Born in the Yvelines (a wealthy area close to Paris) on 2 April 1974, Alexis Djoshkounian grew up in a middle-class family listening to seminal chanson stars such as Brassens, Brel and Reggiani. Inspired by what he heard, Alexis started writing his own songs at the age of fourteen. He went on to gain his 'baccalauréat' at the Lycée Saint-Louis, in Paris, then enrolled to study philosophy at Nanterre University. Meanwhile, the young student devoted his spare time to singing whenever he could, performing live on stage at the Théâtre du Trévise once a week. "C’que t’es belle (quand j’ai bu)", one of the earliest songs Alexis wrote, became popular with audiences and helped the budding young singer start to make a name for himself.

Anti-hero

In 1997, Alexis was introduced to another musically-minded student, Olaf Hund, who had set up his own independent record label. Recognising Alexis's talent, Olaf invited him over to record a demo cassette at his home. Dropping his Armenian surname to become Alexis Hashka, the singer went on to sell 500 copies of "Antihéros notoire" - which, despite its rudimentary arrangements and DIY production, already showed signs of the black humour that would become Alexis HK's signature style. Meanwhile, Alexis continued performing on the live circuit in Paris, accompanied on stage by an accordionist, a guitarist and a double-bass player.

By this stage of affairs, Alexis had abandoned his philosophy degree and started working part-time. He was devoting an increasing amount of time to his songwriting, too, and he soon had enough material to team up with Hund once again and record his first official album, "Belle Ville." This acoustic 9-track debut featured retro-sounding java and swing-style compositions alongside contemporary electro-influenced tracks. But it was the surreal lyrics which captured the public's attention, recounting as they did the most extraordinary tales involving a colourful cast of characters including a poet-wrestler called Mitch and Gaspard the flying dwarf. "Belle Ville" was released on Labels in 2002. In January 2003, Alexis HK and his group played a one-off date at the Café de la Danse, in Paris, then kicked off an extensive tour, playing dates across France, Belgium and Quebec. By the end of the tour, Alexis and his band had assured over 120 concerts and headlined at Le Bataclan in Paris.

Alexis HK re-emerged on the recording front in November 2004 with a second album, entitled "L’Homme du Moment." This follow-up album featured contributions from the musicians who had played with him live on tour: namely Grégoire Riou (on accordion), Marc Riou (flutes & percussion), Peyo Lissarangue (drums) and Philippe Letang (bass & guitar). Jérôme Boivin (from the group Java) and the well-known French guitarist Sébastien Martel also guested on an ultra-jazzy track entitled "Norvège." This second opus - a lot more ambitious and, musically, a lot more complex than "Belle Ville" - confirmed Alexis HK's talent for inventing weird and wonderful characters and exercising the art of black humour in his songs. The singer's new cast of characters included a transvestite ("Coming out"), a prostitute ("La femme aux mille amants") and a weeping widower ("Le Veuf.")  Following the release of "L’Homme du Moment", Alexis HK hit the road again on another extensive tour and went on to release a live album.

2009: "Les Affranchis"

Over the following years, Alexis HK diversified, getting involved in various collaborative projects. After taking up an artistic residency in Morocco with his friend Nicolas Jaillet, he went on to direct a show about Jacques Brel in Cannes, in the south of France. The singer also organised songwriting workshops in Fleury-Mérogis and got down to work writing material for his new album, "Les Affranchis." Recorded in 2008 in collaboration with Matthieu Ballet (renowned for his work with Bashung and Miossec) and his musicians, "Les Affranchis" was released in March 2009. This musically rich and eclectic album drew on jazz influences, folk and acoustic hip-hop, and featured a number of guest stars including singer Lise Cherhal ("La Maison Ronchonchon" and "Pardon vieux camarade"), R-wan from the group Java ("La fille du Fossoyeur") and Renan Luce (who joined Alexis HK for a duet on "Thanks for the Add.") Alexis HK hit the road again on 25 March 2009 for another major tour, highlights of which will include a concert at the famous Paris venue, La Cigale, in October.

April 2009