De Palmas

Gérald De Palmas (born Gérald Gardrinier, on October 14, 1967 in Saint-Denis, Réunion) is a French singer. His father was a land surveyor from France and his mother was a French teacher from Réunion. At the age of 10, De Palmas' family leaves the isles of Réunion, to live in Aix-en-Provence, France. At the age of 13, he discovers ska music, and becomes a fan of the UK band The Specials. Then he meets Étienne Daho and forms a group called Les Max Valentins. But De Palmas was uncomfortable with this group, and goes solo. After 7 years of writing and singing solo, De Palmas wins a talent contest on the French M6 TV network. Soon afterwards in 1994, he releases his first album La Dernière Année (the last year), which contains the hit song Sur la Route (on the road). Winning a Victoires de la Musique award in 1996 proves that he was successful. De Palmas releases his second album Les Lois De La Nature (the laws of nature) in 1997, the same year he becomes father to his first child and son Victor. However De Palmas finds himself much less successful, probably due to the dramatic change in his style. He is in the slumps for 2 and a half years, until 2000. That's when Jean-Jacques Goldman restores his confidence and writes a song for him titled J'en rêve encore (I still dream about it). Now De Palmas is ready to return to the road of success. His newfound confidence spurs his creativity, as he composes and writes 10 of the 12 songs in his 3rd album Marcher Dans le Sable (walking in the sand). 2002 is the year he is reborn as a star, as he wins the Victoires de la Musique and the NRJ Music Awards, while touring over 180 concerts. His songs even cross the Atlantic, as Céline Dion sings his hit song Tomber (Falling) in English, titled Ten Days. At the end of the year, Live 2002 is released on DVD and on CD, to commemorate his great tour of 2002. 2 years later, De Palmas returns with his 4th album Un Homme Sans Racines (a man without roots), a more intimate album with less music, but always in the same melancholic style.