Philippe Elan was born in Gascogne, south-west France in 1960 and came to live in the Netherlands in 1986. That year he made a flying start by winning the chanson competition of the Alliance Française. Since then, he has been a much-seen interpreter of French chanson, with which he can be seen in theaters year after year with solo programs together with arranger, producer and permanent accompanist Reyer Zwart. He also performs with artists such as Gregor Bak and Cor Bakker.