Chris Stills
Carry on: His dad is Stephen Stills, the one between Crosby and Nash. His mum is French chanteuse Veronique Sanson, who has sold millions of records in her home country. With her looks, his sideburns and both of their talents, it was inevitable that their offspring would grow up a handsome, bilingual singer- songwriter who combines Californian cool with smouldering Gallic charm. James Blunt doesn't stand a chance. Stills has just released his new, self-titled album, but it's not his debut. That came out in 1998, when the 23 year-old signed a deal with his dad's label, Atlantic, and released an album of '60s-tinged rock called 100 Year Thing. The new album is informed by his experiences playing with the likes of The Jayhawks and Ryan Adams. It's also driven by his dual parentage, featuring songs that blend American roots and French chanson.
Our house: When your dad is a figurehead of the Woodstock generation, your childhood is going to be anything but dull. Young Chris grew up surrounded by musicians with a lot of hair, but this didn't deter him from picking up a guitar and trying to play just like his heroes in Led Zep, The Stones and his dad's old band, Buffalo Springfield. His maman had already taught him the piano, and he was also adept at bashing a drumkit, having practised for hours in the garage, safely out of earshot. It wasn't till he picked up the guitar, however, that Chris began to "really understand music". He learned his first chords aged 12 from his dad's band's guitar tech, and wrote his first song at 16.
Teach your children: Chris's parents divorced in 1978, and Veronique went home to Paris, taking her teenage son with her. Chris attended the American school in Paris and quickly learned the lingo; when he started playing in bands with his new schoolfriends, he was the one elected to take the lead vocals. Upon graduation he went back to the US, where he lived in New York, roadied for his dad, and formed a short-lived band with another rock progeny, Adam Cohen, son of Leonard.
Deja vu: On his new album, Chris explores both the American and French sides of his personality, taking on the role of a spiritual mediator between two often conflicting forces. He collaborated with French composers on such songs as La Fin du Monde and Deuxième Chance, and with Ryan Adams on For You. "My French culture has always been a part of my life, but it was time for me to do something with it," he explains. Singing songs in French wasn't as easy as Chris thought, and he had to shift his voice to a lower tone to reach those Serge Gainsbourg depths. The results may well get American fans to start calling freedom fries by their proper name again.
