L'Emprise (English: Control) is the twelfth studio album by French recording artist Mylène Farmer, released on 25 November 2022 by Stuffed Monkey. The album was produced by Yoann Lemoine, AaRON and Moby, among others. Described as a return to the darker instrumentation of her earlier records, L'Emprise is a concept album which deals with a person who is under psychological manipulation and breaks free from it. L'Emprise received positive reviews from music critics, with many noting it as a return to form for Farmer. Commercially, the album was successful, achieving the gold status in France within the first week of its release. The album also peaked at number one in France, Wallonia, and Switzerland, making it Farmer's first release to do so.
Monkey Me is the ninth studio album by French singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer, and her 18th album overall. Preceded by the lead single "À l'ombre", which peaked at number-one in France, the album was released on 3 December 2012. Despite mixed reviews from critics, it entered the French album chart at number one in its first week. The album was certified 3× Platinum within its first month of release in France. The album was supported by the sold-out Timeless tour the following year. Despite its strong sales, the album received mixed reviews from the press. On one hand, many critics welcomed the return of Laurent Boutonnat in the songwriting process;[citation needed] on the other hand, others, for example the magazine 7 sur 7, found the arrangements very dated.
Alizée Jacotey, known professionally as Alizée, is a French singer, dancer and voice actress. She was born and raised in Ajaccio, Corsica. She was discovered by Mylène Farmer, following her winning performance in the talent show Graines de Star in 1999. While collaborating with Mylène Farmer and Laurent Boutonnat, she followed it with a series of albums that attained immense popularity by pushing the boundaries of lyrical content in mainstream popular music and imagery in her music videos, which became a fixture on NRJ, Europe 1, MTV, Virgin Radio, and many others. Throughout her career, many of her songs have been in top 25 hit lists on the record charts, including "Moi… Lolita", "L'Alizé", "J'en ai marre!", "Gourmandises", "Mademoiselle Juliette", her cover version of "La Isla Bonita", "Parler Tout Bas", "Les collines" and "À cause de l'automne".