Practically everyone in France has seen the name 'Mark Brenner' on a concert listing. And then there are those in the know... a loyal following that's growing with every show.
Mark Brenner was born in Norwich, England. He studied at Norwich School and Wymondham College, before turning-down an opportunity to study Drama at Exeter University. Instead, he opted for music, which resulted in lots of ups and downs with a number of bands, and included a spell as a DJ and nightclub manager.
Mark eventually left Britain (for entirely personal reasons) in a tiny two-seater Cessna light aircraft. After stopping-off at Cherbourg to buy a pack of Gaulloises ("the taste of France"), the plane finally landed at La Teste, in the south-west, where he has lived ever since.
He sold the plane, grabbed his acoustic guitar and began busking in Arcachon and Cap Ferret (two popular seaside resorts). By late September 1995 he realised to his horror that the weather had become pretty much as bad as in his native Britain, and he launched what is probably one of the most unlikely of any international pop singers' careers.
He spent the winter entertaining in a nudist's colony, met up with other musicians, picked up a lot of pub and club work and recorded a live album in association with Radio France... all in the space of a year! This was followed by an Austrian tour (the first of three), TV appearances, private shows for the British Ambassador in Paris, plus concerts in Portugal and Germany.
2005 was an important year for Mark. In January he released the LUNATIC album, recorded in his home studio and on which Mark played all the instruments.
In July he composed and performed the soundtrack for a theatrical pyrotechnic production in Pons, Charente (France), directed by Eric le Collen.
In August he and the band supported rock legend Joe Cocker during his European Tour, performing to 5,500 people in the summer heat.
In terms of private & corporate clients, Mark and the band secured contracts with several prestigious names including Airbus Industrie, Rolls Royce, Chateau Yquem and Comtesse du Barry.
The "Lovers & Friends" album followed in 2006, followed by "Indian Summer" in 2011. Mark's reworking of the Kate Bush classic "Running Up that Hill" marked his first foray into combining Indian instruments with a western pop / electro arrangement. It remains his biggest-streaming song to date.
In 2014 the "After Life" album was released, featuring an animated music video for the single "Pourquoi Pas?" by Jérome Pradet.
Ther album was performed live in it's entirety at The Dublin Castle, the legendary live music venue in Camden, London.
"Another World" was released in 2016, the first time Mark used the artist's name "Karmarama" for a recording project. Since then, he continues to use this name for his own original compositions.
In 2020 the brand new "Symmetry" album will be released, as a limited edition vinyl package + digital (streaming) format.
Single-handedly, and without management or a production company's help, Mark has developed his own career path, recording 6 albums to date (one of which was co-produced by Chris Birkett, who produced Sinead O'Connor among many others), developing a loyal and devoted following... a fan base that is kept up-to-date by his web site (www.mark-brenner.com) and by a personal and affectionate contact with the audience, some of which have been known to travel abroad to catch up with the band!
Combining a wide range of influences (from pop, rock, jazz and world music), mixing his own excellent songs with a number of carefully-chosen covers, Mark has become a kind of International star within his own chosen circuit. He could have become any number of things, but thanks to his talent and charisma, watching him in action on stage with his superb band of musicians, you can tell he's picked the right vocation.
Antoine De Baeke
