Mike Brant
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| Mike Brant | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 1, 1947 |
| Origin | Haifa, Israel (Born in Cyprus) |
| Died | April 25, 1975 (aged 28) |
| Genre(s) | Pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Years active | 1969 - 1975 |
| Label(s) | EMI, NMC |
| Website | http://www.mikebrant.com |
Mike Brant (Born Moshe Michael Brand Sela, Hebrew: משה ברנד, on February 1, 1947 – April 25, 1975) was an Israeli pop star who achieved international fame after moving to France. His most successful hit was "Laisse-moi t'aimer" ("Let me love you"). Brant committed suicide at the height of his career by jumping from the window of a Paris apartment, leaving his fans shocked and devastated. His music is still aired in Israel today.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Childhood
Mike Brant was born on February 1, 1947 in a Jewish refugee camp on Cyprus. His parents were Polish Jews, and his mother was a survivor of Auschwitz. He did not begin to speak until the age of five. On November 1947, the family immigrated to the British Mandate of Palestine and settled in Haifa, where they lived in a modest two-room apartment.
[edit] Musical career
When he was 17, Brant joined his brother's band, "The Chocolates," as the lead singer. The band started out performing at parties and cafés in Haifa and Tel Aviv, and moved on to nightclubs in upscale hotels. Brant sang in English and in French, although he spoke only Hebrew. In 1965, he changed his name to "Mike" because it sounded more "international."
At one of these performances, he was discovered by the Israeli impresario Jonathan Karmon, who signed him on for a tour around the US and South Africa that lasted almost a year. By 1968, Brant's career had taken off. He appeared nightly before large crowds.
In May 1969, Brant performed at the nightclub of the Hilton Hotel in Teheran, "Baccara." A young French singer, Sylvie Vartan, who was also on the bill, was impressed by his talent and charisma, and urged him to come to Paris.
Brant arrived on July 9, 1969 in Paris with a hundred dollar bill in his pocket, determined to make an international name for himself. It took him ten days to find Vartan, but they eventually met, and she introduced him to the French producer Jean Renard, who had turned Johnny Halliday into a star. Under Renard's guidance, he changed the spelling of his family name from Brand to Brant, and recorded his biggest all-time hit, "Laisse-moi t'aimer" ("Let Me Love You"). The song was a huge success at the Midem music festival in January 1970, and was played on the radio all over France. "Laisse-moi t'aimer" sold 50,000 copies within the first two weeks.
[edit] Success
A million and half copies of "Laisse-moi t'aimer" were snatched up over the next few months. Brant represented France in a radio contest broadcast all over Europe and also aired in Israel. His song in the contest, sponsored by Radio Luxembourg, was "Mais dans la lumiere" ("But Inside the Light"). Brant took first place. He continued to release new hits: "Qui saura" ("Who Knows"), "Un grand bonheur" ("Great Happiness") and "Parce que je t'aime plus que moi" ("Because I Love You More Than Myself). His wildly successful first album, "Disque d'Or" ("Gold Record") sold millions of copies. Brant took a song that was written and composed in English by his good friend Mike Tchaban/Tashban "Why do i love you? Why do i need you?" French radio would not air this song because it was in English. Brant in a sad way returned back home to give concerts and the rest of Europe. Brant's concerts attracted enormous crowds. Wherever he went, he was surrounded by adoring fans, especially girls and women, who screamed and fainted at his performances. His tours took him all over Europe.
In February 1971, Brant was injured in a road accident. That year, at the peak of his success, he returned home to give several concerts in Israel. During the Yom Kippur War in 1973, he performed in Israel before front-line soldiers.
[edit] Suicide
After switching managers, Brant found himself performing at an insane pace. By 1973, he was giving 250 concerts a year, some before audiences of 6,000-10,000 people. This went on for two years. He spent those years madly dodging female admirers. Despite all this adulation, Brant suffered from depression and loneliness. On November 22, 1974, he attempted suicide, jumping out the window of his manager's hotel room in Geneva. He suffered broken bones, but survived. He recovered and began to appear again, but cut down the number of performances and concentrated on putting out another album, Dis-lui ("Tell Her").
On April 25, 1975, on the day his new album was scheduled for release on live television, Brant leapt to his death from the balcony of an apartment in Paris. He was 28 years old.
Mike Brant was buried in Haifa, Israel, and his grave became a pilgrimage site for grieving fans.
[edit] Commemoration
A documentary on the life of the singer - Laisse-moi t'aimer: Dmaot Shel Malachim (Tears of Angels) was released in April 1998. It was a French-Israeli co-production.
