David Hallyday is back with a new album “Requiem pour un fou”, on which he revisits his own hits while appropriating some of his father’s cult songs. Johnny Hallyday. In a new format “In Private With…” from Purecharts, the video of which can be watched below, the artist returned to the conception of this record unlike any other. “ It happened over a few years. I started listening to my first albums again, which I hadn’t listened to for a long time. Certain titles like “High” or “Ooh la la” had aged a little poorly in terms of production. I said to myself: “Hey, I’m going to have fun doing them again and see what it turns out.” I had a lot of fun doing it » says the singer, who finally wanted to go further with the concept: “ Why not go more into my father’s repertoire and why not tackle the song “Blood for Blood”? ».
The Dailymotion player is loading…
“His songs are part of my DNA”
Thus, David Hallyday selected titles from his deceased father such as “Laura”, “Vivre pour le Meilleur” or “L’Envy”. “ Songs that are part of my DNA » confesses the artist, diving into his memories: “ I heard them when I was a kid. I heard him rehearsing his songs, and they are still a bit part of me. (…) I found it to be a very interesting musical challenge “. Of course, tackling the legend Johnny Hallyday put a little pressure on David Hallyday: ” A little yes… That’s part of the questions. I’m not a cover guy, I don’t like covers basically, except when the origin of the emotion has been harsh. I hope I did a good job on this because it was an important criterion for me “. So he brought ” a certain modernity ” to these titles known to all, with the desire to ” to put a little slap in the tempos, in the approach and to make them more stage songs » and make “ new songs ».
To cover the songs of Johnny Hallyday, he had to ask Laeticia Hallyday for the rights. A painful move after all the hype about his father’s legacy? “ No, you send an email and ask for the rights! When you do something that represents the artist well, that highlights him. It’s a normal approach ” attests the singer, without elaborating. In evoking his beginnings in music, and the incessant comparisons with his father, David Hallyday returned to his bond with his artist parents: ” I learned a lot by watching them, and being a witness to their lives. When I started this job, I already had some background, let’s say that I learned through necessity. (…) I was very lucky on that ».
TO READ – “Obviously”: Laeticia Hallyday has chosen the actor who will play Johnny Hallyday At the movie theater !
On his “Requiem for a Madman” tour which will start on November 2, David Hallyday could well reserve surprises, such as a duet with his sister, Laura Smet. “ “Laura” is a song she could sing with me, I think about it. On a live show for example, I would like it, if it feels like it. That would be great ! It’s a song that is so close to her, and one that she holds dear. It would make sense for her to come, I would really like » confides the singer, who also covered “Sang pour sang”, transforming it into a duet with Johnny: “ If I start to list everything that was moving while making the album, we’re not done. It lasted two and a half years. It was magnificent, painful at times, magnificent, constructive. An amalgamation of feelings that cannot be explained ».
Buy your tickets for David Hallyday’s tour!
To achieve this, he recorded his parts with his father’s voice in his ears: “ I erased everything I did, started again and sang with him in my ears. I had to because the emotion wasn’t the same at all, you’re going to look for something else. To hear it there, it was very strange and very special, and at the same time it made me sing in another way ».
