Paul Personne revisits the hits of those who inspired him in “Dédicaces (My Special Personal Covers)”

Every day, a personality invites itself into the world of Élodie Suigo. Monday December 11, 2023: guitarist and singer, Paul Personne. He has just published two albums entitled: “Dédicaces (My Special Personal Covers)”, Volume 1 and 2.

Paul Personne is a French blues and rock guitarist and singer. It was through the radio that he discovered the music he wanted to make, notably the sound of Eddy Mitchell and Johnny Hallyday. From there, he fell in love with an instrument, the guitar. There will be rock groups founded during his high school years, but it is with his solo career that he will definitely find his audience and the sound that corresponds to him. It is electric, it exudes those who have inspired you.

He has just published two albums entitled: Dedications (My Special Personal Covers), Volumes 1 and 2 in which he covers songs from iconic artists.

franceinfo: Are these two albums comprising 17 covers of artists such as Johnny Hallyday, Eddy Mitchell and Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine a declaration of love, a huge thank you that you wanted to convey to them?

Paul Nobody: A little of that. This is very nicely said. For a fairly shy and introverted guy, I would never have dared to knock on these people’s doors or call them. In the end, it’s life, it’s the encounters, the chance that made one day all these people say to me: “Hey, I would like you to come play with me or we could do a concert together. I would love for you to put a guitar on my album“. I picked up a guitar and it really started like that, I came across a little Johnny 45 that I had bought when I was 11 years old. Above, there was I’m bitten, a cover and it was a bit of a click. I played the song on the guitar and I said to myself: why not? It might be fun to do that, to give a tip of the hat to all these people who have crossed my path.

I feel like this project made you know more about who you were. This voice is different from usual, that is to say as if you have put it forward more and you trust it a little more.

“I’m not a fan of my voice, but you have to live with it!”

Paul Nobody

at franceinfo

I’ve gotten to a point where I can sing so-and-so and at the end of the day, it’s still me singing a song. That’s perhaps something that I liked at the end, to say that these albums are coming out and that when we listen, we don’t say to ourselves: ” What is this ? What did he do to us? It sounds like some of my albums.

Your father played the harmonica, he was a worker and passed on this desire to play to you?

Yes and then I can’t ignore it, you’re leading me on this, the story of the little glittery red accordion.

Yes ! Let’s put ourselves in context. At one point, they tried to give you an accordion which ended up in your sister’s arms. You weren’t very attracted to this instrument.

It’s true that there was a very music-loving side to the house. My parents had lots of 78s with their own music, Tino Rossi, etc. And my father, on Sundays, played a little harmonica, he knew how to play a little accordion too. He said to himself: “Here, son, I’m going to plug him into the thing“. He saw that I was humming, that I remembered the melodies quite easily. So there you have it, the baker next to the village was selling a small accordion and my father picked it up and put it in my arms, saying to me : ” Here, go ahead!“And I found myself stuck with this thing. My sister took it and in a quarter of an hour, she was able to play Living water by Guy Béart. For me, I had to wait until later for me to really have that click with the drums and the guitar.

At the start, there was actually the group Les Douglas and then you will meet Nicoletta. You resume The sun is dead (1967). She was very important in your life.

Nicoletta with whom I have not played. We didn’t do anything together. But it’s true that one day the postman brought me a telegram and I learned that Nicoletta had apparently listened to this first album and I was invited to the show, “La nouvelle poster” in Paris, in which two featured artists invited little known steps. And the luck I had that day was that there was Babette Jones who was working at Phonogram at the time. They saw my performance and said: ” This little guy is not bad” and it went like that. I was signed with them.

“Nicoletta was a trigger for something, but without knowing it. I don’t even know if I told her this story. If so, she doesn’t even know that she was a pivotal point in my life. “

Paul Nobody

at franceinfo

I feel like music has always kept you “alive”.

It’s a great refuge. I don’t feel great in my pumps every day when I get up, I have always considered myself an old loser and music has been an unimaginable savior. I don’t know what I would have done outside of music. I think I would have perhaps taken a job outside of everything. Maybe a carpenter, luthier, something where I’m not seen, especially not in the spotlight. This is something that I find a little difficult to admit too. And it’s true that it’s truly a lifesaver for me.

Watch this interview on video: