User:Francoise Blanchard/Sample page

Paris Black

Paris Black is a Toronto-based pop/rock singer and professional model. A teen heartthrob in the late 80's, Black's debut album, Secret Seduction, was released in 1988. It featured three singles "Better Get Ready", "Lover", and "Buried Alive". His modeling career, both fashion and life drawing, spans back to the 90's. Black has modeled around the world.

Danish Born Canadian pop Icon, Paris Black, born Kai Kym Johanssen,  electrifying stage performance and  operatic voice have given him hits in Pop, Rock, Reggae and Dance Music. Industry insiders the world over from all major labels agree Paris is a force to be reckoned with, earning him 3 Gold Records.

Paris is now adding the final finishing touches for his newest CD, another major release for Sony AMG, produced by Mark Berry ( Madonna, Drake ) and engineered by Jim Zolis ( Celine Dion ) The new CD will include production by Phil Mann, artists Phil Naro,  features Internationally reknowned musicians such as Mark MacPherson, Niko Love,  Denis Martel, Phil Micheal, Jim Greenham and Warren Davies. Most recently, Paris performed in the Broadway musical about The Ramones called  "Four Chords an A  Gun" to rave reviews and was invited to tour with the play as special guest.

As a teen idol, his debut album "Secret Seduction" saw three songs "Buried Alive", "Better Get Ready" and "Lover" all reach Canada's top ten on radio with "Better Get Ready" reaching number one on CanCon charts. His debut album reached gold status, and his second effort was promoted by Isba music and Sony Records as well as being distributed by Sony Records. Paris's vocal coach is the esteemed Elaine Overholt, who trained John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Richard Gere, Sean Mendes, and many more.

Paris Black had similar success with "Heaven Sent", and "Conspiracy" co-written by Michael Bolton, reaching the top 10  in CanCon charts. His Youtube videos have had hundreds of thousands of views. The  "I'm not Jesus" CD partially released in 2010, saw the hit "Wrecked", co-written by Taylor Dayne. He has toured China, Hong Kong, Italy, France and Germany and  performed in his home base of Toronto at legendary venues such as the Opera House and many more. He has also performed in major casinos across North America, with long term engagements at Casino Niagara and Fallsview Casino.

Paris Black's pop career saw him on the cover of fan and music magazines the world over. Modeling has been very kind to Paris. He worked for major labels like Armani, Versace and Guess as well as being a top fitness and calendar model. He was awarded top figure model by Louvre biggest international art show, and modeled as well as received the award at the Louvre in late October and early November of 2013. Paris' Modelling career has taken him all over the world and on billboards and magazine covers around the globe.

As a media and social media celebrity, Paris has been been voted #1 number on many lists of Sexiest Men. As a tribute artist,  Paris has homaged many artists including a CTV taping as Steven Tyler, at the Las Vegas Orleans Arena as Billy Idol, and at major shows as Mick Jagger, Elvis, Bon Jovi  and  Brett Michaels.

As an Actor, Paris is a full member of Canada's screen performers union A.C.T.R.A. with appearances and featured and starring roles in films such as "Club Utopia" directed by  Frank Caruso, "Allergic to Reality" directed by Eloha Bouchard, and countless TV shows. As a TV host Paris hosted and guest hosted shows on CBC, Global TV, Much Music and Fox as well as many more affiliates.

Paris Black is also is an established artist of some repute and does portraits and commissions. Identified as a gifted prodigy in childhood, Paris Black's artwork has been displayed in galleries all around the world. Paris models regularly for prestigious art professors' art classes at the Art Gallery Of Ontario, The Arts And Letters Club, Seneca College, York University, among many others, and was recently featured as the sole flagship model for the entire 3 month duration of the Rubens exhibit at The Art Gallery Of Ontario.

Charitable activities:

1988-1990: "People With a Purpose" host and spokesperson, host of award winning television show "Youth Focus"

1990-2001: co-founder "Chillout", 100% of funds towards the homeless, tour across Canada for "Project Jobs"

2001-Present: Activist and Performer for hundreds of various charities including "Hospital For Sick Children", "Covenant House", "McDonald's Celebrity Days", "Save Our World", and "Unity One" among many others.

STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH:

"I got into my career as a semi fluke. At fifteen I ran away from Toronto to New York  City to be a boxer or an impersonator as I'd been doing both in Toronto.  I got very lucky and was approached to sign on with Whilemena  Modeling Agency . This happened as I was spending my last money on clothes to wear for a comedy show I was doing at Catch A Rising Star. Nothing big, just as new talent.  In short order, I decided smiling for the camera was a lot more fun than getting punched in the face. I returned to Toronto in order to get paper work sorted to work state side . While here, I did a show at a place called RockNRoll Heaven, it was a fashion show but I also impersonated a bunch of singers. Again, I got extremely lucky it was the late eighties and stuff happened a lot more easily than today. Two impressive individuals, Gary Grazzle from Detroit and Bob Parr from Toronto wanted to turn me into a pop idol. I opted to work with Bob Parr but worked in tandem with Gary Grazzle from the USA who booked me a number of modeling gigs state side. I'll only say they had interesting ways of handling paper work. I went from being homeless down to my last nickel to having a recording contract worth hundreds of thousands and modeling jobs globally where I was making thousands weekly in really a matter of months. Fast forward with two years of vocal training with esteemed coach Elaine Overholt (Celine Dion, Shawn Mendes, John Travolta), dancing lessons  from several sources and weekly  song writing sessions with Grammy winner  Steve Sexton (Platinum Blonde, Strange Advance, Anne Murray)  I had my first album Secret Seduction ready. The first record didn't get signed by a major label, but was repped  by Musicolour Records out of Germany for Europe and Trend Records out of Canada . The videos where done  by Alan Novak, Stephen Spielberg's protege' and David McNally, who's next project as director  was Coyote Ugly, a then big Hollywood film. I got lucky again and sold a ton of records, I played at High schools around Europe and Canada every single day for 3 years. I'm not kidding every single day. Some times on Friday and Saturday three schools a day. Two years later, I was signed to Sony in Montreal, Canada. My first record went gold in 4 or 5 world territories. I'd started a charity for the homeless called Chill out that eventually became Raise The Roof. I had a limo that took me everywhere, was on magazine covers and billboards. I was also an alcoholic and sleeping pill addict. My second album had me working with Mark Berry who now has 35 platinum albums and 75 gold albums including works with Madonna,  Billy Idol, Carly Simon, and on and on. I co-wrote or covered songs with Michael Bolton, Diane Warren,  Dean McTaggart and my friends Lou Fachion, Terry Crawford,  John Bianchini. One of the songs was supposed to be a duet with Celine Dion, but my management didn't think she would make it... I had a good deal of success again. I guess I spent to much time and money taking 20 of my posse around the world, drinking, not sleeping and pouring endless money into my charities... Again my record sales were great and I had several very good chart numbers (real ones not the bogus stuff people put out now). More magazine covers, hosting political shows, drinking,  singing to tracks,  drinking,  doing runway shows and magazine adds, very little  practicing... I became unmanageable. I got  dropped by Sony. I got dropped by Elite, picked up by Moda here in Canada. Got into an affair with a powerful agent that eally ended my career at the time when I tried to get out of our semi-formal relationship. She had told Sony,  Elite and Moda and Nobel talent that I was a coke head actually. I  was merely a drunk. Shortly thereafter, I got signed to Michel Pomier, and Boca Models state side. Then another lucky break: I hosted a show in Miami called DateLine, cheesy rubbish. As well as on MTV, a show about modeling, and Weddings and Honeymoons on Global TV here. Nothing there to be proud of, but it kept me in the chips. Fast forward another decade some minor acting roles a few movies including Love's Reality in your hometown of  Vegas, Allergic To Reality, hosting for Global in the Daytime Emmy Awards. Minor roles in soap operas. A ton of boy toy calendars including Mr. Man of Steel, and the top male fitness calendar in the world. Another single had come out in 2000 for which I raised a ton of money for the homeless, but affected nothing... I did get a gold record from Roger Moore on ABC News out of New Orleans. I did accept it because it came as a surprise: normally I think its abhorrent to receive awards for good works. The military,  the police, nurses and doctors are heroes, not drunk models and singers. Then another try at music, clean in top shape. Very focused for the first time in decades. I signed with Mark Berry an umbrella of Universal in Canada,  Jorgen Kramer head of A and R globally for Universal based out of Germany again. With the most powerful manager in Europe Giuseppe Bramante, the album was spectacular, but... It's literally a book how this went sideways. I'm not kidding, a book... This time it wasn't my fault. Another decade where I was top figure model in the world was awarded by the Louvre in Paris, France. Tours in China for both modeling and to tracks mainly. Here I am again with the best album yet and my fingers crossed. The pandemic has been my honeymoon with my beautiful wife Viva who has inspired me to believe in myself one more time and write the best music of my life. It's my nation of two, which is all I've ever needed or wanted. The next couple of years should  be interesting." - Paris Black, June 2020

references

https://parisblackofficial.com/index.html