A prestigious stage for the December 12th concert by the whimsical and eclectic Parisian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, a true star in his homeland. The live show at the renowned Teatro Regio in Parma is rightfully featured in the lineup for the 20th anniversary edition of the Barezzi Festival—an event that this year will also showcase, among others, John Grant, Sleaford Mods, former Joy Division and new order bassist Peter Hook, and Arab Strap.

Forget the eccentric character who, in the early 2010s, spouted soundbites (along the lines of: “you think better when you don’t think”; or “I offer a future, I am a crystal ball”), sang with a cigarette stuck in one nostril, or appeared at Eurovision representing France in a toy golf cart, inhaling helium from a balloon in front of the whole world. The masks of the anarchic, overly conceptual guru no longer belong to him. With his seventh studio album, “Kiss The Beast”, released earlier this year, he has chosen to permanently shed his lone-wolf persona to depict himself and the human condition as they truly are—virtues and flaws included. Above all, he does so with a sincerity that cannot leave you indifferent. Musically speaking, it is an album in which he stays true to his signature style: that sonic ubiquity that has always enabled him to blend auteur songwriting, pop, synthesizers, and a cinematic imagination.

It is a refined and sophisticated musical offering from the creator of hits like “La Ritournelle” and “Divine”—perfectly aligned with the festival in Parma, which has always strived to champion the sounds of the future while gathering the finest glimmers of the past to reflect them into the present, exploring new meanings along the way.