On October 6, 2018, Charles Aznavour was accompanied one last time by his loved ones in the intimacy of the Armenian Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Paris. A deliberately restricted ceremony, far from the grand tribute organized the day before, which was attended by the then president of Armenia, producer Alain Terzian, Michel Drucker, and Serge Lama. The latter, very moved, explained his choice to prioritize this more personal tribute: “It’s important. Yesterday it wasn’t, but today it is because it’s a tribute from the heart, it’s the tribute he would have liked me to give. It’s tough, it’s very tough. I’m losing a father.”
Beyond mourning, Serge Lama evoked an intimate relationship in an article of Paris Match on April 29. Because behind the global icon, there was a mentor, even a father figure, for him, encountered at the beginning of his career. “Since my childhood, I wanted to be a singer. A good life means succeeding in accomplishing what you dreamed of since at least your adolescence. You have a desire in your belly. It holds you and allows you to turn the dream into reality,” explained the interpreter of “Je suis malade.”
Serge Lama reveals this phrase from Charles Aznavour that changed everything for him
At his beginnings in the 1960s, the singer frequented the New Jimmy’s in Montparnasse, where he had a decisive encounter. “I met Charles Aznavour there. It was the time of La Mamma: his great, great period. We spent the whole night talking together. He was fascinating,” recalled Serge Lama. Some time later, thanks to the intervention of Régine, the artist behind “La bohème” listened to one of his songs, leading to a lunch that would mark Serge Lama’s life!
“Charles then invited me to a restaurant. We drove in his Rolls and, once we arrived, he uttered a phrase that marked my whole life: ‘You have a lot of talent and, most importantly, your songs start with A and end with Z’,” he remembered. A remark that became a guiding principle in his work, as he confided, “This phrase, ‘your songs start with A and end with Z,’ has been the mantra of my entire existence. It stopped me in my tracks.”
Serge Lama reflects on the difficult moments experienced by Charles Aznavour
In his memories, Serge Lama also recalled his mentor’s artistic rigor. “There are songs of atmosphere, but, in the vast majority, a song must have a beginning and a conclusion. It must tell a story, but above all, conclude the story,” explained the singer. During the interview, Serge Lama spoke about a man he deeply admired, both for his talent and resilience. “I am not the right person to talk about Charles Aznavour: I have such admiration for him. A wonderful man and friend,” he assured emotionally before revisiting the artist’s dark periods.
“Charles had a hard time under Valéry Giscard d’Estaing because he was targeted by the tax authorities. He felt he had wasted years of work, but he started over from scratch and moved forward,” Serge Lama recounted. Finally, he concluded on what best defined Aznavour: “Charles experienced financial difficulties several times, but he had this strength, often found in Armenians and Jews, to start over from scratch without hesitation. In our European countries, we have forgotten the sense of the fight. We lament ‘I have lost everything,’ when we should say ‘I have lost everything and I will start over.’ Charles was made of this material. He was a survivor.” A tribute worthy of their beautiful friendship!
