It kind of makes sense that the word “unique” should be French. Sliimy is the definition, the very essence, of unique. How else to describe this tumble of colours and curls, of moods and manners, of styles and eras? This singer and musician from a small town in France has, with his producer and multiinstrumentalist collaborator Feed, created an album, Paint Your Face, that zips and darts between mournful ballads and exuberant pop-funk, played with the sort of high energy and childlike glee that suggests a kindergarten Prince with ADD or Marc Bolan let loose in a toy instrument shop of the future.

No wonder Sliimy was invited to support Britney Spears and Katy Perry on tour in Europe. No wonder, too, that he’s becoming a name to drop among celebrities, who know a new sensation when they see one sashay across their cyber field of vision. Sliimy’s (sub)version of Britney Spears’ Womanizer caused a frisson of a virtual disturbance recently after its appearance on YouTube, earning the attention of La Perry, Lady GaGa, Miley Cyrus, comedienne Sarah Silverman, and both Paris and Perez Hilton – the latter was so impressed that, mere weeks after confirming the launch of his Perezcious Music record label, the US blog gossip king announced that Sliimy would be his first signing. “His music will make a lot of people smile,” said Hilton of Sliimy’s effervescent, magical future hits. “It's good, quirky pop.”

So who is this intriguing character who is proving so fascinating to the good and the great? He’s Yanis Sahraoui, a 20-year-old from Saint-Etienne near Lyons. His friends and fans call him Sliimy, a nickname since childhood. Why? “Because I was really skinny, so lots of kids called me “spaghetti,” he says, hardly explaining it at all. “So I stayed as Sliimy and created a blog called ‘Sliimy’. It doesn’t mean anything. It sounds like pop music.”

Pop is crucial to Sliimy; it has for a long time been his lifeline. “Pop allows you to be at peace,” he says. “When I was young, I was very lonely and introverted so pop music has always been very important to me – first with The Beatles and Elton John, and today with Lily Allen and Kate Nash.”

Growing up, his mother introduced him to the joys of Michael Jackson, Madonna and The Bee Gees. Soon after, she passed away. “My mum died when I was seven years old,” he reveals. Obviously, music would from then on become an even more vital part of his existence. “I was alone and wanted to do music. Music was my best friend; my only way to be happy and to grow. I learned a lot through music.”

At home with his father and sister, Sliimy would retreat into his bedroom to listen to his favourite songs on the internet. “That was my passion. All my family don’t know about that. It was my secret garden.” He ventured out eventually and joined the local choir, which led to him discovering gospel and soul. His love of ʻ60s R&B gave him his big break in 2005 when he entered a song contest – and won! His performance of the Otis Redding classic, (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay, earned him first prize: the opportunity to make a record in a proper studio, which he did with his now permanent musical partner, Feed. The pair have remained together ever since, with Feed producing and co-writing all of Paint Your Face.

The fold-out collage for Paint Your Face is a riot of colours and shapes, fabrics and textures, surrealist brica-brac and objets d’art. If it represents the inner workings of Sliimy’s brain, it’s clearly a busy, baffling place, one capable of soaring highs and searing sorrow. “I’ve always been a loner, and I find it hard to explain my feelings,” he admits. “I’m sensitive. I write sad lyrics sometimes because they’re part of my life. Other times I write a happy song because when I was younger I listened to music that made me happy, and it’s important to give people some happiness. Besides,” he adds, “it helps me to put the drama out of the situation. You have to take all those bad moments and laugh. It’s important to be at peace with that and have fun. I can be serious, I can be a little bit crazy. I’m lots of people in one! I’m not just some happy guy who’s always smiling.”