by Jason Birchmeier
Mickey 3d are an award-winning French alternative rock band who made their major-label debut in 2000 and grew increasingly popular over the course of the decade. Founded in 1996 in Saint-Étienne, Rhône-Alpes, the band is comprised of singer/songwriter Mickaël Furnon (guitar), Aurélien Joanin (drums), and Najah el Mahmoud (keyboards). During the late '90s Mickey 3d released a few demo tapes (Le Souffle Court, 1996; Mickey 3d, 1997; L'Amour, 1998) before the band was signed to a recording contract with the independent label Premier Disque and made its label debut with the album Mistigri Torture (1999). Comprised in large part of songs previously released on the band's home-recorded demo tapes, plus some newly recorded studio material, Mistigri Torture was licensed for major-label reissue in 2000 by Virgin Music France, which also signed Mickey 3d to a recording contract and released the song "La France a Peur" as a single. Successive releases on Virgin were increasingly successful: second album La Trêve (2001) marked the band's first appearance on the French albums chart and spawned a few singles; third album Tu Vas Pas Mourir de Rire (2003) reached the Top 20 and spawned the band's first major hit, the Top 20 single "Respire"; the live album Live à Saint-Étienne (2004) also made the Top 20 and spawned a major hit, the Top 40 single "Johnny Rep"; and fourth studio album Matador (2005) was the most successful of all, reaching number three on the albums chart and spawning a series of singles, including the Top 40 title track. In addition to commercial success, Mickey 3d also earned critical accolades, including a Prix Constantin in 2003 and Victoires de la Musique awards in 2004 for Rock Album of the Year, Original Song of the Year, and Music Video of the Year.
