Jean-Michel André Jarre was born on 24 August 1948 in Lyon, France. He is one of the world's most influential electronic music composers, performers and producers, widely recognised for pioneering large-scale multimedia concerts that combine music with lasers, projections, fireworks and cutting-edge visual technology.

Jarre is the son of Academy Award-winning film composer Maurice Jarre and France Pejot, who was active in the French Resistance during World War II. Raised primarily by his mother and grandparents after his parents separated, he developed an early interest in music, art and experimental sound. During the late 1960s he studied under Pierre Schaeffer at the Groupe de Recherches Musicales (GRM), where he explored musique concrèteand electronic composition—experiences that would shape his unique musical style.

After composing music for television, advertising and other artists, Jarre achieved his international breakthrough in 1976 with Oxygène, an album recorded largely in his home studio using analogue synthesizers. Selling an estimated 12 million copies worldwide, it became one of the defining electronic music albums of all time. It was followed by the equally successful Équinoxein 1978, firmly establishing Jarre as one of the leading figures in electronic music.

Alongside his studio work, Jarre transformed the concept of live performance. In 1979 he attracted more than one million spectators to Place de la Concorde in Paris, setting a new Guinness World Record for the largest concert audience. He later broke his own records with landmark performances in Paris in 1990 and Moscow in 1997, where an estimated 3.5 million people attended his concert celebrating Moscow's 850th anniversary.

In 1981, Jarre became the first Western artist officially invited to perform in the People's Republic of China following the Cultural Revolution. The resulting Concerts in Chinaremains one of the most significant cultural exchanges in modern music history.

Throughout his career, Jarre has consistently pushed technological boundaries, pioneering the use of lasers, giant architectural projections, drones, virtual environments and immersive digital productions. His concerts have taken place in some of the world's most iconic locations, from the pyramids of Egypt and the Eiffel Tower to the Dead Sea and the Palace of Versailles. In recent years he has also become a pioneer of virtual and metaverse performances, reaching global audiences through innovative online events.

Beyond music, Jarre has served as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and has long advocated for cultural innovation, creators' rights and the future of digital art. He was married to British actress Charlotte Rampling from 1978 to 2003 and has remained one of France's most internationally recognised cultural figures.

Having sold an estimated more than 85 million albums worldwide,
Jean-Michel Jarre continues to release new music and perform internationally. Nearly five decades after Oxygène, he remains one of the most innovative and influential artists in electronic music, inspiring generations of musicians and audiences around the world.