Jean-Pierre

Known only by his first name, Jean-Pierre is perhaps the most famous living Darrenite musical artist. He gained national success with his dance rock band, Hoist the Party.

He's gone on to critical accolades and international fame as a solo singer-songwriter, with much more muted and soulful music.

After a residency at the Alice Art Initiative, he plans to tour with a folk band, covering popular 90s artists such as Pavement, Salt N Pepa and Third Eye Blind. If the tour happens as described, it will be a drastic departure from his previous solo albums.

Hoist the Party
The five members of Hoist the Party met in 1998 at the University of Darren, where they were studying in various scientific fields. They all dropped out the next year to pursue their love of music.

They quickly became successful. Before they had put out a full album, their single "Bouncin' Club" hit the airwaves and catapulted them into fame. The Darren Herald called them "The best homegrown act since Darrell Dudley."

After five albums in as many years, the band dispersed to work on various other projects. Jean-Pierre was the only member with reconized success, however.

Solo
Jean-Pierre spent three years on his first solo album, "Love in the time of the A-bomb," a reference to the book "Love in the Time of Cholera" as well as the Alice Disaster. The concept album was well-received by critics but tanked commercially, only selling 20,000 copies in the first year, 2006.

His 2007 album, "The Comeback," sold much better, though critics said it lost the emotional depth he had shown with "Love." This gained him the attention of international art critics, and Rolling Stone featured him on in a cover story in January 2008.

His most recent album, the 2010 "Succubus," kept the popular appeal of "Comeback" while regaining some of the critical success of "Love." It has outsold every other album in Darren history.

He is currently an artist-in-residence at the Alice Art Initiative, though many have questioned whether he will produce another "Love."

Many bands such as Mumford and Sons count Jean-Pierre as an inspiration.

Personal life
Jean-Pierre, 33, lives with his wife and their three children in Darren City. He is an outspoken supporter of scientific research, in part because of his time at the UofD. He has also criticized the Prince Darren, Reny Rousseau.

Jean-Pierre has also donated to many charitable causes, mostly involving Sudan.

-RPM