, so full of tragedy and hardship, you almost feel guilty for not liking their music. Well, there must be some in theory. We couldn’t think of a single one. That is, until we heard about Corneille, a 32-year-old soul-funk performer with a convoluted childhood and an adolescence that could be described, with some justification, as cataclysmic. He was born in Germany, because that’s where his parents were studying at the time, but moved to Rwanda, their country of origin, when he was six. When he was in his teens, his dad got him into Prince, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke. Business as usual for an aspiring soul boy. (more…)

By Steve Jones, USA TODAY

Acoustic soul singer Corneille, already a star in Europe and Canada with his French-language albums, makes his first foray in the USA with his new The Birth of Cornelius.

The sweet ballad Too Much of Everything brims with warm feelings for his lover that build in intensity over a gentle guitar line.

Songs By Corneille Rooted In Love, Tragic Loss - Corneille Nyungura, known simply as Corneille, presents his unique sound to American audiences with the new album, The Birth of Cornelius.

Click here to listen to Foolish Heart, I’ll Never Call You Home Again, Too Much of Everything and watch an exclusive video of Corneille performing Liberation.

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(Kor-nay) is anything but

Corneille Nyungura is in an unfamiliar, but comfortable position. Standing outside of Bonita, a Mexican restaurant in Brooklyn, N.Y., the Motown Universal singer is bundled up in a puffy black coat chatting on his cell phone. And no one is bothering
him. No fan is bombarding him with idol worship. No one has approached to prod him for an autograph. It’s a rare treat.

America is just about the only place the German-born, Rwanda-raised is not known. At 32, he’s renowned in Canada, Africa, and Europe. With two French-speaking hit albums, Parce Qu’on Vient de Loin (2003) and Les Marchands de Rêves (2005) released by Wagram Music, a French independent, Corneille is a familiar face to millions.

“The only place I can take a lot of attention is when I’m onstage performing,” he says. “For two years I was like, ‘I’m stopping everything.’ I didn’t do any interviews. I stopped signing autographs. People would come up to me for one, and I would say, ‘No. I’m not going to give an autograph. I’d rather shake your hand. I feel like that would be a little bit more real.’ It’s weird to be put on a pedestal in that way, when you’re aware that it’s all bullshit.”

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Avec classe, Corneille a chanté ses Rêves de star si fort, si bien que ceux-ci le ramènent au Casino de Montréal pour une série de concerts qui s’annonce triomphale. Seul au monde? Plus maintenant…

“Le poids de la neige ne saurait briser le soul”, pourrait-on dire, en pastichant un proverbe nippon, pour résumer l’enviable trajectoire de Corneille, Québécois né en Allemagne de parents rwandais, qui faisait paraître l’été dernier un troisième album studio, le premier en anglais, déjà promis à une carrière internationale. En effet, après avoir cartonné au pays du Soleil levant, The Birth of Cornelius reparaîtra cette année en édition américaine, sous la prestigieuse étiquette Motown, associée à la gloire des Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder et autres figures de proue de la soul classique. (more…)

Corneille est nommé au Juno!

L’album The Birth Of Cornelius est nommé dans la catégorie Album de l’année R&B/Soul et est en compétition contre Ebrahim d’Ebrahim, We Can All Be Free de God Made Me Funky, Revival de Jully Black et 2U de Keshia Chante.

La cérémonie se tiendra à Calgary le 6 avril prochain sera diffusé sur les ondes de CTV. (Source)

Une chanson de l’album anglophone de Corneille paraitra sur la nouvelle compilation de Warner Music “From the Heart 2008“. En vente à compter du mardi 22 janvier 2008.

1 These Hard Times - Matchbox Twenty
2 1973 - James Blunt
3 Everything - Michael Buble
4 Amazing - Seal
5 Can’t Help But Wait - Trey Songz
6 Too Much Of Everything - Corneille
7 Hey There Delilah - Plain White T’s
8 Tongue Tied - Faber Drive
9 Lips Of An Angel - Hinder
10 Pictures Of You - The Last Goodnight
11 Take You Home - Luke Doucet
12 Rewind - Paolo Nutini
13 Does It Make You Rain? - Justin Rutledge
14 Where I Was Before - Blue Rodeo
15 Adored - Collective Soul
16 What Is Love For? - Justin Currie
17 After Tonight - Justin Nozuka

Corneille revient sur la scène québécoise dès février et étrenne son nouvel album, The Birth of Cornelius, au Casino de Montréal. L’artiste renoue avec ses premières amours musicales grâce à un disque en anglais signé chez Motown. Une fierté pour le chanteur et une première pour son public.

Avec The Birth of Cornelius, Corneille signe son troisième album, mais son premier en anglais. Le chanteur se fait plaisir et se fond à l’image de Motown, qui l’a mis sous contrat.

« C’est un peu la consécration de se joindre à eux, puisque tous les artistes qui ont fait partie de l’écurie Motown ont participé à mon éducation musicale, dit le chanteur. C’est un beau compliment à mon art. » (more…)