Pianist, singer, and songwriter Arthur H has been hailed as the quintessential French chanteur, a musical heir to Serge Gainsbourg with echoes of Tom Waits and Boris Vian. Arthur H is known for his melodic, cracked voice, electrifying live performances, and lyrics that fuse poetry with sensuality and humor.
His singing is marked by a seductive musicality, delivered with passion and a charming nonchalance that, while distinctly French in style, transcends language. With musical influences that include Thelonious Monk, the Sex Pistols, jazz, blues, rock, electro, Middle Eastern, and gypsy music, Arthur H’s singular sound world has been compared to the striking paintings of Hieronymus Bosch—each album is a brand new trip, a new imaginative and sonic exploration.
Son of pop singer Jacques Higelin and Nicole Courtois, Arthur Higelin was born in Paris in 1966. Following a three-month sailing expedition in the West Indies, Arthur H studied music at Berklee College in Boston. Upon his return to Paris, he started several bands with whom he played his first songs. Working his way through successive musical influences—Thelonious Monk, Tom Waits, the Sex Pistols, jazz, blues, and the tango—Arthur H began to piece together a highly personal style.
In December 1988, Arthur H and English bassist Brad Scott put together a show for a three-night booking at a small 60-seat venue in Paris, La Vieille Grille. The show was such a success that they stayed on for three months. Audiences took an instant liking to the young artist's blend of humor, music, and poetry. The three musicians collaborated on Arthur H’s first album Arthur H, released in September 1989. Critics also took notice, and a few years later, Arthur H received the Victoire de la Musique award, the French equivalent of the Grammys, for most talented new artist of the year. His popularity grew steadily, and from 1989 to 1994 Arthur H performed over 700 concerts and sold approximately 150,000 albums.
In September 2005, Arthur H released the album Adieu Tristesse. His duo with French rocker Matthieu Chedid Est-ce que tu aimes? won him another Victoires de la Musique award for Best Video Clip of the Year. Renowned Canadian singer Feist collaborated with Arthur H on La Chanson de Satie, inspired by the great French composer Erik Satie’s famous Gymnopédies. And together with his father Jacques Higelin, Arthur H recorded the duo Le Destin du Voyageur.
In 2009, Arthur H received the Victoire Award for Best Pop/Rock Album of the Year for his album L'Homme du monde. Arthur H’s tenth album, Baba Love, was released in France in October 2011 to overwhelming critical acclaim.
About the last album"Baba Love"
Baba Love, Arthur H’s tenth studio album, includes songs in French and English and features duets with guest performers such as American MC Saul Williams, legendary French actor Jean-Louis Trintignant, and Arthur H’s own sister, the singer Izia, among others.
To produce Baba Love, Arthur H founded his own production and publishing company, and recorded on diverse instruments including an organ used by The Doors, a Vox Electra, a 1974 Rhodes piano, and an old mellotron from the 1960s to create a pure and organic sound |