Beatrice Martin or Coeur de Pirate (French for Heart Pirate) as she’s better known, has been making a big splash in the French music scene since 2008. The bilingual artist is now conquering the English scene as well with an appealing indie and eclectic sound.

Born on September 22, 1989 in Quebec, Canada, this singer/songwriter began playing piano when she was just three years old. She later played as the keyboardist in the post-hardcore band December Strikes First when she was just 15 years old, and then had a brief stint as the keyboardist for Bonjour Brumaire before going off on her own as an artist.

Coeur de Pirate made her French music debut in 2008 with her first self-titled CD recorded with Grosse Boite (Dare to Care Records). It was released in Quebec/Canada in 2008 and then in 2009 it made its French/European release. This earned her “Newcomer of the Year”; she was nominated for “Francophone of the Year” at the 2009 Juno Awards and also mentioned in the Polaris Prize list. Her album is now triple platinum in France and she has sold over 600,000 copies worldwide.

In February 2009, Francis Vachon, a photographer from Quebec City, used her song Emsemble as the soundtrack to a popular YouTube video he created, which later led to coverage on Good Morning America. Coeur de Pirate also made a special appearance on CBC Radio’s Q radio show in June 2009, performing Ensemble and Place de la republique. Jay Malinowski of Bedouin Soundclash decided to work with emerging artist Coeur de Pirate and the two musicians decided to form a side band called Armistice. The group/duo was also heard performing on the Q radio show in 2010 and they recorded their debut EP in February 2011.

Coeur de Pirate released her highly anticipated second album on November 7, 2011 titled Blonde in both digital and hard copy versions. It was co-directed by Montreal’s Howard Bilerman who has worked with bands such as Arcade Fire, Godspeed You!, Black Emperor, Basia Bulat and The Dears. Blonde was certified gold in Canada on January 18, 2012 and was nominated for the Victoires de la Musique 2012 in the category Album Song of the Year.

For additional information, upcoming concert/tour dates, music and videos of Coeur de Pirate check out her personal website, MySpace and Facebook page, and YouTube videos. This emerging artist is becoming more popular each day so stay tuned for one of her upcoming shows near your town.