“Setting a new benchmark for sensitive pop.” – The Line of Best Fit
“Idiosyncratic, heart-wrenching songs.” – NME
Previously writing and performing under the moniker AJIMAL, O’Hanlon was one of
the winners of the Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition in 2020.
Mezanmi is a creole word, which is used as an expression of surprise. Fran first encountered Haitian Creole in 2010 when caught up in the aftermath of the earthquake in Port-au-Prince as a visiting medical student. Prior to this, he had spent a year living in Paris working as a live-in carer, so Creole held a fascination as he learned about its phonetic spellings and origins in French; words that become musical and reveal their meaning when spoken aloud. Mezanmi (‘mes amis’) is a perfect example of the magic of this language.
Previously writing and performing under the moniker AJIMAL, O’Hanlon was one of the winners of the Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition in 2020. Having released two albums as AJIMAL (‘As It Grows Dark / Light’ in 2020 and ‘Childhood’ in 2015), he received critical acclaim and amassed over four million streams, with national and international radio support from BBC Radio 1, 6Music, Radio X and KCRW and high profile syncs in Film and TV, including the opening credits of Mae Martin’s hit Netflix series “Feel Good”.
O’Hanlon has toured and performed extensively in the UK and Europe, including recent live dates supporting Van Morrison, Bernard Butler and Jessie Buckley, Eydís Evensen, Sandrayati, Hannah Georgas, Lucy Rose, Kathyrn Joseph and
James Vincent McMorrow.
Mezanmi will release his debut album “Always Upwards” in November 2024. The album is co-produced by Grammy Award-winning producer/engineer Guy Massey, featuring collaborations including Sandrayati (Decca/Mercury KX) and Mercury nominated artist/acclaimed Irish actress Jessie Buckley.
