Gilles Servat

Who is Gilles Servat?

Gilles Servat is a French singer, born in Tarbes in southern France in 1945, into a family whose roots lay in the Nantes region of Brittany.

He spent his early childhood around Nantes and Cholet. His music evoques the Isle of Groix, off the coast of Morbihan.

His music was originally inspired by the works of Breton musicians Glenmor and Alan Stivell. The title song from his first album, La blanche Hermine, the White Ermine being the national emblem of Brittany, became an anthem for Bretons.

In the 1990s he became part of the Héritage des Celtes, led by Dan Ar Braz and featuring the most famous names in Celtic music.

In 1998 he released the album "Touche pas à la Blanche Hermine" as a defiant stand against the French National Front who had used Servat's song La blanche Hermine during its meetings.

Servat sings in Breton, French and English.

Servat is also an actor and writer; he has authored several novels inspired by Celtic myths and legends. He is also a campaigner for the Breton language and a supporter of the Skol Diwan Breton language schools.