A King of Eurovision comes to Granville to compose at the gîte Les Roches Grises.
In your opinion, what is the common point between:
St Paul
Kingdom
Tel Aviv
Bilal Hassani, of course !
The proud representative of France at the 2019 Eurovision in Tel Aviv composed his first album in the St. Paul room of the villa Les Roches Grises.
What an honor and pleasure it was to welcome him and his team!
But how did Eurovision find its way into our gîte in Granville?
Let’s discover the story behind this beautiful musical encounter with La Clef Decamp.
An exceptional gîte for Bilal Hassani’s "kingdom"
The French pop duo Madame Monsieur, who represented France at Eurovision 2018, collaborated with Bilal Hassani on the composition of his first album.
Their meeting was a true musical love at first sight.
Trusting their instincts, the duo introduced Bilal Hassani to their producer, Guillaume Silvestri.
He immediately signed with the young artist.
Why did Bilal’s team choose our gîte Les Roches Grises to record vocals and instruments for a successful album?
Here, we take you behind the scenes of the organization of a talented artist... but shh... it’s a secret, don’t tell anyone!
In 2018, Guillaume Silvestri and his music video production company “Sucrerie TV” had already taken over the gîte with another artist for a musical event.
They greatly appreciated our hospitality and the location.
So it was only natural that they returned to Les Roches Grises for the composition of Kingdom by Bilal Hassani!
In February, the music team arrived in Granville, carrying their recording equipment, to give birth to an album with the highly evocative name Kingdom!
Creativity and freshness could only flourish in such an inspiring place!
With its 8 bedrooms, a spacious living room, a piano room overlooking the sea, as well as a games and cinema room, the villa Les Roches Grises contributed to comfort, musical inspiration, and the emergence of a promising album.
Composing an album is nothing without the presence and encouragement of fans!
Bilal, sensitive to his fans’ support, regularly went out to meet them at the entrance of the gîte, at 19 rue de la Falaise, or on the beach below the villa.
Messages of love and encouragement, carved into the sand, were waiting for him.
For his first visit to Normandy, he was delighted by such a warm welcome.
Enthusiastic, he promised his fans he would return… Will he keep his promise?
We will find out a little further below…
The buzz of these encounters, combined with the serenity of the place, sets free the notes, the words, the flow, the vibes.
Ideal for composing a fresh, authentic, and deeply personal pop album, our gîte captivated Bilal Hassani and Madame Monsieur, who both connected with this inspiring setting.
Let’s discover how they made the villa’s hidden corners their own…
Shall you follow us?
The gîte Les Roches Grises, an inspiring place to compose the album
Each of the 8 beautiful bedrooms in the gîte proudly bears its own distinctive name.
Gilles Grandpierre, the friendly owner of the property, named them according to the view they offer.
- The Chausey room, because it looks out onto… the magnificent Chausey Islands, a true treasure.
- The Cancale suite, as you can spot this charming seaside resort on the other side of the bay.
- The Casino room offers a sweeping view over… the Granville casino. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to see the poker players’ hands… too bad, right?
- The St Paul room takes you to the iconic St Paul Church.
- The Hauteville room provides a delightful view over the upper town of Granville.
Does this feel like a succession of details, the way a real estate agent might present a villa?
Make no mistake—we are describing these charming rooms because Bilal Hassani and the duo Madame Monsieur made use of several of them, following their inspiration as it came.
These “à la carte recording studios” each, in their own way, helped create a musical atmosphere for the album’s tracks.
We find Bilal and his team in the St-Paul room.
Computers, headphones, speakers, microphones, cables, mini synths, tablets… a real arsenal!
Standing behind his microphone in the middle of the room, he delivers powerful notes on the track “Basic.”
A true perfectionist, he repeats and repeats again to reach artistic quintessence.
This pop music enthusiast is finally writing the album that has been growing within him for over 7 years.
He is composing it here, in our gîte!
Seated at the small desk in the room, Jean-Karl Lucas (Monsieur!) taps away at his computer keyboard, working on sound settings and arrangements.
While listening to the track, Émilie Satt (Madame!) offers her protégé valuable technical advice:
“On the chorus, you should definitely double it an octave higher!”
In this room, a sense of exchange, connection, creativity, and inspiration fills the air.
Seated by the sunlit window of Granville, the city’s silhouette in the background, wearing his beanie, Bilal Hassani begins to sing an inspired version of Over You.
He plays on his keyboard and draws us in.
The notes burst from the keys, sharp and vibrant.
The St Paul room becomes his stage, his bubble, his universe.
Night has fallen over the corsair city.
The atmosphere is relaxed yet focused in the Hauteville room on the second floor.
With its sloping ceiling and chaise longue facing the cliff-top town, the musician-composers listen intently to the tracks in this other extension of the Kingdom recording studio.
We transcribed a short video interview that Bilal Hassani gave to Tendance Ouest:
“The house is magnificent […] Everything is going very, very well, I’m extremely inspired. We’re working at quite a fast pace because we’re all very inspired and highly motivated, so we’re making two to three songs a day […] We record, we write, we write. In any case, it’s amazing. It’s amazing, it’s so inspiring […]”
The love story between the artist and Granville shows no sign of stopping.
Because yes—Bilal keeps his promises… he came back!
On June 14, he performed at Tendance Live in Granville
(the biggest free concert of the year organized by Tendance Ouest).
It was an incredible success!
VIP life at Les Roches Grises
So, of course, you may not be an artist, perhaps not a singer-songwriter, you haven’t performed on the Eurovision stage, you’re not stepping onto the stage for a concert in Granville—but you still have the opportunity to come and recharge at Les Roches Grises!
To start imagining your holiday atmosphere, come and discover the story of the finest gîte facing the ocean in Granville (Coming Soon!)
This magnificent villa is perfect for some well-deserved rest, for a stay filled with sharing moments among friends or family, where you can let your imagination run free with joy.
Whatever your hobbies, passions, or aspirations, you are surely like Bilal Hassani and his team—you dream of settling into an enchanting place to relax, feel uplifted, inspired, and creative…
Do you see what we mean?
- Relaxing in the bubbling, delightfully warm jacuzzi
- Your eyes fixed on the ocean as it slowly recedes, only to return again
- A gentle sea breeze brushing against your face
- The calm barely disturbed by the cries of seagulls gliding and swooping along the cliff
And then, your mind begins to wander, to nourish itself, to unwind, to recharge—ready to bounce back and awaken your summer creativity!
Because guess what?
Yes, you can absolutely be inventive while lounging on a sunbed on the terrace of the villa overlooking the ocean!
You’ll find yourself asking the right questions… the kind of existential questions that will enrich your holiday days:
- A walk along the Pointe du Roc trail or the Plat Gousset jetty, followed by a visit to the Christian Dior Museum and its exhibition of Grace Kelly’s dresses?
- Which pieces will you play on the piano tonight facing the ocean to delight your friends?
- What time will you organize a memorable karaoke session?
- Will you marvel at the colorful vegetation of the Chausey Islands on foot or by bike?
- From which angle will you photograph the waves crashing against the jetty at high tide?
- What will you order for an early evening aperitif in that little bar on the port of Granville, at sunset?
Yes, it’s all about inspiration… composing an album or creating moments of pure happiness for a dream stay!
By the way, bookings are filling up fast for the summer season.
But there are still a few availabilities left in July.
And we have some excellent news… we’ve just opened reservations for October and November.
Be among the first privileged guests to book the two long weekends of November 1st and November 11th.
The fireplace will be crackling… just for you!
A truly blissful and soothing experience.
Don’t wait too long to book your inspiring getaway.
We look forward to welcoming you to les Roches Grises in Granville where you can unleash your imagination in the service of your well-being!
Alright, a little bonus… just because it’s you!
Would you like a bit more of Bilal Hassani?
Ouest-France article https://www.ouest-france.fr/normandie/granville-50400/le-chanteur-bilal-hassani-est-granville-6222643
Tendance Ouest article https://www.tendanceouest.com/actualite-311433-bilal-hassani-en-residence-a-granville-avec-le-duo-madame-monsieur.html
Behind-the-scenes article on the album http://www.leparisien.fr/culture-loisirs/musique/kingdom-dans-les-coulisses-de-l-album-express-de-bilal-hassani-05-05-2019-8066148.php
Here is the video filmed in front of the villa.
Bilal Hassani, the 19-year-old singer and France’s Eurovision contestant with his song Roi, is in Granville to record his album. It was through social media, particularly Instagram, that the artist let his fans know he was in the corsair town. Some of his fans went to Plat-Gousset beach in the hope of catching a glimpse of their idol. Some even wrote messages to him in the sand.