The singer Ben Harper has just announced that he will leave the United States to come and settle in France.

He had started taking French lessons

Ben Harper will soon definitively leave his country of origin, the United States. In question, the decision of the Supreme Court on abortion, racism and weapons. Born in Claremont, California, it is in France that he wishes to settle down and restart his life with his family, “perhaps in Toulouse, in Bordeaux, or here in Paris”. A country to which he is particularly attached since he made his debut on stage at the Transmusicales in Rennes in 1993 – the second concert of his career – before experiencing great popularity. He recently told the French newspaper Liberation that he had started taking French lessons.

“A monumental sadness”

“I’m giving my last concert (in the United States) in August and after that I won’t be back,” said the man who released his 18th album, Bloodline Maintenance, on Friday. He plans to find a home with his wife, actress and producer Jaclyn Matfus. He added : “I can’t go back to the United States anymore. This country is going back, it’s not possible anymore. It’s very depressing, a monumental sadness, I don’t really like to talk about it. The decision to go back on the right to abortion is a throwback. There’s that, there’s racism, there’s guns… It all just got too toxic for me.” Ben Harper has just released a new album entitled Bloodline Maintenance in which he deals with subjects that make him leave the United States today such as the impact of systemic racism on American society, but also climate change or even the threat of nuclear war.