she auditioned at conservatoire de lille, singing songs written by loulou gasté "sainte-madeleine" and "mon âme au diable". louis gasté was at that time a well-known french composer. at the end of the audition, she was approached by the director of radio lille who was looking for a singer. she took the pseudonym of jacqueline ray and joined the station singing a repertoire based on the songs by loulou gasté. in 1945, she moved to paris and got her first gig in folies belleville, where she was introduced to gasté. she was 16, and gasté was 37. he became her mentor, changing her image and her name.