by LORRAINE CARPENTER

Since 1997, a certain pink imp named M has bedeviled and delighted audiences in his native France and in la belle province. Following a contribution to the Triplettes de Belleville soundtrack (one of M's many cameo appearances), his latest release Au Spectrum was recorded live in Montreal last August, when M was in the thick of an epic tour that will wrap right here this weekend.

Largely written at home while his newborn baby slept, his fourth and latest studio album Qui de nous deux showcases the softer side of M (aka Matthieu Chédid), with acoustic ballads outnumbering the prankster pop, classic rock and nouveau-disco songs he's known for. Chédid also aimed to peek out from behind his persona, a theme brought to the fore in "Je me demasque," one of several M songs penned by his grandmother, renowned Middle Eastern poet Andrée Chédid. M's father, Louis Chédid, is also a famous French singer, so the pressure is officially on baby Billie to prove that songwriting talent is hereditary. With all that and horned hair in mind, the Mirror called Chédid and his alter ego M for a three-way chat.

Mirror: You once said that your career as a singer began by accident. What kind of accident was it, and did you hurt yourself?

Matthieu Chédid: Not physically. But I've been a musician for a long time - I was a session guitar player for other artists, including my father, in the studio and on tour - and it was writing lyrics for other singers that led me to singing. I began singing by default, just to try the songs out, and they felt too personal to be sung by anyone else.

M: You've said that there are no characters such as yourself in French music.

MC: Not at all. In the past there was Michel Polmareff, and even Jacques Dutronc and Serge Gainsbourg, at least they had personality. These days there's something of a new wave of chansons françaises, a revival of traditional French songs and songwriting, so concepts are very rare.

M: What influenced M, the character?

MC: Sgt. Pepper inspired the costume, but there's also Jimi Hendrix, the Cure, David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and Prince - all musicians that make you dream.

M: By any chance, did bedhead inspire your hairstyle?

MC: Actually, that's partly true. The pseudonym M, my first initial, came first, partly because I thought it was funny, but I also consider it the most beautiful letter because love resonates within it [m = aime]. But I did wake up one morning with messy hair and wondered if I could style it into an M, so I experimented in the mirror and it worked. It's great because it allows me to transform psychologically from who I am in my daily life into who I am on stage. In that way, I think image is very important for artists.

M: Has anyone ever suggested comics or animation based on M?

MC: We've discussed various comic strip projects that never quite happened, but I don't know how I feel about that. My music and shows alone have done very well in France and in Quebec, but there's always discussion of more aggressive marketing techniques, and that scares me a little. I wouldn't want the character to speak in my place.

At Metropolis, Friday–Sunday, Feb. 25–27, 8 p.m., $39.50

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