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Olivier
Toussaint looks like a star: the epitome of a French matinee
idol. Tall, sophisticated, suave, with tremendous presence and
stunning charisma. He acts like a star, too, and exudes a warm
Gallic charm, an almost boyish enthusiasm for showbusiness and a gentle
sense of humour.
He
talks passionately about music... and indirectly he has been responsible
for amassing worldwide record sales nearing 100 million. Toussaint is a flamboyant Frenchman who just happened to discover a phenomenon and
went on to create a legend.
Clayderman
For the past twenty five years or so, he
has meticulously guided the international career of his protégé, Richard
Clayderman. He has seen him emerge from almost total obscurity as
an unknown session musician in Paris, to become one of the biggest
selling recording artists the world has ever seen, with an incredible
218 Gold and 60 Platinum Discs to his credit, although that figure
changes virtually every day.
Toussaint was once quoted as
saying "A good pianist with a bad manager, will not amount to
much. A good artist alone cannot accomplish much." Quite simply Toussaint is a good manager and his delicate skills, coupled with
Clayderman's talent and virtuosity as a musician, is a devastating
combination and his own achievements are a true testimony to that fact.
Modest
For the man who has quietly
planned and masterminded this success, Toussaint
remains refreshingly modest about his contribution to Clayderman's
outstanding career, preferring to heap the acclaim on Richard's own
shoulders. "the fascinating thing about richard," he says, "is
that he has been at his very best over the last 23
years. And we still have a long, long way to go."
It was Toussaint and his
partner Paul de Senneville, both renowned producers in their own right
and who successfully ran the French recording company Delphine, who in
1977, handpicked Clayderman from a bunch of young and unknown hopefuls
at an audition. they were searching for a pianist to play and
record a gentle ballad they had written for de Senneville's daughter,
Adeline, entitled "Ballade pour Adeline". From 20 other aspiring pianists, Clayderman got the job. He stood out from the
rest.
Ballade pour
Adeline
"He was an interesting
musician with a soft touch and good technique," says
Toussaint. "And he looked good, too. But after the song
was recorded, we simply could not have predicted its outstanding
success. At first we didn't have a goal to aim for with
richard. How could we? It was all so new. We thought
the records potential sales would be around 10,000 singles, maybe
20,0000. We honestly could not have expected to be so successful
the way things have happened. But it was not an overnight
phenomenon. Richard Clayderman's career did not take off
immediately all over the world. It came gradually, country by
country, year after year.
"When we started
out trying to establish Richard, we decided to take each new market as a
separate identity," he says. "We learnt as we went
along. Every market is different so we had to apply different
rules to each territory. No two are the same."
"It's funny,
but after we had a little success at the beginning and we started to
build for the future, a lot of people kept telling me that I was an
expert in marketing, which was an enormous compliment because I was
really only learning myself.
"Things started to snowball so quickly and I was doing the very
best I
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thought possible according to my own instincts for what I thought
would benefit his career. I believed passionately in
Richard. But to be honest, I had no big marketing plan at
all. No strategy. It all came together so easily by
chance. Eleven years ago, marketing was not as important as it has
become today."
So why did he choose Clayderman, and what was the attraction of a piano
player?
"Instinct I
suppose" he smiles. "My partner and I were also handling
Jean Claude Borelly, a fantastic trumpeter who was acclaimed in many
countries throughout the world. He was a big star in France,
Germany, South America and Japan and had sold a lot of records. We
were very pleased with his success and we basically knew the market we
were aiming for."
Being a Frenchman,
Toussaint was elated when Clayderman started to break through in
England.
World Markets
"All the markets
of the world and important," he says. "but England is
special. It is unique. It is a very difficult record market
to break into for a foreigner because the music scene has always
been dominated by British and American artists.
"Very few
French artists have become big starts in Britain in recent years, only
Charles Aznavour and Sacha Distel spring to mind, and I could not
imagine that it could not happen again for some time. SO I was
delighted when Richard started to take off. But I firmly believe
it was that winning combination of Richard's charisma and his
outstanding musical ability that hone through as it has all over the
world. Shortly after he established himself in Britain, he
succeeded in America."
Through Richard
Clayderman's undoubted success, Toussaint has not only become one
of the most successful record producers in the world, but also one of
the most acclaimed and accomplished personal managers. Yet he
modestly shrugs his shoulders when you try to sing his own praises
"I try to do
my best," he says. "I try to produce Richard's records
to the best of my ability and to handle his career in exactly the same
way. I am always there to iron out any problem that might arise
and to take care of him professionally. I also try to ease his
workload as much as possible. But, of course, I can't do it
alone. I also try to surround myself with the right team to act on
his behalf, people with specialist knowledge in their own fields.
I have the same working pattern all over the world, and it works well.
So, what is his
own specific role?
"Well, I produce and arrange Richard's records with my partner Paul
de Senneville, and I help to choose the right kind of material to
record, for each particular country we are playing. But I couldn't
possibly do everything. I am not a Svengali character.
Richard himself, a strong character, knows what he wants to do and
exactly where he is going. I just help to nudge him in the right
direction occasionally. We have a very good working association
and trust each other. I try to look after his career with dignity.
Strategy
"It was
never my strategy to say that I know everything that needs to be done at
all times. How could I? I am always listening to advice and
suggestions from other people. We have a healthy dialogue. I
listen to what the experts say in each different area and then act
accordingly.
"They give
sound advice and I am delighted to back their judgment. I am French which can
sometimes be a handicap in the international market place because I do not
possess the mentality of an American, or an Australian, or an Englishman so I do not conduct my business in this way. I need to
be guided...and I listen a lot...It's the
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best policy.
Olivier Toussaint's own
career is steeped very much in music.
"Music,
music, music...it is my passion," he admits. "I always
wanted a career in music, although my mother told me that it could be a dangerous
;path to follow and I must get a degree and qualifications in
the professions to fall back on. So to please her, I studied
Sociology at University in Paris. But as soon as I graduated, I
was back making music." He worked professionally as a singer
and musician, playing guitar.
After performing
with several local groups and bands in the French capital, he later
turned his hand to writing, producing and recording and enjoying a few
hit records in his own right. At the same time he was involved in
writing for television and the cinema. "I wanted to work, to
do anything as long as it involved music," he
admits.
Paul de
Senneville
After he became more successful, he
opened his own Parisian recording studio. "It was very small,
little more than two tape recorders"... He met Paul de Senneville
and the two formed what has become a unique partnership.
"I was
looking for a producer for my material and songs when we met," he says.
"Paul was recording Michel Polnareff at the time and was very
successful. I played him some of my songs which he quite liked and
we started writing together. When we had build up a large enough
repertoire we began recording. Michel Polnareff recorded one of
our songs and took it to Number One in France.
Dolannes Melody
"Then,
Jean-Claude Borelly recorded another song, Dolannes Melody - which we
had written for the movie, 'Un Linceul n'a Pas de Poche' and it sold
over two million copies in France alone. It was very successful,
although the film was a disaster." Today, Olivier and Paul
run a thriving organisation in the centre of Paris which boasts no less
than four major studios, and a highly successful record company.
"When I
started working with Richard Clayderman, I had no intention of becoming
a manager. But I had so much faith in him that I thought it would
be a nice idea to look after him myself, especially the international
aspects of his career. My experience in this direction was very
limited, but I was determined to take a chance. I've been very
lucky. Now I also look after the career of Nicolas de Angelis, who
is also very popular in France and Australia."
Yet what he fails
to mention is that he is very much in demand to represent a number of
artists and he has been approached on many occasions.
Commitment
"You have to
have a very special relationship with your artists. It's hard work
and if you have too many clients how can you give each one individual
attention? You have to give 100 per cent, 24 hours a day.
Luckily I can combine my career as manager with record production and
composing. I have the best of every world."
For the future,
however, Toussaint is still passionately involved with Richard
Clayderman's career. "There's no end to what Richard
Clayderman might achieve," he enthuses. "And each year
we set ourselves new projects to achieve in each of the many countries
he has become successful - projects specifically geared to each
individual territory. It might be a concert tour, a new record
album, television appearances. This way the work is stimulating
and exciting. We try to consolidate as much as we can and to
retain Richard's identity."
With Olivier
Toussaint at the helm, Richard Clayderman will never have an identity
crisis.
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