Nolwenn Le Magueresse (French pronunciation: [nolwɛn lə maɡəʁɛs]; born 28 September 1982), known by her stage name Nolwenn Leroy (pronounced [nolwɛn ləʁwa]), is a French singer-songwriter and actress.
Originally classically trained (violin and opera singing), she rose to fame after winning the second season of the French television music competition Star Academy in 2002. She has since recorded eight studio albums and scored two number one singles, "Cassé" and "Nolwenn Ohwo!", on the French charts. In 2012, her album Bretonne was certified two times diamond for sales exceeding one million copies.
Leroy is fluent in English, having spent a year in the United States as an exchange student. She sings in many languages, including French, Breton, English and Irish.
Leroy has received numerous awards and nominations. In January 2015, she was ranked 17th on Le Journal du Dimanche's 50 Most Loved Celebrities in France, making her the top female singer on the list since December 2012. She was appointed an Officer of the Order of the Arts and Letters by the French Ministry of Culture in 2021. In 2025, she was named a Knight of the Legion of Honour, the highest French accolade.
Contents
Biography
Early life
Leroy was born in Saint-Renan (Finistère) in 1982. Leroy's parents left Saint-Renan when she was four years old. After living in Paris, Lille, and Guingamp, her mother, Muriel Leroy, and her younger sister, Kay, settled with Leroy's grandparents in Saint-Yorre. Her mother divorced from her father, professional footballer Jean-Luc Le Magueresse, in 1993.
Nolwenn studied at the "Collège des Célestins" in Vichy. When Leroy was eleven, her music teacher noticed her musical talents and encouraged her to learn the violin. At the age of thirteen she won "Les écoles du désert", a contest sponsored by the Cora supermarket chain, which allowed her to travel with a humanitarian mission from Gao to Timbuktu, Mali; she later claimed this had a profound influence on her.
In July 1998, Leroy was awarded a scholarship by the Vichy Rotary Club to travel to Hamilton, Ohio, United States, as an exchange student. While attending Hamilton High School, she took music lessons at the Performing Arts School and became fluent in English. When she returned to France, she began classical singing classes at the Vichy music conservatory. In 2001, she enrolled in the University of Clermont-Ferrand to study law for a potential alternative career to music.
Career
After watching the first season of Star Academy broadcast on TF1 in 2001, Leroy was impressed by Armande Altaï, a singing teacher and one of the show's judges. She subsequently joined Altaï's singing classes in Paris for over six months. In 2002, Nolwenn was selected for the second season of Star Academy, but she was also given the part of Scarlett O'Hara in the French stage musical Autant en emporte le vent (Gone with the Wind) by Gérard Presgurvic. Leroy ended up choosing Star Academy over the musical. As a contestant on the show, Leroy spent four months in a castle located in Dammarie-lès-Lys, and followed acting, dancing and singing classes. On 21 December 2002, she was declared the winner ahead of fellow finalist, Houcine Camara, earning her a record deal with Universal Music France.
Leroy's first album, Nolwenn, was released in March 2003 and was certified platinum by November for sales exceeding 300,000 copies. In 2006, the album was certified two times platinum by the Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique (SNEP) for more than 600,000 copies sold. Both the album and the first single "Cassé" topped the charts in France and Belgium. Three other songs from the album were released as singles: "Une Femme cachée", "Suivre une étoile" and "Inévitablement". Leroy went on her first solo tour in France, Belgium and Switzerland in late 2003 to promote songs from the album.
Leroy's second album, Histoires Naturelles, was released on 5 December 2005. It was produced by Laurent Voulzy and Frank Eulry. The album's lead single "Nolwenn Ohwo!", co-written by Alain Souchon, Voulzy and Leroy herself, topped the French charts one week after its release. The second single was the title track, "Histoire Naturelle". Music videos were made for both songs; the video for "Histoire Naturelle" expressed the main theme of the album with Leroy being portrayed as natural history museum exhibits. Of the other single releases, "Mon Ange" was distributed digitally while "J'aimais tant l'aimer" and "Reste Encore" were promotional-only. The album reached platinum status with sales exceeding 400,000 copies. Leroy performed songs from both Histoires Naturelles and Nolwenn on her second solo tour, which started in September 2006. Leroy's first live album, Histoires Naturelles Tour, was subsequently released in late October 2007.
Le Cheshire Cat & Moi was a project that began in 2007, co-written by Leroy and Teitur Lassen, with contributions from Jonatha Brooke, Michelle Featherstone, Mike Errico and Rupert Hine. It was arranged and produced by Lassen, and recorded in Sweden and the Faroe Islands. The album's lead single, "Faut-il, faut-il pas ?", was released in November 2009 along with a music video directed by Yoann Lemoine. With the album, Leroy presented "a lighter sound than on previous releases" and she was given the opportunity to write all the lyrics. The album was released on 7 December 2009 and was later certified gold. A tour entitled "Le Cheshire Cat & Vous" to promote the record was held in 2010.
Medical research
Leroy's music was studied for its neurological impact in geriatric populations. Researchers found that Leroy's recordings might have a more beneficial effect than other music, noting that: "the music of Nolwenn Leroy was found to be significantly superior to other music tested". To describe the phenomenon they coined the term the Nolwenn Effect, saying: "the music of Nolwenn Leroy appears to have a different effect on brain-based modulation of gait and stance than other music tested to date".
Mozart and Dutch and French singers were tested; only Mozart and Leroy's music were specified. The U.S. study was completed in February 2008, but no substantial results appear to be published.
Endorsements
In 2011, Leroy appeared in two television commercials for the Nintendo 3DS and she became the face of Pantene for France and Belgium.
Philanthropy
Against poverty
In 2006, she joined Les Enfoirés charity ensemble and she became godmother of the association La Fondation pour le Logement des Défavorisés (for housing people in need).
Diseases
In Brittany, she is the sponsor of the operation “Give an Orchid for memory! » which will be held in different E. Leclerc stores in 2013 for the benefit of research against Alzheimer's disease.
Other
On 27 November 2015, she participated together with Camélia Jordana and Yael Naim at the national memorial day for the victims of the November 2015 Paris attacks singing the song "Quand on n'a que l'amour" from Jacques Brel.
Personal life
Since 2008, she has been in a relationship with Arnaud Clément, former French professional tennis player and captain of the France Davis Cup team.
On 12 July 2017, they welcomed their first child, a son called Marin.
Discography
Singles
* Belgium Ultratip
Soundtracks
2012: Die Wanderhure – Best Of (German TV movies)
2014: Song of the Sea (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) and its French version Le Chant de la Mer
Filmography
2012: Rise of the Guardians by Peter Ramsey: French voice of Tooth Fairy
2014: Song of the Sea by Tomm Moore: French voice of Bronagh
2021: Capitaine Marleau by Josée Dayan (TV series, 1 episode): Déborah
2024: Brocéliande by Bruno Garcia (miniseries, 6 episodes): Fanny Legoff
2026: L'Été 36 by Fred Garson (miniseries, 6 episodes): Giulia Vincent
2027: Il ne se passe jamais rien ici by Hippolyte Dard (miniseries, 6 episodes): Claire
Voice acting
2013: Lady Ô (evening show at the Futuroscope), the storyteller
Horse riding
Leroy owns a horse named El Aberkan. She showed her horse riding and jumping skills on unfamiliar horses a couple of times for French TV shows broadcast on France 2, including the 50th Gala de l'Union des Artistes charity in 2011, alongside Alexis Gruss.
Honours
Officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2021).
Knight of the Order of the Legion of Honour (2025).
The main belt asteroid 353232 Nolwenn was named after Leroy.
In 2012, her wax figure was unveiled at the Musée Grévin in Paris.
