Pierpoljak, a French reggae star who has become known as … Read Full Bio ↴Pierpoljak
Pierpoljak, a French reggae star who has become known as the White Rasta, has not always espoused Rastafarism. Far from it, in fact. The singer has followed a fairly tortuous path to fame, with many ups and downs in his personal life, before achieving his current success.
Born in Paris on 7 September 1964, Pierpoljak (whose real name is Pierre) grew up in Colombes in the Paris suburbs. Pierre was a difficult adolescent who got into all sorts of trouble and in the mid-70s he got involved in the punk/skinhead movement. It was around the same time that he took his first steps as a musician, playing bass with a local band called Samu 92. Pierre’s passion for punk eventually led to him moving to London in 1981 where he threw himself into the violent, aggressive sound of the "No future" movement. Living in a squat in Stockwell, in south-west London, Pierre gradually came to discover reggae through his Jamaican-born neighbours, listening to the likes of Desmond Dekker and Toots and the Maytals. This proved to be a big musical revelation for him.
Pierre eventually returned to France and got into trouble with the authorities, ending up serving time in Fleury-Mérogis prison. When he got out of jail, the young adventurer decided to take to the high seas, travelling round the Caribbean. Pierre signed up as a member of the crew of a cargo ship and spent the next few years sailing round the French West Indies and the Dominican Republic (an island he grew particularly fond of).
On his return to France, Pierre took up his old musical activities once again and began to make a name for himself on the Paris underground scene, performing under the pseudonym Brada Peter, then Peter Pan. He managed to get two of his earliest tracks onto the 1994 compilation "Earthquake", an album which also featured up-and-coming reggae stars such as Saï Saï and Tonton David.
Success story
By 1991, Pierre - who, by that point, had changed his stage name to Pierpoljak - was living in the countryside with a wife and child to support. He had started writing and composing his own material in his home studio and his songs soon came to the attention of a major label, Barclay, who offered him a recording contract in 1995.
1996 saw the release of Pierpoljak’s debut album, entirely recorded in the comfort of his own home. One of the songs on it, "La Music", ended up remixed by legendary reggae producer Clive Hunt and this boosted the success of Pierpoljak’s album, giving it a second lease of life. A few months later, a new version of the album was released as "En Jamaïca", featuring a number of Jamaican DJs toasting on several tracks including "Annie" and "Touriste à Babylone." Meanwhile, Pierpoljak threw a great deal of time and energy into the live circuit, performing a hectic round of concerts and appearing at the famous Transmusicales festival in Rennes in 1997.
After the experience he had acquired in the studio and on the live circuit, Pierpoljak decided the time had come to fulfill one of his oldest dreams and he flew out to record a new album in Jamaica with Clive Hunt. Working in the legendary Tuff Gong studios in Kingston Town, the French reggaeman teamed up with some of the hottest names on the local music scene including drummer Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace and guitarist Earl "China" Smith.
Pierpoljak’s second album, "Kingston Karma", released in June 1998, featured fourteen tracks with superbly-crafted lyrics. It also included an extraordinary reworking of John Lennon’s "Instant Karma", characterised by Pierpoljak’s signature vocal drawl. The first single release from the album, the catchy "Je sais pas jouer", set the tone for what was to come, proving that French reggae could finally branch out onto the musical mainstream and follow rap to the top of the charts
Pierpoljak set off on an extensive national tour in 1998, taking his infectious reggae sound up and down the country. He put in a number of appearances at major French music festivals during the tour and appeared at the Printemps de Bourges in April 1999.
After his own personal breakthrough on the French music scene, Pierpoljak embarked upon a collective project in 2000, aimed at demonstrating that Gallic reggae had now emerged in a league of its own. With a helping hand from Jamaican drummer Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace, Pierpoljak got a number of young up-and-coming reggae stars such as Flamengo, Asher, Dynamik and Mathieu Ruben together with a bunch of reggae veterans including Daddy Yod, Supa John, Daddy Mory (a former member of Raggasonic) and Pablo Master. And the whole crew went into the studio together to record "+2coeur=soleil", a personal homage to Pierpoljak’s favourite sound.
Pierpoljak returned to the studio almost immediately afterwards on his own account to begin work on his next solo album, "Je fais c’que j’veux." Once again, he headed out to Kingston, Jamaica, to work with his old friend, Clive Hunt. But he took a very different approach from his first album, arriving in Jamaica with his songs already written this time. Musically speaking, Pierpoljak’s second album was a pure reggae affair, but in terms of the lyrics "Je fais c’que j’veux" drew heavily on the singer’s own personal experiences with a number of openly autobiographical songs such as "Né dans les rues de Paris" (Born on the streets of Paris) and the first single release, "Dépareillé" (The odd one out).
This second album proved to be a huge hit, earning Pierpoljak a double gold disc in sales. But, unfortunately, the singer fell ill while he was out on the road promoting "Je fais c’que j’veux" and underwent a prolonged stay in hospital. At this point, Pierpoljak began seriously questioning whether he had any kind of future in the music business at all. Beset by doubts, he decided to take to the seas once again, setting sail from the Martinican capital Fort-de-France and stopping off at the Canaries and Cape Verde along the way. It was while enjoying another brief stop in Grenada (the Windward Islands) that Pierpoljak happened to hear a burst of local ragga playing on someone’s radio. The experience rekindled his musical spark and, after not picking up his guitar once in four months, the White Rasta was suddenly motivated to start singing and playing again.
Back in Paris, Pierpoljak surrounded himself with positive vibes and threw himself back into songwriting with a vengeance. This proved to be a highly productive period for the singer. Finally, at the beginning of 2003, Pierpoljak headed out to the Tuff Gong studios once again to begin work on a new album.
Resolutely roots
September 2003 saw the release of Pierpoljak’s fourth album, "Stim Turban." This was intended to be a resolutely authentic ‘roots’ affair with no added effects or embellishments. This time round, Pierpoljak did not work with producer Clive Hunt, but took care of everything himself (from the songwriting and the arrangements to the final mix). In the making of this fourth album, the French reggaeman worked with the ‘crème de la crème’ of Jamaican musicians, forming a band called Stim Turban - after whom this fourth album was named. Following the release of the album, "Général PK" embarked upon an intensive series of concerts and performed at a number of major French and international music festivals.
After a trip to Tahiti, Pierpoljak was invited to perform at the Reggae Donn Sa festival in Mauritius in August 2005. He returned to the Indian Ocean region in November of that year for a concert in La Réunion.
In January 2006, Pierpoljak took part in a special ‘Francophone reggae’ night organised at the Elysée-Montmartre, in Paris. On this occasion Pierpoljak shared the stage with the likes of Tonton David and the Ivorian reggae star Tiken Jah Fakoly. And he teamed up with the latter for a live version of "Si Si", a duet which featured on his album "Je blesserai personne" released in March 2006.
Working with an artistic director for the first time in his career (despite the fact that he had publicly ridiculed the profession of artistic director on his hit "J'sais pas jouer"), Pierpoljak recorded a number of new songs for his new album in France with French musicians. Then he headed off to Jamaica, where he hooked up with producer Clive Hunt once again and worked in a recording studio owned by Shaggy. Pierpoljak’s new album, "Je blesserai personne", was much more musically diverse than his previous work and less obviously formatted Kingston reggae-style. In fact, "Je blesserai personne" seemed to mark a major turning-point in the French reggae singer’s career, its release coinciding with him cutting off his dreadlocks and breaking away from his Jamaican look.
Another Pierpoljak album, entitled "Chéper", was released later that same year and sold exclusively at the singer’s concerts and via his website. Meanwhile, Pierpoljak appeared on the reggae compilation "Il est cinq heures, Kingston s'éveille" (performing his own reggae-fied version of "J'ai encore rêvé d'elle" by the group Il était une fois). He also recorded a duet with the Japanese artist Tomuya which featured on Tomuya’s album "Un Japonais à Paris" (released in March 2007).
July 2007 saw the release of "Tuff Gong Blues", an album distributed in Germany but not in France. In fact, the album was released in Germany not under Pierpoljak’s name, but under the pseudonym Pekah. The songs on the album (almost all of them in English) had been recorded around the time of "Je fais c'que j'veux" and were produced by Clive Hunt. The majority of them were written by Doniki (a singer who appeared on Pierpoljak’s first Jamaican album in 1997). "Tuff Gong Blues" featured seven duets with Jamaican artists such as Horace Andy and Anthony B as well as an interesting reworking of Dennis Brown’s reggae classic "Money In My Pocket." Coinciding with the release of "Tuff Gong Blues" in Germany, Pierpoljak performed a concert in Berlin at the end of July
Depareille
Pierpoljak Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sous la bannière du ciel
Je veux découvrir qui je suis
Je traverserai les plaines et tous les déserts
Puisque j'n'ai pas d'chez moi je dirai
Qu'chez moi c'est ici
J'suis dépareillé, j'suis déraciné
C'est quoi mon pays d'enfance une cité
J'peux pas être fier d'une cité
Je m'énerve à chaque fois mais pas de solution
Tous ces pigeons nous montrent de fausses directions
Comme je suis de nulle part j'ai bien choisi mon nom
C'est quand le départ que je poursuive ma vision
J'suis dépareillé, j'suis déraciné
Je ne me sens pas bien Français
J'suis qu'un chien jaune international
Bandolo sur la Terre, cavale
J'suis dépareillé, j'suis déraciné
Peu de culture pour m'accrocher
De tous côtés je trouve pas c'que j'veux
Blanc c'est diable et noir c'est Dieu
J'suis pas convaincu, j'm'avoue pas vaincu
Sectes et gourous hors de ma vue
Je n'ai pas de parti, je n'ai pas de mouvements
Automne dans les actes et libre dans les sentiments
Terroriser les faibles, ça m'fait pas déban
Moi je suis tout seul mais je sais comment j'me défends
J'suis dépareillé, j'suis déraciné
Nulle part où je puisse me poser
Je veux marcher jusqu'à la forêt
Là j'enlèverai mes souliers
Plus besoin de lacets, plus besoin de bonnet
J'suis dépareillé, moi j'veux vivre en paix
J'suis déraciné, j'sais pas où aller
J'suis dépareillé, j'suis déraciné
In the song Dépareillé by Pierpoljak, the singer expresses his feelings of disconnection and homelessness, both in a physical and cultural sense. He sings about the desire to discover who he truly is, and the struggle to find a place where he belongs in a world that seems to be governed by false directions and sects. He talks about his restlessness, and how he wants to travel the seven seas and all the deserts to find his true self.
The song lyrics reflect the emotions of many people who find themselves in similar situations. People who have left their homes and have been forced to find a new home in a foreign land, people who struggle to fit in with new cultures, and people who have lost their cultural identity due to globalization. The lack of belonging and the feeling of being disconnected can cause distress and confusion, which is well portrayed in this song.
The use of metaphors and symbolic language in this song are also noteworthy. The references to the seven seas, the plains, and the deserts represent the vastness of the world, and the search for something that may not exist. The metaphor of the dog represents the singer's sense of being a wanderer, moving from place to place without any direction. The references to sects and gurus serve as a warning against the dangers of blindly following beliefs and ideas that may not serve an individual's true purpose.
Line by Line Meaning
Je sillonnerai les sept mers et la terre entière Sous la bannière du ciel Je veux découvrir qui je suis Je traverserai les plaines et tous les déserts Puisque j'n'ai pas d'chez moi je dirai Qu'chez moi c'est ici
The singer wants to embark on a journey to discover their true identity, even though they don't have a specific home to call their own. They will travel far and wide, even across the seven seas and deserts, and find a sense of belonging within themselves.
J'suis dépareillé, j'suis déraciné Pas d'amour pour ce pays C'est quoi mon pays d'enfance une cité J'peux pas être fier d'une cité
The singer feels disconnected and uprooted from their country and culture. They grew up in a city and cannot take pride in it as their homeland. They feel no love for their country.
Je m'énerve à chaque fois mais pas de solution Tous ces pigeons nous montrent de fausses directions Comme je suis de nulle part j'ai bien choisi mon nom C'est quand le départ que je poursuive ma vision
The singer is frustrated with the lack of solutions and guidance provided by authority figures. Feeling like they have no home, they chose their own name and continue to pursue their own vision, waiting for the day they can finally leave.
J'suis dépareillé, j'suis déraciné Je ne me sens pas bien Français J'suis qu'un chien jaune international Bandolo sur la Terre, cavale
The artist does not identify with being French, feeling more like an international stray dog wandering the Earth. They feel no allegiance to any country and continue to roam freely.
J'suis dépareillé, j'suis déraciné Peu de culture pour m'accrocher De tous côtés je trouve pas c'que j'veux Blanc c'est diable et noir c'est Dieu J'suis pas convaincu, j'm'avoue pas vaincu Sectes et gourous hors de ma vue
The artist struggles to find a culture or group to identify with, feeling disillusioned by the world's perception that white is bad and black is good. They reject sects and gurus that don't align with their values and refuse to be convinced otherwise.
Je n'ai pas de parti, je n'ai pas de mouvements Automne dans les actes et libre dans les sentiments Terroriser les faibles, ça m'fait pas déban Moi je suis tout seul mais je sais comment j'me défends
The singer does not belong to any party or movement and chooses to act independently. They value their freedom of thought and emotion and will not intimidate the weak, preferring to defend themselves alone.
J'suis dépareillé, j'suis déraciné Nulle part où je puisse me poser Je veux marcher jusqu'à la forêt Là j'enlèverai mes souliers Plus besoin de lacets, plus besoin de bonnet J'suis dépareillé, moi j'veux vivre en paix J'suis déraciné, j'sais pas où aller J'suis dépareillé, j'suis déraciné
The singer feels like they have nowhere to settle and prefers to keep moving. They long to walk to the forest where they can remove their shoes and live simply, without the constraints of society. They want to live in peace but don't know where to go, and still struggle with feeling disconnected and uprooted.
Contributed by Annabelle B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@heipoeheretupuaiviriamu4651
Je sillonnerai les sept mers et la terre entière
Sous la bannière du ciel
Je veux découvrir qui je suis
Je traverserai les plaines et tous les déserts
Puisque j'n'ai pas d'chez moi je dirai
Qu'chez moi c'est ici
J'suis dépareillé, j'suis déraciné
Pas d'amour pour ce pays
C'est quoi mon pays d'enfance une cité
J'peux pas être fier d'une cité
Je m'énerve à chaque fois mais pas de solution
Tous ces pigeons nous montrent de fausses directions
Comme je suis de nulle part j'ai bien choisi mon nom
C'est quand le départ que je poursuive ma vision
J'suis dépareillé, j'suis déraciné
Je ne me sens pas bien Français
J'suis qu'un chien jaune international
Bandolo sur la Terre, cavale
J'suis dépareillé, j'suis déraciné
Peu de culture pour m'accrocher
De tous côtés je trouve pas c'que j'veux
Blanc c'est diable et noir c'est Dieu
J'suis pas convaincu, j'm'avoue pas vaincu
Sectes et gourous hors de ma vue
Je n'ai pas de parti, je n'ai pas de mouvements
Autonome dans les actes et libre dans les sentiments
Terroriser les faibles, ça m'fait pas dé-ban
Moi je suis tout seul mais je sais comment j'me défends
J'suis dépareillé, j'suis déraciné
Nulle part où je puisse me poser
Je veux marcher jusqu'à la forêt
Là j'enlèverai mes souliers
Plus besoin de lacets, plus besoin de bonnet
J'suis dépareillé, moi j'veux vivre en paix
J'suis déraciné, j'sais pas où aller
J'suis dépareillé, j'suis déraciné
❤️💛💚 🇵🇫 🤙
@4sssh0oter
Qui écoute encore ça en 2023?
@joeldijoux1685
Tjrs oté
@philippeleloup9073
4,3 M de vues, ça fait du monde... 😉 Et puis, ça change des prods actuelles qui finissent par toutes se ressembler.
@jojoletoucan5722
Présent 😊
@sourisvinz9536
Ben moi et je kiffe !!!
@isabellebageenauth809
❤
@ritanosinti7811
Jusqu'à ma fin de vie j'écoutais Pierpoljak
Un homme que j'admire beaucoup mon rêve c'est de le voir avant que ma maladie me hôte la vie
Love Pierpoljak
One peace 🇯🇲♥️
@3dprouvotfranck917
C'est quand même fou la vision de Perpoljak, ca touche en plein coeur , milles mercis !!! Yeah yeah yeah !!!!
@NigelFanfan
Cet maladie te turas pas dieu te dit sa❤
@user-pn6sm9vi8o
J espère que cela te donnes fois malgré que je ne connais en point ta maladie; mais,crois moi malgré cela, je ne me sens pas à ma place et déracinés, je le sens et le suis depuis toujours...courage à toi, à une prochaine!