Mike Brant

In May 1969, Brant performed at the Baccara Club at the Hilton Hotel in Tehran, Iran. A young French singer, Sylvie Vartan, also on the bill, was impressed and urged him to come to Paris. Brant arrived on 9 July 1969. It took ten days to find Vartan but eventually she introduced him to the producer Jean Renard, who had turned Johnny Hallyday into a star. Under Renard's guidance, he changed his surname from Brand to Brant, and recorded his biggest hit, “Laisse-moi t'aimer” (“Let Me Love You”). The song was a success at the Midem music festival in January 1970. “Laisse-moi t'aimer” sold 50,000 copies in two weeks.

Success

Brant represented France in a radio contest broadcast all over Europe and in Israel. His song, sponsored by Radio Luxembourg, was “Mais dans la lumière” (“But in the Light”). He won. He continued to release hits: “Qui saura” (“Who Knows”), “L'amour c'est ça, l'amour c'est toi” (written by Paul Korda/Robert Talar), “C’est ma prière” (“That's My Prayer”), “Un grand bonheur” (“A Great Joy”) and “Parce que je t'aime plus que moi” (“Because I Love You More Than Myself”). His first album, “Disque d'Or” (“Gold Record”) sold millions. Brant took a song written and composed by his friend Mike Tchaban/Tashban “Why do I love you? Why do I need you?” but French radio stations would not air it because it was in English. In April 1971, Brant made his first and only (pre-recorded) appearance on British television, as a guest star in an episode of Nana Mouskouri's BBC Two series.

In February 1971, Brant was seriously injured in a traffic accident, sustaining serious skull fractures and undergoing a long recovery period. The accident received media attention. That year, he gave concerts in Israel, and performed a new song Erev Tov (Good Evening), written together with Nachum Heiman and some collaboration with Moshe/Michael Tchaban's melodic subject of some musical composition. During his concert tour in Israel, he was accompanied by Israeli singer Yaffa Yarkoni. During the Yom Kippur War in 1973, he performed for front-line Israeli soldiers.