As the name doesn't suggest, Laurent Doumont is Italian through his mother’s side. Née Lo Presti, she left her native Sicily at the age of eight with her mother and three of her siblings to go and join her father who was working in the Walloon mines.

Wherever they are in the world, Italians always keep a strong link with their region of origin. If, among all the things that connect them to Italy, cuisine often occupies the impregnable first place, music - songs in particular - also plays a significant role.

Whether traditional tunes or more modern ones that have reached the ears of Italian youth in the diaspora through radio or cinema, every Italian song carries with it a little nostalgia for the country.

Laurent Doumont was born in a family of musicians and music lovers: his mother, a drummer and accordionist, played every weekend with her brother, sister and two of her brothers-in-law in a local ballroom band, the Saint-Tropez. Laurent grew up listening to the melodies of Salvatore Adamo, Bobby Solo, Domenico Modugno... Italy was never far away: the daily culture of music and cuisine, enhanced by the grandmother’s undeniable accent, enriched the family novel, as in many exiled families. They often spoke of the journey to Belgium, the violinist uncle killed by a bus on the way to a concert, the elder sister left behind, love and family stories.

On the Belgian side, his father, a fan of blues and rock'n roll, preferred Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis, but never denied himself the pleasure of hearing Adriano Celentano's Svalutation on his old jukebox. The children learned the piano, Laurent also tried his hand at the saxophone...

Often their summer holidays took place in Northern Italy; the link with the south seemed to be broken. But at the age of 17, Laurent went with his family to Sicily for the first time. Forty years after she had left, his mother reunited with her sister, and Laurent discovered a whole unknown branch of the family tree. Facing his shortcomings in Italian, he decided to learn it, encouraged by the discovery of History, cinema, archaeological sites, the cultural richness of the country, giving his belonging a bigger picture.

Meanwhile, Laurent has learned to play the saxophone on his own. Soon after, he decided to study music and to devote himself to it professionally, thanks to decisive encounters with a few musicians (first of all his cousin Patrick Deltenre, then Daniel Romeo, Michel Hatzigeorgiou, Marc Lelangue, Eric Legnini...). Very quickly, the first concerts came one after the other and a first album was released in 2000 (Soul Quintet). At this time, he left to pursue the American dream in New York for two years. On his return to Belgium, he continued to play in different contexts, while carrying out his personal projects as an author, composer, singer and saxophonist. Papa Soul Talkin', his second album, was released in 2012.

All the music he has been exposed to, played and loved is now represented in L'Americano. His musical influences blend with his family and personal history in an interpretation as sincere and singular as possible. With absolute respect for the original melodies and lyrics, he has searched for the best adaptation for each song, according to its lyrics and subjective meaning. This repertoire is part of him and of the musician he has become.