French chanson hero Da Silva tried his hand at many forms of musical expression before settling upon the reflective, brooding acoustic sound that made him famous. He began organizing groups as young as 12, starting with punk bands under names such as "Nevers" and "Les Mad Cockroches." Experimenting with progressive rock sounds throughout his teen years, the youth found himself musically dissatisfied, starting band after band. Not finding the voice he was looking for in the high decibel rock & roll scene, Da Silva picked up an acoustic guitar at the age of 21. His breakthrough record came nearly six years later with Décembre en Été in 2005. Following the record's release, Da Silva traveled Canada, Switzerland, and Belgium as well as his native France, giving more than 100 concerts inside of a year. He emerged from relative obscurity, finding himself performing in important regional festivals and venues before audiences numbering in the thousands. The debut disc sold better than 100,000 units, setting the bar high for any work to follow. Recording "sketches" of his compositions in his home and on the road via mini-disc player, Da Silva began to draw together the material that would become his second record, De Beaux Jours à Venir. Full of melancholy and longing, the record was embraced by Da Silva's loyal and growing fan base, landing a spot in the Top 25 on national charts. In 2008 he wrote most of Elsa Lunghini's eponymous seventh album, and the following year he released his own third album, La Tendresse des Fous, which saw him recording for the first time in a top-rate studio, with a varied instrumental palette including brass and strings, and influences from blues and fado. The 2012 follow-up, La Distance, was a more stripped-back affair with some electro influences. Throughout, he stuck to his dark, somber, and melancholy tone. In between working on his own material, Da Silva found time to contribute songs to a number of bright young French female artists working in a similar idiom, including Marina, Jenifer, and Claire Denamur. In mid-2013 he announced that he had recorded another new album, this time working with faster tempos and a more upbeat sound. ~ Evan C. Gutierrez & John D. Buchanan, Rovi