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Mathilde Gerner, also known as Hoshi, is a French singer-songwriter and composer, born in Versailles on September 14, 1996.

Family and childhood
Mathilde Gerner was born on September 14, 1996, in Versailles and grew up in Montigny-le-Bretonneux, in the agglomeration community of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines. She started playing the piano at the age of 6 and the guitar when she was 15, which is when she wrote her first songs.

Debuts
Hoshi took her first steps in the music industry as a member of the amateur band “TransyStory”, a quartet formed in September 2011. She was in secondary school at the time and was the quartet's singer, keyboard player and rhythm guitarist. They would occasionally perform in the municipal halls of Montigny-le-Bretonneux. The group particularly played Lou, their first composition to be recorded. In December 2011, Hoshi entered and won a youth talent competition (Jeunes Talents, c’est maintenant!) organized by the city council. On this occasion she was spotted by Marc Isacco, then in charge of a music section in Montigny, allowing her to meet established artists and to play in larger venues. TranyStory split up at the end of 2012 and Hoshi pursued her musical path on her own.

Passionate about Japanese culture, she chose the stage name of Hoshi Hideko, which was later simplified to Hoshi, meaning "star" in Japanese. She made herself known by releasing cover songs on the Internet which led her to gain support from the Label Styiens. In 2013, at the age of 16 she was spotted by the casting director of the French The Voice and successfully auditioned for the programme but dropped out of the competition when the producers tried to force a song choice on her.

She left high school and focused entirely on her music by busking. In 2014, she took part in the programme Rising Star on the channel M6 but failed to qualify with her cover of Mistral gagnant. She then went back to performing in the street, where she liked to try out her compositions. She also gave small solo concerts. Two years later a manager reached out to her, which allowed her to sign to the Jo&Co Label.

Rise to fame
On March 3, 2017, she released her first single, Comment je vais faire. The song and the music video were moderately successful.

On May 19, 2017, she released her first EP, Comment je vais faire, on the Jo&Co label. It showcases the eponymous song and its acoustic version, as well as 3 other original pieces called Manège à trois, En gros tout est gris and Parking sonne.

On March 23, 2018, she released her first album, Il suffit d’y croire. She experienced her first significant success with the track Ta marinière.

In 2020, she was nominated at the Victoire de la Musique in the category 'revelation scene'.

Personal life
Hoshi appeared alongside singer Gia Martinelli at the NRJ Music Awards red carpet in November 2018, where she was nominated for the French newcomer of the year award. In December of that year, she was the victim of "outing" after the publication of an interview in Paris Match that claimed she had referred to herself as homosexual. She later denied the article’s content.

Style and influences
Her influences are very diverse: Jacques Brel, Serge Gainsbourg, Catherine Ringer, Les Rita Mitsouko, Noir Désir, Léo Férré, The Cranberries, Patti Smith, Janis Joplin, Izïa Higelin and Nirvana.

Albums

 * 2018: Il suffit d’y croire
 * 2020 (not yet released): Sommeil levant.

Singles

 * 2017: Comment je vais faire (Single and then EP)
 * 2018: Ta marinière
 * 2019: Je vous trouve un charme fou (featuring Gaëtan Roussel)
 * 2019: Amour censuré
 * 2020: SQY