Switzerland born and London based artist, Miel de Botton has revealed a stunning tribute to her father, the late Gilbert de Botton. The new song, Mon Cher Petit Papa, features on her beautiful collection of songs, Loved Ones Volume 1.
Mon Cher Petit Papa is a particularly special song and video for Miel de Botton. Miel wrote the song about her love for her father Gilbert de Botton, the esteemed and immensely respected financial pioneer. The influence of her much-missed father and his love of classic chansonniers like Piaf and Aznavour is paid tribute to in the exquisite French-language song.
Her father’s absence is one of the reasons we’re here today – a loss that kickstarted Miel’s desire to express herself after years working in different fields and helping others. Miel added: “There were two particular negative, horrible events in my life – the passing of my dad and my divorce. Those made me feel for a time, obviously, very, very low. But then, gradually, as I emerged, I wanted to feel and give joy. And I felt liberated, in a way, because my father had been a rather strict judge of my life. He was a really big person watching over my shoulder. And when he went, it was absolutely awful, because I adored him but it also gave me the courage to pursue my dreams. I had always missed him. As I say in the song, he was always so busy, a self-made genius who was well known to be so knowledgeable in many fields. I lost him suddenly, tragically just as I was moving back to London from 10 years in Paris and I was looking forward to spending time with him.”
The video, created by Danny and Sam Clifford, was a beautiful, emotional experience for the singer songwriter. Miel commented: “It was a beautiful process to work with Danny Clifford, my photographer, choosing the pictures and film material. He digitalised all of this and then I worked with his son Sam Clifford who made the wonderful video with the material. It was a very healing process, re-experiencing these memories involving the whole family. When I watch it, I am moved to tears, transported back to my childhood, to those trips together, those family times in our Zurich house and garden. I feel and hope the song and video will touch people in the same way, heart to heart!”
Mon Cher Petit Papa features on the first instalment of Loved Ones, a deeply personal set of songs, expressing gratitude to those she loves dearly while also showing us her history, heritage, family and friends. The first of the three EPs is out now, listen here, with the other two following in November 2025 and February 2026.
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