Ex-'Baywatch' idol sings new song in Europe
By Kendis Gibson
CNN Headline News
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Former "Baywatch" and "Melrose Place" star David Charvet has scored Top 10 hits in France, Germany and Canada.
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(CNN) -- As a star of "Baywatch" and then "Melrose Place," David Charvet had fame, fortune and females.
But he walked away from it all to return to his native France and pursue a lifelong ambition to sing.
"France is unbelievable," Charvet says as he walks along the balcony of the Hotel de Crillon, an 18th-century palace offering breathtaking views of Paris such as the Eiffel Tower and Arch de Triomphe.
The 30-year-old recalls the move as one of the most nerve-wracking in his life. "I was scared, worried," he says.
His anxiety came not only from the challenges of starting a new life in Paris but also over what he left behind in Los Angeles.
"I was a little kid. I gave up this other side of the business that is so prestigious and so hard to do," he says.
"I just decided that I wanted to stop. I wasn't happy with where things were going or where the story lines were going, and I wanted to do something close to what I am."
Charvet quit acting, re-familiarized himself with the French language and surrounded himself with some of the best in the music business.
"I got a chance to perform in Bear City [a musical venue in England] in front of 20,000 people," he says. "I said, 'Oh my God, this is so much more of who I am than what I was trying to be on the shows.' "
His records -- in French and English -- have been Top 10 hits in France, Canada and Germany, selling more than half a million CDs. He sees himself following in the footsteps of pop stars such as Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears.
"All the acts out there today," he says, "they all came through Europe."
With that in mind, Charvet is aiming for similar success in the United States, this time doing what he wants to do.
