Nick Mallen

I always believed in my lucky star“, confides Nick Mallen. “But instead of that star lighting my way on a road all mapped out, it took me on several unexpected detours.“Divided between his passion for art and basketball, Nick initially saw himself following in the footsteps of Tony Parker, but soon afterwards, following an accident, his dreams came to an end. 
 Nick holds memories of his parents, artist-painters in Montmartre, Paris and his childhood spent in their workshop studios. He even admits to skipping classes at school, just to spend time drawing portraits. His passion for music came much later, when he strummed two or three cords on his mother’s guitar (who also played the luth). 
 “I learned to play by ear”, confirms self-taught Nick. His instinct to play had without a doubt developed from the influence of his uncle, a singer in the group, Gipsy King. 
 At 17, he finally decides to drop out of high school and travel around the world with his guitar slung over his shoulder. 
 “I travelled to many countries where I slept on benches of highway service areas. Except for Spain, where I lived for 3 months, I never stayed very long in any other country.“ 
 In the United States, a problem of expired identity documents cost him several weeks of detention. Forced to confinement, he began writing songs and even a book, of which he designed the cover. 
 “The book was never published and is now, just lying in a drawer, somewhere in the house.”