“Is that I creep as a child
Is what I do not have any more of shirt
And it is the good God who makes us
And it is the good God who breaks us
Is that nothing can arrive
Is that it?” 

Those are the beautiful words of French singer, actor, music director and songwriter Raphael Haroche in his famous song Caravane released recently which captured the hearts of his fans and gave this wonderful singer a worldwide acclaim. Truly it is the good God who made Raphael such a talented musician and singer and made him what he is today…well known and famous.

Raphael Haroche was born in Bolougne in Paris on the 7th of November 1975. Raphael’s father was a Russian lawyer and mother, an Argentinean lawyer, so from a very early age Raphael had a wonderful influence of both Russian and Argentinean music. From his young days itself, Raphael was very passionate about music and learnt to play a number of musical instruments. He began with his home piano, went on to play the saxophone and being young, vibrant and tech savvy even used sampling techniques to write his first few songs. Raphael Haroche later developed a love for the guitar which became his favorite companion and lifted him to heights of fame and recognition. Just like many young music fans, Raphael had his own pop obsessions like David Bowie, Iggie Pop, Bob Dylan Jaques Brel and Leo Ferre.
Raphael though interested in music, pursued his day job and continued his studies to join the Hypokhagne, a French Literary and classical language institute but he eventually stayed there only three days and then moved to the Law faculty. But even that was shortlived and he left the Law College to pursue a full time songwriting career.

The most significant part of Raphael Haroche’s career which marked his entry into the world of songwriting and music was his encounter with Caroline Manset, daughter of French singing star Gerard manset. Caroline became his manager and Raphael’s tape was taken to the major record labels and first picked up by the EMI for his debut album.

Raphael’ first album was based on the theme “The Hotel Universe” which says we are all guests in this world; we live our life span and then vanish out of the records. The album was well received and all his songs are characterized with a distinct style of simplicity, humor and deep thought. The music had a mix of all that he had heard through the years and was marked with a new trend and a new beginning for French Rock.
He also has a great talent for writing songs in the space of a few minutes. He began live concerts with French pop star Vanessa Paradis at a series of Paris concerts and also acted in a support role for Jean Louis Aubert and Frank Black. He was nominated in the Best Newcomer of the year category in the Victoires de la music awards in 2002. A very satisfying concert came in the year 2002 when he supported his childhood hero David Bowie.
Raphael Haroche’s second album Reality was on a more solemn note with soft calm music in contrast with the screeching guitar rifts. Except for two tracks the rest were Raphael’s own composition and were based on a realist theme, songs of solidarity, rebellion and revolt. This album was a great success and sold around 160000 copies and had begun to carve a niche for himself in the French music scene.

His next album Caravane hit the charts with a phenomenal commercial success in February 2006 and sold more than 1 million copies and Raphael Haroche  won the best male artist of the year, Best variety album and the single, Caravane won the best original song of the year at the Victoires de la musique ceremony.

Raphael Haroche is truly a French musical heartthrob for his millions of fans around the world. He is young and enthusiastic and has a long way to go and I am sure will be a legend of his time at the peak of his career.