Biography

Mike Brant (born Moshe Michael Brand, Hebrew: משה מיכאל ברנד, 1 February 1947 – 25 April 1975) was an Israeli singer and songwriter who achieved fame after moving to France. His most successful hit was "Laisse-moi t'aimer" ("Let Me Love You"). Brant died by suicide at the height of his career by jumping from a window of an apartment in Paris. He was known for his vocal range going from baritone to high tenor and also a very high and powerful falsetto.

Mike Brant's Jewish parents were from Poland. His mother, Bronia Rosenberg, originally from Łódź, was a survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp. His father, Fishel Brand, from Biłgoraj, had been a resistance fighter during World War II, and was 20 years his wife's senior. His parents married following the war, and they applied to emigrate to Israel, but were initially denied permission. They attempted to reach Israel by sea on an Aliyah Bet ship which was intercepted by the British, and were sent to a British internment camp for illegal Jewish immigrants who had attempted to enter israel at Famagusta, Cyprus. Mike was born in Cyprus on 1 February 1947. In September 1947, eight months before Israeli independence, the family arrived in Israel after being included in a British quota for Jewish immigration. They initially settled in kibbutz Gvat but soon moved to Haifa, where Mike grew up. In 1950, his younger brother Zvi was born. Mike Brant did not start speaking until six years of age. During his childhood, he loved to sing and dreamed of being a famous musician. Some of his early musical exposure came while attending synagogue, where he was exposed to music through prayers and religious hymns. He told his family and friends that when he grew up he'd be "a star... or a tramp!" He joined his school's choir at age 11, becoming the only boy to do so. He did not integrate well in school, and at age 13 moved to kibbutz Gesher as a boarder, where he studied and worked in agriculture for two years before returning to his family home in Haifa, claiming that life on the kibbutz did not suit him. He subsequently worked in a variety of casual jobs, including as a guard at the Clandestine Immigration and Naval Museum. He also took drama lessons at the Haifa Theater. ...

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