Richard Clayderman is very happy to still be popular

Elitism has never been part of Richard Clayderman’s repertoire, he tells Ed Power

RICHARD CLAYDERMAN is a phenomenon.

The French pianist, now 61, has sold more than 150m record and helped create a new genre of ‘popular classical’ music. He also became an unlikely pin-up during the 1980s, courtesy of soft-focused television commercials for his albums that emphasised his angelic good looks and wonderful hair.