French teen queen breaks the mold

"Sixteen-year-old Alizée is France's answer to the teen queen phenomenon. With one notable exception: Alizée has real talent. No breast implants or choreographed group dancing needed here, just haunting melodies and songs that get better each time you listen."

So reads an Amazon.com review of the French teen star's debut album, "Gourmandises," a French word used in the album's title track to draw a comparison between culinary delicacies and kisses. The delectable quality of the tracks make the album's title fitting. As another Amazon.com reviewer wrote, "there is not a bad song here."

Alizée, a native of Ajaccio, Corsica — also the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte — seems to be taking Europe by storm just as the French general and emperor did.

The track "Veni Vedi Vici," a quote by Julius Caesar, refers to small, everyday victories in the same way that the ancient Roman general and statesman referred to his victories in the field. The track is a battle hymn for life.

Her name, which is not a pseudonym, comes from a French term for wind and reflects her parents' passion for windsurfing. The self-titled track "L'Alizé," is an assertion of her independence and ability to love.

The album contains several other notable tracks. "Moi...Lolita" suggests the title character in Vladimir Nabokov's risqué 1955 novel. "J.B.G." expresses the fantasy of being a James Bond Girl-the lead female role in the popular series of films starring the fictional British agent, 007.

Alizée has sold millions of albums and singles and has been featured in a number of magazine articles and fan websites. She also received an M6 award last year-one of various awards given annually by France's M6 television network to honor icons of popular culture.

Despite the magnitude of her success, Alizée's interests extend beyond music. In interviews with the press, she has noted that if she weren't singing, she would be working as a computer engineer and teaching dance classes on the side, since dancing is her greatest passion.

In pursuit of these dreams, she has kept up with her education by taking correspondence courses and dancing when her schedule permits.

With her talent and diversity of interests, she would undoubtedly make a significant contribution to the Princeton class of 2007, assuming she and the Admission Office agree.