THURSDAY LIVE SESSIONS - WOLFGANG VALBRUN

Born and raised in the United States, Haitian American Wolfgang Valbrun, frequently moved with his mother before settling in Paris during his teenage years. He draws his inspiration from the suitcases full of sounds he used to listen to with her—music by Bob Marley, Billy Joel, Elton John, Bobby McFerrin, Grace Jones, and Charles Aznavour—"all infused with a touch of Kompa," a music and dance originating from Haiti.

A singer involved in numerous projects, such as the debut album of the English soul and jazz band Ephemerals, Nothin Is Easy, or the album Stop The Violence by the hip-hop and funk legend GUTS, and as a guest with the Dutch funk trio Kraak & Smaak, he found success and performed live at the Victoires de la Musique (the French equivalent of the Brit Awards).

After singing for others, Wolf now navigates between soul, jazz, and rock with deeply intimate lyrics inspired by love, loss, the strength of relationships in painful times, people's uprisings, and social awareness. The result of this work is Flawed By Design, a collection of deeply personal songs. The album was recorded at Fishpond Studios (Bristol) and Rockfield Studios (Wales), with Thierry Lemaitre, James Graham, Adam Holgate, Damian McLean-Brown, Charlie Fitzgerald, Rhii Williams, and Matt Brown—a brilliant team of musicians and co-writers who also make up the core of Wolf’s touring band.