Stéphane Gagba (Hebrew: סטפן גאגבה; born May 13, 1998), better known professionally as Stéphane Legar (סטפן לגר), is a Togolese-Israeli[1][2][3][4] singer, dancer, and model. His stage name is either Legar or Le Gar – short for Le Garçon, "the boy" in French. He is often simply referred to by his mononym Stéphane.
Stéphane Legar | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Stéphane Gagba |
| Born | May 13, 1998 Bat Yam, Israel |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2016–present |
| Labels |
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Early life
editStéphane Gagba was born in Bat Yam, Israel, to Christian parents from Togo. His parents were foreign diplomats working in the Nigerian embassy in Israel at the time. He has an older sister. As a child, he spent most of his holidays visiting his relatives in Togo.[5]
As a child, he was nominated for deportation from Israel – due to lacking citizenship – as he only had a resident status. Although, he was a citizen of Togo (Togolese passport). Until the age of 10, his parents protected him from this awareness. Eventually, he acquired an Israeli citizenship as well – then, he enrolled into IDF Israeli military service, on 3 May 2021.[1][2][3][4]
At the age of 12, Legar moved with his family to Holon, Israel. He attended the youth village school Mikveh Israel, in its French sector. He enlisted in August 2017 to the Israel Defense Forces and served in a unit responsible for explaining the recruitment process to high schoolers.[6]
Career
editAt 14, he started as a model for the Castro clothing chain. After that as an acclaimed dancer he won the Israeli hiphop dance championship twice, in 2016 he was cast to dance in a Static & Ben El Tavori clip.
In October 2016 he released his first hit song Step Fun which got millions of online views and trending dances from the song. In 2017 he made a song with Israeli singer Noa Kirel named "Tikitas"(טיקיטאס). Ever since then he has been one of the most successful hip-hop artists in Israel, and has fans from the whole world(France and Israel mainly).
In 2020 his song, "Comme ci, comme ça" won the international educational competition, "Manie Musicale."[verification needed]
Personal life
editHis native language is French, but he is also fluent in Hebrew, Ewe (Togolese), English, and Spanish.[7]
Discography
edit- 2016: "Step Fun"[8]
- 2017: "Double Dutch", "Like That" (ft. Julieta), "Winner"
- 2018: "Comme Ci, Comme Ca"[9]
- 2020: "Rak Banot" ll (ft. Itay Levi), "Vida Loca", "Favela", "תראי מה עשית" (Look What You Did)
- 2021: "Flexin", "Merci", "J'avance", "נעים מאוד" (Nice to Meet You)
- 2022: "SPEED LIFE"[citation needed], "Chérie Coco", "קרקס" (Circus)
- 2023: "רק אני יודע" (Only I Know)
- 2024: "לפני, אחרי" (Before, After)
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Awards | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | MTV Europe Music Awards[10][11] | Best Israeli Act | Himself | Nominated |
| 2018 | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ a b "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 4 December 2023. [user-generated source]
- ^ a b "סטפ אפ". 31 May 2021.
- ^ a b "סטפן לגר: "כשאני הולך ברחוב אני לא אומר 'אני שחור', אבל הסביבה מזכירה לי את זה"". 4 June 2021.
- ^ a b Israel Hayom [dead link]
- ^ "From Togo to Tel Aviv: Israel's Latest Christian Pop Sensation". 13 March 2018.
- ^ Vigevani, Mara (2018-03-13). "From Togo To Tel Aviv: Israel's Latest Christian Pop Sensation". Breaking Israel News | Latest News. Biblical Perspective. Retrieved 2019-03-24.
- ^ The new Israeli Mega hit « Comme ci- Comme ça embassies.gov.il
- ^ Stephane Legar - STEP FUN ( Official Video Clip ). Retrieved 2024-04-21 – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ Stephane Legar - Comme Ci Comme ça (Music Video) | סטפן לגר - קומסי קומסה. Retrieved 2024-04-21 – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ "Nigeria: Wizkid, Davido, Others Nominated for 2017 MTV Europe Music Awards". AllAfrica.com. October 5, 2017. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
- ^ "Stephane Legar". MTV. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
External links
edit- Stéphane Legar discography at Discogs