Born on 8 April: Julian Lennon, gradual emancipation from a heavy legacy

Born in Liverpool in 1963, Julian Charles John is the son of John Lennon and filmmaker Cynthia Powell.

It was upon discovering one of the drawings he brought home from school (which depicted his friend Lucy) that his father found inspiration and composed the legendary "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds". If our children were already convinced otherwise, here's proof that their awkward works of art can sometimes be worth gold. In the literal sense!

Julian’s relationship with his father was further strained with his parents' divorce following John’s encounter with Yoko Ono. Saddened to see the little boy shaken by the separation (Julian was five at the time), Paul McCartney wrote him a song initially titled "Hey Jules", which became "Hey Jude". "I have a love-hate relationship with that song, I'm grateful but it's also a dark and harsh reminder of what happened," Julian admits.

In the 80s, a young adult left fatherless by the loss of a father he both loved and avoided (John Lennon was assassinated on 8 December 1980), he embarked on his own musical career by releasing his first album, "Valotte". However, he enjoyed less success than his Beatle father, and struggled to shake off his image and shadow. Yet, he continued to release albums, such as "Photograph Smile" and "Everything changes", in 2011.

In 2022, while dedicating more time to photography, he also supports his seventh and most recent album to date, "Jude". Finally, a nod he fully embraces to the Beatles song McCartney dedicated to him: "This album is really me confronting my past, where I am now, and everything in between." Julian has definitely become more than just "the son of", he has become his own person.

(MH with Céline Massart - Photo: © Etienne Tordoir)

Photo: Julian Lennon on the set of an RTL Belgium TV show in Luxembourg (Grand Duchy of Luxembourg) in October 1984