Orelsan

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

He first gained attention online, notably on Myspace, with the song Saint-Valentin, before breaking through in 2008 with the track Changement. His first album, Perdu d'avance, was released in 2009. At the same time, a controversy erupted over the song Sale Pute, accused of inciting violence against women. Orelsan later said he regretted the song, that he was young and had clearly changed since. The album was nonetheless a public success, certified gold and nominated for the Prix Constantin.

His second album Le Chant des sirènes, released in 2011, was certified double platinum and won two Victoires de la Musique.

With his friend Gringe, they formed Les Casseurs Flowters in the early 2000s. In 2013, they released the album Orelsan et Gringe sont les Casseurs Flowters, which would be certified platinum. In late 2015, Orelsan co-directed a film about two people who have been making music for 10 years and have never finished a track, Comment c'est loin, whose soundtrack would also be certified platinum. The two friends also starred in the short-form show Bloqués, broadcast in 2015-2016 on Canal+ and on YouTube, where each episode racked up several million views. These projects allowed Orelsan to popularise his persona of a lost, resigned thirty-something, nonetheless endowed with a creative spirit and offbeat humour.

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 was certified double diamond and won three Victoires de la Musique.

In October 2021, Orelsan released a documentary series, Montre jamais ça à personne, on Amazon Prime Video, directed by Clément Cotentin, tracing his journey. His fourth album, Civilisation, was released in November 2021, announced with limited-edition pre-orders and the video for L'Odeur de l'essence. The album was certified platinum within a week and diamond within 5 months. It is the fastest platinum- and diamond-certified rap album. It earned Orelsan three further Victoires de la Musique, including Artist of the Year.

In 2022, he was one of the winners at the NRJ Music Awards and Francophone Male Artist of the Year. He won three more Victoires de la Musique in 2023. He now has 12 Victoires de la Musique in total, making him the third most-awarded artist in the ceremony's history.

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