Gilles Servat

Although born in Tarbes (Hautes-Pyrénées) on February 1, 1945, Gilles Servat is one of the leading exponents of contemporary Breton chanson. Born to Breton parents, he grew up in Nantes and then Cholet, where he immersed himself in the songs of Georges Brassens and Léo Ferré. After studying at the École des Beaux-Arts in Angers and working in Paris, Gilles Servat became aware of his Celtic roots on the island of Groix, where he was invited to perform. He made a name for himself in the Breton cabarets of Paris, such as Ti Jos, and recorded his first album in 1972 with his hit song "La Blanche hermine ", which earned him a gold disc. With his politically committed lyrics and songs in Breton, Gilles Servat established himself as a leading exponent of Breton language, culture and music. After two albums for the Kelenn label, he created Kalondour, under which he released L'Hirondelle (1974), La Liberté Brille dans la Nuit (1975), LePouvoir des Mots (1976), Chantez la Vie, l'Amour et la Mort (1977) and subsequent collections. In 1988, Mad in Sérénité was awarded the Grand Prix de l'Académie Charles-Cros, before its author took part, in parallel with his career, in the Héritage des Celtes adventure led by Dan Ar Braz between 1993 and 1999, culminating in a concert at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy. In the meantime, his album Sur les Quais de Dublin (1996) featured a number of Irish musicians. Recorded in Dublin, Comme Je Voudrai! (2000) refers to the sinking of the oil tanker Erika with the title "Erika, Erika". The Breton singer continued into the 2000s with a series of albums including Sous le Ciel de Cuivre et d'Eau (2005) and Je Vous Emporte dans Mon Cœur (live, 2006), followed by Ailes et Îles (2011), C'est Ça Qu'On Aime Vivre Avec (2013), 70 Ans... À l'Ouest (live, 2017) and À Cordes Déployées (2020).