He was popular in the French-speaking world in the early 1980s; he inspired many singers of his generation such as Jean-Jacques Goldman, Michel Berger, who was his closest friend, as well as the Japanese pop-rock group Crystal King.

Balavoine also took part in motorsports and French political life; he is known for a 1980 televised verbal confrontation with then-Socialist presidential candidate François Mitterrand.

In the French music business, he earned his place with his powerful voice, wide range and recognisable lyrics, which were full of sadness and revolt.

In 1959, his father relocated to Algeria, while Daniel moved to southern city of Pau and attended a boarding school, an experience he clearly didn't appreciate.

[1] Having fully decided to make a living in music, he began to perform as a ballroom singer in Pau, covering Bob Dylan songs.

[citation needed] In 1973, while he was working as a record dealer, The Vogue studios, which produced Présence, contacted him and offered to support him in a solo career.

While attending a show, Léo Missir, vice president of Barclay Records, was impressed by Balavoine's aura[clarification needed] and signed him immediately to a 3-year deal which ended up lasting far longer.

His first record, "De vous à elle en passant par moi", was released in 1975, but again resulted in disappointing sales.

While recording the album, he met Catherine Ferry, who was chosen as the French candidate for the next Eurovision Song Contest, to take place in the Netherlands.

In 1977, Balavoine released a second record, "Les aventures de Simon et Gunther" but again it sold poorly and Eddie Barclay began getting impatient.

In 1978, Michel Berger, who had just finished writing Starmania, was still looking for the singer to portray the "Johnny Rockfort" character.

The title song, which spoke vividly of the unstoppable rise and fall of an aspiring singer,[5] was a huge commercial success, with one million units sold.

Between April and May 1979, the musical was performed at the Palais des congrès in Paris, before 100,000 spectators, further increasing Balavoine's popularity.

Even still, this last opus allowed him to put on a very successful solo tour throughout France for the first time, with the high point being a three-day stint at the Olympia.

This record was particularly successful, with three songs hitting huge commercial success: "Mon fils, ma bataille", with 543,000 units sold (about a father's struggle to claim the custody of his son in the aftermath of a breakup, a similar theme to the 1979 movie Kramer vs. Kramer); "Je ne suis pas un héros",[6] originally written for Johnny Hallyday (who later inserted it in his own set list in tribute); and "La vie ne m'apprend rien".

In April 1982, Vendeur de larmes (a pun between "tears" and "weapons") was released, containing hits, such as "Vivre ou Survivre",[7] "Dieu que l'amour est triste" and "Soulève-moi".

Following a terrorist bombing in Beirut, Balavoine, whose brother, Yves, was stationed, created a polemic by insulting the French veterans and the government that were pushing the war.

[dubious – discuss] The Fairlight allows Balavoine to insert a lot of electronic effects and sound never heard before.

Daniel Balavoine received, as a posthumous title, the Victoire de la Musique Album of the Year Award in 1986 for Sauver l'amour.

In 1986, Daniel Balavoine was chosen to lead a fund-raising effort aimed at building water wells in Africa.

When Coluche finally abandoned, François Mitterrand, who was impressed by the young artist's aura, asked him to join his campaign team.

A few months before his death, he had joined an NGO called Action Ecole, a French charity supported by Bob Geldof, which creates student communities to raise funds for Africa.

[citation needed] In 1986, Belgian francophone artist Lara Fabian released her first single, "L'Aziza est en pleurs" (composed by Marc Lercs) in honour of Balavoine.