Ruiz was born at Carcassonne, daughter of musician Didier Blanc though later taking her grandmother's maiden name Ruiz. In 2001, she was a prominent contestant in the first French edition of Star Academy, a popular TV reality-show and musical contest. She was defeated in the semi-final by eventual winner Jenifer Bartoli but according to an interview on Europe 1 she claimed that she never wanted to win and, following a post-series tour, worked to distance herself from the Star Ac image. For her ...