Valentin Gerlier, songwriter, novelist and musician, was born in Brussels and brought up in Tuscany in a predominantly artistic family. He made his professional debut as an actor and dancer at the age of 11, playing young Dante in his uncle Micha Van Hoecke’s rendition of Liszt’s Dante Symphonie. Valentin went on to study music, literature and philosophy in England, and wrote and recorded his first solo project, The Road Not Taken, at 19, while still at school. That album resulted in a collaboration and production deal with producer, engineer and songwriter Filippo Gaetani. As a result of their work together on Valentin’s 1999 Demo, the pair developed a musical partnership that lasts to this day.

Valentin moved to London in 2000 and has since learnt his craft as a songwriter and musician performing extensively all over England and Europe in a host of different musical situations. His search took him to delve enthusiastically into many different forms of musical expressions - frontman of a Cuban son group, singer in a Jazz quartet, bass player in a Soul band or guitarist in a Brazilian Bossa Nova outfit, performing in English, French, Spanish, Italian or Portuguese, always seeking to learn the unique and powerful secrets of musical styles and incorporating these ideas into his own songwriting vocabulary.

In 2005 Valentin completed his first novel The Prince of Secret Ways (unpublished ‘for the time being’ as Valentin likes to remind his friends), a strong work of poetic storytelling which influence poured into Valentin’s subsequent song lyrics, giving his words and stories a dense and distinct novel-like quality (as well as a tinge of absurd humour). Valentin is a relentless workoholic, constantly involving himself in a host of musical projects, writing stories, poetry and philosophy as well as teaching. His friends affectionately call him an ‘artist’ though he cringes at the title, except after a glass of wine or when wearing his beret.

Aside from Filippo Gateani, some of Valentin’s collaborators have included Wendy Nieper (Swingle Singers), Leo Duany (Mambochambo, Sonora la Calle), Cuban violinist Gabriel Fonseca and Jazz guitarist Stefano Kalonaris (Tim Garland, Marvin Stamm). He is also part-time bass player for Indie Pop outfit the Mispent.