The sky was blue, the air was fresh and there was sweet smell of joie de vivre . Ah, it must be Paris in the springtime. I could see the Notre Dame showing off its spectacular side chapels around the Rive Gauche at the Pont Neuf, and I took note of the garcons making their way home for lunch with their partially eaten baguettes extended from their sacks.

Did I mention that this was Paris during its most notorious season? Just as that passing cool springtime breeze had made its way over the Seine, so did my luncheon companion, singer/actor/producer, Jann Halexander.


 

Our interview took place in a quaint little café in Saint Germain de Pres--Jann sipping a soft drink, and of course me with something "absolut-ly" stronger. The usual line up of questions and answers ensued, information which one can find easily over the internet. Yes, Jann is twenty-five years old, the son of an African diplomat and a French professor of philosophy who also taught piano.

Although growing up in Gabon and attending private schools, both Jann and his sister, Elvire, spent their adolescence in Ochoa, Canada before relocating with the family to France in a little town just outside of Paris. One might get the impression that the family is wealthy, but when asked without hesitation the answer was, "No."

When I asked this renaissance man of chanson francaise about his training and who had influenced him the most, I was surprised to hear how much recognition he gave to the classical boys and girls. He said that in addition to his mother's tutelage, his piano teacher, a former Eastern European piano prodigy named Ana Mackovich, encouraged him to practice and tune his ear to the music of Ravel, Chopin, Poulenc and Debussy. He identifies with these composers the most. Jann is quite knowledgeable about the nuances of the French impressionists which is refreshing for this old music conservatory alumnus. But I wanted to know more. I wanted to know how someone so young and talented manages to compose songs, direct and star in his own one man cabaret, while acting, writing, producing and directing films. This was my moment to dig a little deeper.

Barron, Jann Halexander. and friend

I asked Jann about some of the provocative themes in his works like J'Amerais J'Amerais and Occident, e.g. vampires, Halexander Universe, his curious relationship with his parents, his bi-racial struggle and his thoughts on being bi-sexual. I asked if his parents were supportive of his career and lifestyle choices. His answer was mature and insightful. He said that most parents have a dream and vision for their child and that there is a normal disappointment when the child makes different choices than what was envisioned. He said that his parents aren't jumping for joy that he has been in a relationship with a man for the last seven years, but that they love and support him in his many endeavors for which he is extremely grateful. Jann acknowledged that his artistic gifts have been nurtured by a steady diet of creatively rich encounters at the keyboard and reading great literature while cultivating his appreciation for philosophy.

He is attracted to the Twenty century German-Jewish political theorist, Hannah Arendt, whose main philosophy was, "men, not Man, live on the earth, and inhabit the world." While discussing some philosophical concepts, Jann shared that he had recently read a story which captured his attention about a mulatre (bi-racial person) who had joined a Neo Nazi group in Serbia. What fascinated Jann about the story was not that the boy had joined the group and was now in prison for assault and murder of an immigrant, but that the Neo Nazi group allowed the "brown boy" to become a member. He believes that the line between the victim and the perpetrator is very fine and he asserts that there is a certain insanity within humanity about which he is often inspired to comment in his works such as Statross le Magnifique.

Deep into our discussion, I began to recognize a recurring theme to our conversation. The theme…duality. I noticed that Jann celebrated the fact that he is the product of a black African father and a white French mother and he didn't feel compelled to choose one ethnicity over the other. In fact, he acknowledges that one of his heroes is Barack Obama and that he admires the achievements of many mulatres. Jann delights in the fact that he enjoys the pleasure and company of both men and women. This spirited being refuses to choose between Black and White, man and woman, classical and pop or rich and poor. He is definitely a conundrum….or maybe he just wants it all and is talented and smart enough to have it.