Grand Corps Malade

Fabien Marsaud (born 31 July 1977), known professionally as Grand Corps Malade (GCM), is a French poet and songwriter. He has released seven studio albums so far, all of them reaching top-five status on the French SNEP chart. GCM started writing and performing a capella at slam events in 2003. Three years later, he signed with Universal's AZ affiliate and released his debut album Midi 20, which became a top-ten selling record of the year in France.

Grand Corps Malade's follow-up album, Enfant de la ville (2008), and third album 3ème temps (2010), were less successful commercially. In 2013, he released his family-inspired Funambule album, while Il nous restera ça (2015) featured 11 collaborations with other musicians. His sixth album, Plan B (2018), reached number two on the SNEP album chart. In 2020, he released Mesdames (Ladies), featuring ten duets with women, which topped the French charts. Its lead single, "Mais je t'aime" (But I love you), a duet with Camille Lellouche, became his highest-ranking song on the French singles chart.

GCM's accolades include three Victories of Music awarded by the French Ministry of Culture. His stage name means "tall, sick body" in French, a reference to his height (nearly 6'4" or 1.94m) and to a spinal injury that forces him to walk with a crutch, due to a diving accident in 1997 that initially led doctors to tell him he would never walk again.

Marsaud was born on 31 July 1977 in Le Blanc-Mesnil, Seine-Saint-Denis. His mother was a librarian. His father, Jacques Marsaud, was a regional civil servant, a general commune secretary in Noisy-le-Sec and Saint-Denis, later on a director general of services at Val-de-Marne's departmental council and then at the Plaine Commune agglomeration community (fr: EPT). The family lived in Saint-Denis. Marsaud excelled in his classes, particularly in literary courses; he wrote his first works aged 14–15. But sports won out, and at one point he was simultaneously part of tennis, athletics and basketball clubs; the latter would become his greatest passion. At 17, he was offered a chance to join the training center in Toulouse, but preferred to stay in Saint-Denis. After playing in JSF Nanterre and in Saint-Denis, Marsaud signed with a third-division-level team in Aubervilliers. He earned a DEUG degree, majoring in physical education.

In July 1997, during a sports camp where Marsaud was a supervisor, a diving accident in a swimming pool caused him to displace his spine; he was later told he would never walk again. However, in 1999, after a year of intensive treatment, he regained the ability to walk, although he usually has to use a crutch or cane. Marsaud continued studying and earned a DESS master's degree in sport management. He worked in marketing for the Stade de France between 2001 and 2005, but became disillusioned with the job.

Marsaud discovered slam poetry in 2003 and started writing poems. On 23 October that year, he made his first appearance as a slam artist in a bar at the Place de Clichy in Paris, where he recited his first artistic piece entitled "Cassiopée". It is at that point he chose his stage name, Grand Corps Malade (GCM). He then took part in numerous poetry slam events with Collectif 129H and with his friend John Pucc'Chocolat. In 2004, GCM led "Slam'Alikoum", a monthly feature at the Café Culturel de Saint-Denis with Pucc'Chocolat. He co-founded "Le Cercle des Poètes sans Instru" ("The Circle of Poets Without Instruments"), a group of seven slam artists that includes John Pucc’, Droopy, Techa, 129H members and himself.

Grand Corps Malade gained increased fame in slam circles in 2005 through his appearances at Reservoir, a club that featured upcoming artists, including those of Jamel Comedy Club show, which filmed its episodes there. GCM opened for Cheb Mami at the Stade de France, and for Mouss and Hakim at the "Boule Noire". That same year, his friend S Petit Nico offered to record a musical track to accompany his poetry.

GCM signed with the AZ label, and on 26 March 2006 released his debut studio album, Midi 20, which became one of the top ten selling albums of the year in France. To promote the record, he went on tour, doing 120 shows, including two sold-out concerts at the La Cigale theater in Paris and a performance at the Les Francofolies de La Rochelle festival.