French singer Kendji Girac gave news to his fans on Snapchat showing himself in a forest with an axe to cut wood for pleasure, as reported.
The Bottom Line
- Kendji Girac was spotted on Snapchat deep in a French forest, wearing a heavy beard and lumberjack attire while cutting wood with an axe.
- The artist clarified to his fans that he is not embarking on a professional career change, stating he performs the manual labor purely for personal pleasure and to revisit his youth.
- The change of pace follows his prolonged withdrawal from public media life after recovering from a serious firearm injury sustained in April 2024.
From Chart-Topper to Forest Laborer
The interpreter of hits like “Color Gitano” surprised followers by swapping his usual stage presence for the quiet solitude of the woods. Appearing on Snapchat with a dense beard and traditional lumberjack gear, the musician was captured actively felling trees. According to Paris Match, the singer stated, “It feels good to work like this. I had forgotten how tiring it is. It’s been so long since I wanted to do this again.”
The environment mirrors a broader trend among French vocalists seeking creative refuge in nature. Earlier artistic retreats include singer Vianney establishing a rustic cabin hideaway among the pines, prompting a wave of similar woodland escapes within the industry. Yet, unlike commercial retreats or promotional stunts, Girac emphasized that his current endeavors carry no professional obligations or financial incentives.
A Nostalgic Return to Early Days
Addressing his audience directly from the wooded surroundings, the Dordogne native insisted that the physical labor is strictly recreational. “I do this for pleasure, simply for pure pleasure. I don’t earn any money, it’s really for pleasure, I promise you. It brings back good memories…”, he remarked with a smile, pointing directly to his youth spent working as a tree pruner long before his music career took off.
Pointing toward towering stacks of freshly cut logs, Girac compared the heavy lifting to athletic training. “It’s a bit of sport! Instead of lifting dumbbells, well, it’s logs! I’m the new lumberman!”, he noted, expressing deep respect for professional forestry workers. “Manual work makes you feel good! It puts us back in place, we see to what extent most people, when they do this work, it’s a real job, it works hard, it’s not easy.”
Navigating Life After the 2024 Incident
This rural interlude marks another quiet chapter for the vocalist, who has largely remained away from standard promotional circuits and public appearances since the night of April 21 to 22, 2024. During that period, he sustained a severe gunshot wound to the chest. Although he subsequently released the studio album Vivre… five months after the incident, a full return to public life has proceeded cautiously.
By leaning into manual labor and engaging with his fanbase through raw, unscripted social media updates from the trees, Girac maintains an unconventional bridge to his supporters while charting his own path forward.
