Clad in a bright blue blazer and a pastel floral-print shirt, Charles Aznavour, 91, makes quite a colourful picture as he enters the room at the One & Only Royal Mirage Hotel in Dubai, where television and print journalists are patiently waiting for their five minutes with the living legend.
Sitting there among them, I can’t help secretly gloating about how envious my family are of me, even though I am quite nervous about meeting one of my favourite icons in person.
I needn’t have worried: my short encounter with Aznavour proves to be unforgettable.
“What is your secret? Where does all this energy come from?” I ask, after noticing that when breakfast was served earlier, the nonagenarian only had a small bowl of fruit, a cup of tea, and a single croissant.
“I wear what I like and I eat what I like and I just enjoy everything in life,” states the French Armenian artist, who is so quick and witty with his comebacks, he has the entire room laughing in a matter of minutes.
“My favourite pets are elephants, but you can’t have them at home,” he says, when asked about his love for animals, particularly his dogs.
“Chinese! I love Chinese food,” he says in answer to a query about his favourite cuisine.
Later, upon hearing that my mother is from Poland, he speaks in Polish, and tells me to say hello to her (she gets all giddy when I call her up afterwards to relay the message).
Aznavour’s next project, while still at the “idea stage”, is to record an album with famous politicians.
“I may record a duet with Silvio Berlusconi [the former prime minister of Italy] – he knows all my songs. I have to check with [French president François] Hollande if he can sing,” he says.
He would also love to bring the Brazilian singer Simone Bittencourt de Oliveira, who has recorded more than 31 albums, to France. His favourite Arab artists are Farid Al-Atrash, Fairuz and Umm Kulthum.
“I told the owner of Olympia Hall [in Paris] to bring [Umm Kulthum], he didn’t know who she was,” he reminisces. Thanks to him, the Arab songstress performed in France in 1967.
One of the things that has kept Aznavour in the business for a staggering 80 years – he has been performing since he was 9 years old – is his professionalism, says his manager, Patrick Shart.
“He is always on time,” Shart says. “And he truly respects his audience and fans. He will perform for one hour and 40 minutes straight tomorrow without a break, as he doesn’t like them to wait.”
His visit to Dubai and his concert at the World Trade Centre on Friday, February 12, is part of a bigger plan.
“Three years ago he decided to revisit places he really liked and perform there, as well as new places, and Dubai is one of them. Jordan is next on the list,” explains Shart.
Aznavour will perform a song with his daughter Katia. His son Nicolas, who is part of the team, helps manage things.
“To me, he is just my dad,” says Nicolas, and reveals the most valuable lesson he has learnt from the man beloved by many generations around the world: “Dedication. The amazing power of dedication.”
• Charles Aznavour is at Dubai World Trade Centre on Friday, February 12. Tickets start at Dh295 from www.platinumlist.net or at UAE Exchange branches
rghazal@thenational.ae
