Paris (AFP)

He did everything, cleaning man, seller of ice cream or shoes for women and same author for Johnny Hallyday: Hervé now shines his own titles with his first album, "Hyper".

The 30-year-old with short hair has been talking about him since his passage at the Francofolies last summer, on the spur of his first songs gathered in the mini-album "Mélancolie FC". "I was talking about the transition from adolescence to adulthood, when you stop football at 15-16 years old," he told AFP with his communicative enthusiasm.

Soccer, he practiced in the suburbs, in the Yvelines - he also has family in northern Finistère - at the post of central defender. "I was playing hitchhiker, I had to prevent the attacker from having the ball, with this kind of position, you are never in the photo (laughs)". Things could change with "Hyper" (released Friday at Initial / Universal) and his face will become more familiar.

In this first real opus, the one who describes himself as "born hyper-sensitive", "empties his bag" to songs between "lived, things that I observe, fantasized reality": "I am a sponge that is easily sodden, I always take notes. "

The result is writing close to the bone, on music that intoxicates between synthetic and organic. As if Alain Bashung and Jean-Patrick Capdevielle were spawning with the Happy Mondays, when the Manchester scene exploded in front of the world in the 1980s and 90s.

- "A crazy story!" -

Influences of which he speaks feverishly. He remains impressed by the "strong intros" of the first, like "I'm doing my jogging in the middle of algae and corals" (Gaby, Oh Gaby) and by "the crazy attitude, the super rhythm and the way of singing to part "of the troublemakers of the north of England.

"Hervé, we discovered it in 2017 and we fell in love from the start, tells AFP Emilie Yakich, head of the Chantier des Francos, the nursery for developing artists of the famous La Rochelle festival. He is whole and a big hard worker. He has this very electro side, with this impulse which comes from the belly and then this feather which comes from the heart, which catches you and never lets go ". "I take stock of the sutures, I glue the little bits of you" fuse in "Heart featherweight".

And what about Johnny? "A crazy story! It was at the time of Postaal (his former electro duo). We were in Yodélice's studio (also guitarist for Johnny). It's a weekend, Yodélice tells us has music, no text. It inspires me. I write, "he recalls.

"On Tuesday, Yodélice is in Los Angeles, on Wednesday Johnny says he likes it and they record on Thursday". But the favorite rocker of the French died some time later. Later, the posthumous album "My country is love" was released, with Hervé's lyrics on three titles. "My friends didn't believe me. I don't talk about it too much. But it was an incredible flash to hear these songs". They are signed with his full name, Hervé Le Sourd. We haven't finished hearing.

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