Virginie Pouchain

Virginie Pouchain, born on October 13, 1980, in Saint-Montan, Ardèche, France, is a French singer and former hairdresser. She began her musical journey at the age of 18, performing with the local group Montélochante while working as a hairdresser in Montélimar.

In 2005, Pouchain gained national attention by winning the third season of the television talent show Entrée d’artistes, hosted by Pascal Sevran on France 2. This victory led to her participation in France Télévisions’ national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2006, titled Eurovision 2006: Et si c’était vous?. On March 14, 2006, she was selected to represent France, impressing both the jury—presided over by Charles Aznavour—and the public with her rendition of Céline Dion’s “Pour que tu m’aimes encore”.

Initially, Pouchain was set to perform “Vous, c’est nous,” a song composed by Corneille. However, feeling uncomfortable with the piece and facing negative media reception, she requested a new song. Corneille composed “Il était temps,” a ballad that Pouchain performed at the Eurovision final in Athens on May 20, 2006. Accompanied by British cellist Matheson Bayley, she performed 19th on the night and finished 22nd out of 24 participants, receiving a total of 5 points—3 from Monaco and 2 from Armenia .​

Following Eurovision, Pouchain continued to perform at various events, including galas and local concerts, often featuring songs by artists like Francis Cabrel. In 2011, she auditioned for the second season of the talent competition Je veux signer chez AZ, organized by Valéry Zeitoun. In April 2012, she was the guest of honor at the spring meeting of Eurofans, the French Eurovision fan club. On October 5, 2016, Pouchain appeared as a contestant on France 2’s game show N’oubliez pas les paroles!, where she expressed her aspiration to self-produce her music .