Ghassan Yammine: Forever Aznavour

As a child, he listened to him with his parents. His lyrics, his music lived in him for a long time, and Charles Aznavour became, in many ways, "a member of the family" whom he finally met unexpectedly in the year 2000.

In his dressing room, during the intermission of a concert at the Palais des Congrès, the famous singer received the Lebanese pianist, who was introduced to him by a mutual friend. With his glass of red wine in hand, he inquired, "How is our diva, Fairuz?"

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This meeting became an annual ritual between the two men in the famous concert hall, where the monument of French music celebrated concerts before his international tours. "Did getting to know him up close disappoint me? Not at all," said Ghassan Yammine, whose last meeting with Aznavour dates back to 2014. "He was true to himself, as we saw him on stage, in his songs. He had an incredible sense of humor and often responded quickly with jokes and anecdotes from his life. If I remember being impressed the first time I saw this man, so small but so charismatic, he quickly broke the ice. One day, I sang one of his songs, which we were talking about, and he told me, surprised, that I had an extraordinary voice and that I should sing, which I did not take seriously." Indeed, Yammine did not expect that he would one day embark on a singing career, with Aznavour playing a significant role.

New career

At age five, Yammine learned the piano early and began to compose his own music two years later. After studying piano, musicology and advanced musical sciences between Beirut and Paris, this staunch lover of Lebanon opened his school in the country, which had up to seven branches before the crisis.

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But his career took a turn in 2017, when he sang for the first time on television while hosting his popular segment on the MTV channel, on the occasion of Mother's Day. His "Ahennou Ila Khobzi Oummi" was successful on social media, and Marcel Khalifeh even offered to set a famous poem to music for him. "I evaded for more than six months," recounted Yammine to L’Orient-Le Jour, "until the day she threatened to resign. I started training, singing discreetly, before she allowed me to sing publicly a year later. Thus, I performed 'Les feuilles mortes' on MTV, and that's when I was invited to try Aznavour. While preparing a special Aznavour episode, I learned of the singer's death."

A year later, Yammine was contacted by Aznavour's producer to celebrate this first anniversary at the Palais des Congrès, but he refused, not feeling ready. However, he decided to embark on a singing career, writing and composing his own songs.

While the pandemic delayed his plans, Yammine still performed in Paris, covering songs by Aznavour, Piaf, Montand, and Bécaud, eager to establish himself away from his home country where he was not yet seen as a singer. This was followed by concerts in Aubonne, Paris, and his rendition of Aznavour's songs earned him an invitation to Yerevan to perform with three Armenian stars. "It was a real baptism by fire," he said. "I was told that singing Aznavour in Armenia would be a unique experience. At the first notes of 'Hier encore', the 1,600 audience members stood up, and I received a 12-minute standing ovation at the end of the concert." In 2024, for the centenary of the legend, Yammine performed in Venice, Paris, Belgrade, and Amman before embarking on a tour in Canada that took him to Montreal, Toronto and Quebec. In October, he found himself on a plane next to Grand Corps Malade, who wrote and directed the film "Monsieur Aznavour," a few days before the film's premiere.

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From me to Aznavour

So, after a successful tour, Yammine will finally perform in his home country, on the stage of the Casino du Liban, on April 4 and 5, in a tribute concert titled "From Me to Aznavour." A concert during which he will perform his personal songs inspired by his experiences, but also those by great names like Piaf, Ferré Brassens, Montand, Barbara and from his wide musical culture that blends genres, from jazz to classical. "My music doesn't resemble today's songs," explained Yammine. "I often record my music with symphony orchestras in Paris because I'm not looking to produce ephemeral hits." The concert will obviously be an opportunity for him to revisit the greatest titles of Aznavour, whom he assured he will not imitate. "I think social networks have greatly helped the audience understand that I am not a lookalike or an imitator of Charles Aznavour," said the musician, who sings from his heart and simply wishes to pay tribute and take his audience on a journey through the legacy of the star.

"Aznavour is unique in the subjects he addressed and his way of writing," added Yammine. "Today, it is an honor for me to carry and share this enormous legacy all over the world, and a great responsibility. I hope that from up there, it makes him happy and that my feelings, my passion, reach him."

This article was translated from L'Orient-Le Jour.

Ghassan Yammine : Forever Aznavour