Mireille Mathieu was born in Avignon, Vaucluse, France, the eldest daughter of a poor family of fourteen children. She began appearing in public at the age of four, singing in her church. As a young girl she worked in a factory, where she saved money to pay for singing lessons. Singles such as "Mon Credo" and "C'est Ton Nom" made her a huge star in France and elsewhere in Europe, as well as a great success in the U.S.A., Canada and Mexico.Her first album release in 1966 En Direct de L'Olympia - on the Barclay label - featured these songs, and was highly acclaimed.