Born on May 20, 1973, in Paris, she originally began her entertainment career as an actress. She made her big-screen debut at age seven in the Claude Miller film Garde à Vue (1981) and appeared in a couple other films before her role in the César-winning Régis Wargnier film La Femme de Ma Vie (1986) made her a star, in particular her performance of the theme song "T'en Va Pas." Written and produced by Italian hitmaker Romano Musumarra, "T'en Va Pas" was released commercially as a single in late 1986 on the Carrère label and topped the French singles chart for eight consecutive weeks early the following year. Billed simply as Elsa, she subsequently signed a recording contract with Ariola and made preparations for her full-length solo album debut, collaborating with her father, songwriter Georges Lunghini, among others. A Top Ten hit on the French albums chart, Elsa (1988) spawned a series of major hit singles that ran for over two years, including the chart-topping hit "Un Roman d'Amitié"; the number two hits "Quelque Chose Dans Mon Coeur" and "Jour de Neige"; and the Top Ten hits "À la Même Heure Dans Deux Ans" and "Jamais Nous." The follow-up albums "Rien Que Pour Ça" (1990) and Douce Violence (1992) were also popular, reaching the Top Five of the French albums chart and spawning the Top 20 hits "Rien Que Pour Ça" and "Bouscule-moi." Elsa's fourth album, Chaque Jour Est un Long Chemin (1996), signaled a significant change in style for the former teen star, who began writing her own lyrics for the first time; unfortunately, the album also marked a sharp downturn in her popularity. Eight years passed before Elsa released a new album, De Lave et de Sève (2004), in association with a new label, Mercury. Successive album releases on Mercury include Connexion Live (2006) and Elsa Lunghini (2008). ~ Jason Birchmeier