The piano by its black and white keys always attracted me, my father showed me how to use... and slowly I got into playing.
I think that you can absolutely enjoy your artistic passion without seeking for the cult of celebrity.
I am rather what we usually call a Pop pianist with my own romantic style.
I am not what one calls a celebrity.
I do not remember the most challenging one but I remember that many of the titles I have recorded have been quite challenging for me.
Internet has considerably changed the rules. Some artists do not try to become celebrities: the internet does the job for them and makes them, slowly, famous.... without them wishing to become celebrated.
I am rather discreet and shy!
My father did not bother that I play not a classical music. He always congratulated me for my development in music, I mean in any music but, he hang on to continue training at the Academy of Music... however, I never mentioned to my teachers that I trained myself at weekends in clubs.
As an example, there is a Japanese composer / singer whose name is Tanimura [Shinji]: he has composed a song entitled entitled "Kazeno Komoriuta" and I have recorded my piano adaptation of this song and honestly I couldn't expect that it would be so difficult and challenging for me to perform my piano version of this beautiful song.
A long time ago, I remember having cooperated with Shirley Bassey and I will never forget this moment which I shared with her while playing for and with her.
When I was 14-15 years old I was able to earn a little money from time to time but I'm not complaining since, very soon I could provide a normal living. I was discovered also by other musicians and they asked me to work with them. Even in my early age several well-known artists asked for my services both on the stage and in the studio. This experience proved to be very useful, musicians showed me various musical situations and various music experiments.
In fact although I have studied in a Conservatory the classical piano, I do not consider myself a classical pianist.
In fact, among the 1000 titles which I have recorded in the past 35 years, there are less than 10% of classical titles.
I was born in 1953, in Paris. But soon after my birth my family (I have one sister) moved into a rent apartment in suburbs of Paris named Romainville. That time my parents were freshly married and it was extremely hard to find an apartment in Paris for a young married couple. To say they found a flat in a blocks of houses which was built after the second World War - and this is the place where I spent my childhood.
Some people know me because of my music and come and see me in my concerts but you very rarely see me or hear me in press or TV or radio magazines.
There is also the guitar player Pat Metheny with whom I'd like to work with: he is so elegant and so emotional when he plays that I am sure that, together, we could make a good team.
Today, Lan Lan is one of my favourite classical pianists.... Years ago I had a great admiration for Arthur Rubinstein but I have no doubt that Franz Liszt and Frederic Chopin were also fantastic piano players - though there is no way to listen to them when they were performing.
Years ago, while being in an airport in Australia, I happened to meet with David Helfgott. I knew that he was a bit fond of me and I was personally a fan of him. We were so happy to meet and hug and we had a very warm conversation together. Since that time.... about 20 years ago, I have not meet him again. I think that he is a very good pianist !
There are many artists I would like to have the honour to cooperate with. To accompany Barbara Streisand or Paul McCartney or Elton John would be a dream for me as I have a lot of admiration for their voice, their talent and their charisma.
I would also like to mention pianists like Michel Petrucciani or Chick Сorea for whom I have great admiration in the jazz field.
