Laure Pester, known professionally as simply Lorie, born on May 2nd 1982 in Le Plessis-Bouchard, Val-d'Oise, France is a French pop singer well known within the Francophonie, who started her work in 2001 Her first single "Près de moi" was released as a free download and became a big hit. The success of this song led Sony Music France to offer Lorie a record deal. Her first album "Près de Toi" was released in 2001 and met enourmous success. It is certified three times platinum for selling over a million copies.