Richard Clayderman - Hits (1995)

Richard Clayderman was born in Paris in 1953 as Philippe Pagès. He adopted the stage name Clayderman, the maiden name of one of his great-grandmothers, at the beginning of his career on the advice of his producer, and Richard was chosen for this. He learned to play the piano as a child from his father, a piano teacher, and was accepted at the Paris Conservatory at the age of 12, where he graduated first in his class. He wanted to pursue a career as a classical musician, but his father became ill, and to support him, he took a job as a bank clerk and also became a piano accompanist for contemporary orchestras, which is how he came into contact with the lighter genre.

He was 18 when his then-girlfriend Rosaline became pregnant with their daughter, and he married her, but the marriage lasted only two years. “It was a mistake to get married, we were so immature,” he later said in an interview.

His breakthrough came with the recording of Ballade Pour Adeline in 1977. The single sold 22 million copies in 38 countries around the world. The young pianist's career took off, and in addition to his musical skills, he also won over people with his attractive appearance.

"All the girls, all the fan letters! Not that I'm complaining, but I didn't expect anything like this. Nancy Reagan gave me my nickname. She came to one of my concerts and called me The Prince of Romance! Of course, there was nothing between us," the artist once said.

During this period, in a theater, he met his second wife, Christine, who was working as a hairdresser at the time. They married in 1980 and had a son, Peter. "I was a better husband and father the second time. I was more present. But I still toured a lot, which didn't do my marriage any good." This marriage also ended in divorce. “I lost a lot of money in my divorces. I was very generous with my ex-wives, especially the second one – I even paid off her new boyfriend!” he said.

He married for the third time in 2010: he is still married to violinist Typhaine. “She was the perfect match for me, because I had known her for ten years. She played in my backing band, so she knew my personality very well.”

Although the peak of his career was undoubtedly in the 1980s, the 67-year-old artist is still actively playing music and touring whenever he can. During his four-decade career, he has made around 1,000 recordings and given more than 2,000 concerts. Although he was unable to take to the stage for 14 months due to the pandemic, he will be seen live again in a few days, for the first time in Bulgaria. “I tour as long as my health allows, but it gets harder as you get older. I jog and cycle every day to keep fit.”

The artist has always avoided scandals, never taking drugs or even alcohol. Despite his vast wealth, he lives simply in his house in Versailles. He used to have four more valuable vintage cars, but he has since sold them.

“Being the Prince of Romance is sometimes difficult. Sometimes you just want to hide and be alone. You need rest, sometimes even romance is tiring. But don’t tell anyone that,” he joked in an interview with the Daily Mail.