Orelsan

Aurélien Cotentin, known as Orelsan (/ɔʁɛlˈsan/), is a French rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, director and screenwriter, born August 1, 1982 in Alençon (Orne).

He first became known on the internet, notably on the Myspace website, through the song Saint-Valentin and broke through in 2008 with the title Changement. His first album, Perdu d'avance, was published in 2009. At the same time, a controversy erupted around the song Sale Pute, which was accused of inciting violence against women. Orelsan later said he regrets the song, that he was young and that he has obviously changed since. The album was nevertheless a commercial success, certified gold and nominated for the Constantin Prize.

His second album Le Chant des sirènes, released in 2011, is certified double platinum and received two Victoires de la musique.

With his friend Gringe, they formed Casseurs Flowters from the early 2000s. In 2013, they published the album Orelsan et Gringe sont les Casseurs Flowters, which was certified platinum. At the end of 2015, Orelsan co-directed a film centered on two people making music for 10 years who never finished a track, Comment c'est loin, whose soundtrack was also certified platinum. The two friends also appeared in the short series Bloqués broadcast in 2015-2016 on Canal+, and on YouTube where each episode received millions of views. These productions allowed Orelsan to popularize his character of a lost and resigned thirty-something, yet endowed with creative spirit and quirky humor.

Since 2016 he has been the French voice of Saitama for the anime adaptation of the manga One Punch Man. In 2017, he returned to music with the single Basique announcing the release of his third solo album: La fête est finie. The album is certified double diamond and won three Victoires de la musique.

In October 2021, Orelsan released the documentary series Montre jamais ça à personne on Amazon Prime Video directed by Clément Cotentin which traces his journey. His fourth album, Civilisation, was released in November 2021, announced with the pre-order of limited editions and with the video for L'Odeur de l'essence. The album was certified platinum in one week and diamond in 5 months. It is the rap album most quickly certified platinum and diamond. It brought Orelsan three new Victoires de la musique, including that of Artist of the Year.

In 2022, he was one of the winners of the NRJ Music Awards and Francophone male artist of the year. He won three Victoires de la musique again in 2023. He has accumulated 12 Victoires de la musique in total, making him the third artist with the most wins.

In October 2025, Orelsan released his second film, Yoroï. In November he released his fifth album La Fuite en avant which was certified platinum in 6 weeks. It was then revealed that he has a child, about whom he speaks in several of his songs. On January 16, 2026, he began a tour across France starting in Caen.