Ael Pagny makes her television debut, discussing her father, Florent Pagny, in connection with her new book, *Pagny par Ael*. The 25-year-old shares insights about capturing moments during her father’s 60th-anniversary tour, which was cut short due to his battle with inoperable lung cancer. Ael, who left Patagonia for New York at 16 to pursue photography, reflects on her father’s illness and their close-knit family bond, expressing gratitude for her loving parents and the power of photography in preserving memories.
This marks her first television appearance. In light of the release of a book dedicated to her father, Ael Pagny shares updates about Florent Pagny and lives up to her name, which means “messenger angel.” In her book titled Pagny by Ael (published by Harper Collins), the 25-year-old reveals photographs she took during her father’s 60th-anniversary tour in 2021, a tour that was abruptly halted in January 2022 due to illness.
‘I began taking photos when I was around 12 or 13 years old when I got my first phone. At that time, I mostly captured landscapes because I was in high school in Argentina,’ she shares with Audrey Crespo-Mara in the video featured at the top of this article, a replay of the ‘Portrait of the Week’ segment aired last Sunday on ‘Sept à Huit.’ ‘I take photos so I don’t have to talk, as I find myself quite shy and introverted,’ she confesses.
Leaving Patagonia for New York at 16
With a passion for photography, she made the decision to leave Patagonia and her parents at the age of 16 to attend the prestigious Parsons School of Design in New York. ‘When my brother Inca left for his studies, I became the only child at home, and I really didn’t want that. So, I asked to go to boarding school,’ she recalls, having chosen New York ‘because of the films and fashion.’ ‘And I loved it!‘ admits Ael, who has discovered that she can turn her passion into a profession.
I am so happy to have parents who love each other so much and never let go
I am so happy to have parents who love each other so much and never let go
Ael Pagny
It was a natural choice for Florent Pagny to ask his daughter to accompany him on his 60th-anniversary tour. At 22, she readily accepted. ‘He’s a cool dad, very caring, and lets us do our thing. He isn’t strict, but he looks out for us from a distance without being overbearing,’ Ael explains, enjoying capturing moments of her parents together. ‘They are so cute! They represent my ideal couple. I’m incredibly grateful to have parents who love each other so much and never let go,’ she continues, eager to preserve as many memories as possible of her tightly-knit family.
Like her older brother Inca, Ael has always navigated effortlessly between two cultures. ‘We learned French and Spanish simultaneously. We adore being in Argentina. My mom likes to say we are more Argentine than she is! I can’t really describe what I love about both cultures since I’ve blended them together so much,’ she admits.
I didn’t see a sick man; I was just taking pictures of my dad
I didn’t see a sick man; I was just taking pictures of my dad
Ael Pagny
When the family learned that Florent Pagny had been diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer—something he refers to as ‘the switch’—it was a devastating blow. ‘He called it that because when you discover the existence of the illness, it puts a pause on our daily life. It interrupts everything we were doing and forces us into another adventure that we didn’t want to experience,’ she reflects. Despite this, she continued to photograph him, setting her camera aside when he was in particularly bad shape.
After several months of chemotherapy, they took a trip to Mont-Saint-Michel, a location dear to the ‘The Voice’ coach, to capture a series of photos showcasing his new look. ‘I didn’t see a sick man; I was just taking pictures of my dad. I think it reassured him. The change in appearance was shocking for him since he was unhappy about losing his beard, mustache, and hair. Personally, I still thought he looked great! But this was a look he hadn’t chosen, despite having gone through so many changes in his life.’
Despite experiencing setbacks—‘that’s the reality of this illness; we are never completely at ease’—Florent Pagny is doing well today. ‘He recently had another examination, and everything is fine. We’re looking forward to the next check-up in three months, but for