Belgium singer Plastic Bertrand has admitted that he did not perform vocals on the 1977 international hit "Ca Plane pour Moi" -- nor on any of his first four studio albums.
The declaration was made by the cult artist, real name Roger Jouret, following a Brussels court ruling earlier this week that producer Lou Deprijck was the genuine vocalist for the French-language punk track "Ca Plane pour Moi," which became a worldwide hit when it was first released in 1977.
Following this week's Brussels court verdict, Jouret, aged 56, initially denied that he was not the real singer of the hit single, which has reportedly sold over eight million units since release, but he has now admitted that the track's vocals belong to Deprijck.
In a press statement released yesterday Jouret confessed that vocal tracks on the "1977 hit single plus the [first] four albums" were not performed by himself.
"I don't mind saying it was not my voice," Jouret told the Belgian newspaper Le Soir.
Plastic Bertrand's career to date spans over 30 singles and 12 albums, with his first four studio sets released between 1977 to 1981 on a variety of European labels.
According to the press statement released by Jouret, the suggestion that Deprijck -- who wrote, composed and produced "Ca Plane Pour Moi" -- sang vocals on the 1977 track was Deprijck's own. Jouret says Deprijck bought his "silent agreement" for 0.5% of all rights generated by the song.
Although the issue now appears to be settled, the row over who performed vocals on "Ca Plane pour Moi" dates back over 30 years with Deprijck having long claimed that he was the real vocalist for Plastic Bertrand's early records.
Following a long-running court case, a Belgian appeal court ruled in 2006 that Bertrand was the "legal performer" of the classic track. However, a stipulation of that court ruling was that a team of experts would later be assigned to examine the technical aspects of the case.
It was their verdict, delivered earlier this week, that Deprijck was in fact the true vocalist, which promoted Jouret's initial denial and subsequent confession that he had not sung on "Ca Plane pour Moi," nor indeed any of his early studio albums.
In response to Jouret's declaration, Deprijck's attorney, Alexis Ewbank, has congratulated the performer for his "open confession."
"It was about time that he said what was going on," Ewbank stated to French press agency AFP.
The financial implications of the judicial report and Jouret's subsequent confession are not yet known.
Music & Advertising Chicago Billboard & Adweek are taking the Music & Advertising Conference, in
association with Music Dealers, to Chicago on September 15-16, 2010. Don't
miss: keynote with Zac Brown of the Zac Brown Band, interactive panel
discussions and networking opportunities with key music, advertising and
brand executives from brands like, Converse, Ray-Ban, Dr Pepper, and so many
more. Register NOW and SAVE! CLICK HERE for more info and full schedule.
Share
Share on LinkedIn
