'I'm trying to profess my love' - the French musician who serenades animals
Parrots bob along, orangutans clap and even rhinos lean in for a nuzzle when Plumes starts playing his pink guitar.
Three years after he first played Beatles songs for some cows in the French countryside, Loris Assadian (aka Plumes) is in high demand to visit zoos, farms and animal sanctuaries all over Europe.
Of the countless creatures he's now serenaded, cows - which seem so into the music - remain his favourite.
"Their reaction completely blew my mind because they were super receptive and very cute… It was very moving. I was moved afterwards. Watching the videos back, I was like, 'Wow, this was really special," he tells RNZ's First Up.
Except for the odd "obvious" song choice, like 'Eye of the Tiger' for tigers, Assadian usually plays poignant love songs for his animal audiences.
"I feel like the animals are very intuitive, and they get what I'm trying to say to them. I'm trying to profess my love in a way and I feel like they understand that."
After seeing how individual they are in their ability to appreciate music, he now thinks of animals, in this respect, as "people".
"Some will feel like listening to music, some won't."
Plumes serenades a 25-year-old tortoise.
@plumesofficiel
For Assadian, a couple of stand-out encounters recently were with a 25-year-old female tortoise - "There was a wisdom behind those eyes" - and a gigantic rhinoceros he was at first very fearful of.
"I was told he wouldn't approach, but he actually came right against me and he could touch me with his horn.
"Now I feel like they are just like huge cows because they are as sweet as cows… If they don't feel threatened, they will stay nice and sweet."
Rhinoceroses are the animal Plumes was most fearful of encountering - he now knows they're "as sweet as cows".
@plumesofficiel
Via videos filmed by his mum, Assadian feels lucky to share his "very soothing and nice" animal interactions with a nature-starved audience on social media.
Although he took up the drums at seven and the guitar at 10 - and recently released the single 'Friendship' - some "imposter syndrome" about calling himself a musician still lingers, he says.
"So many people are telling me nice things, so I'm going to start to believe them, I guess."
"I feel like the animals are very intuitive, and they get what I'm trying to say to them" - Plume.
@plumesofficiel
