April March (born Elinor Blake; April 20, 1965) is an American singer-songwriter who sings in English and French. She is known for the song " Chick Habit", which was featured in the films '' But I'm a Cheerleader'' and ''

Death Proof ''Death Proof'' is a 2007 American action-thriller film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It stars Kurt Russell as a stuntman who murders young women with modified cars he purports to be "death-proof". Rosario Dawson, Vanessa Ferlito, Jo ...

''. She is also a

cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of images ...

animator, including a stint as a principal animator for the ''

Ren and Stimpy ''The Ren & Stimpy Show'' (also known as ''Ren & Stimpy'') is an American animated television series created by Canadian animator John Kricfalusi. Originally produced by Spümcø for Nickelodeon, the series aired from August 11, 1991, to Decemb ...

'' show. She went to

Parsons The New School for Design Parsons School of Design, known colloquially as Parsons, is a private art and design college located in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. Founded in 1896 after a group of progressive artists broke away from established Manhatt ...

and

California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both ...

for Character Animation.

Early life and education

In junior high, Blake participated in an exchange program in France. She graduated from

Phillips Academy ("Not for Self") la, Finis Origine Pendet ("The End Depends Upon the Beginning") Youth From Every Quarter Knowledge and Goodness , address = 180 Main Street , city = Andover , state = Ma ...

Andover, Massachusetts Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was settled in 1642 and incorporated in 1646."Andover" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th ed., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 387. As of th ...

in 1983.

Career

Blake returned to New York City and worked as an animator for ''

Archie Comics Archie Comic Publications, Inc., is an American comic book publisher headquartered in Pelham, New York.Pee Wee's Playhouse ''Pee-wee's Playhouse'' is an American television series starring Paul Reubens as the childlike Pee-wee Herman that ran from 1986 to 1990 on Saturday mornings on CBS, and airing in reruns until July 1991. The show was developed from Reubens's p ...

''. In 1986 she worked on the

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

feature ''

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'', animating the star in the title sequence and the contemporaneous music video. March's first band,

The Pussywillows The Pussywillows were a group that featured Elinor Blake, Lisa Dembling and Lisa Jenio. Their recordings have appeared on the ''Kill the Moonlight'' soundtrack, and the '' Rutles Highway Revisited'' album. Background The Pussywillows were origina ...

, was formed in 1987. She took a break from music for one year to attend the

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

-founded Character Animation program at the

. In 1991 the Pussywillows broke up and March formed The Shitbirds, which lasted until 1995. Since then, March has recorded as a solo artist and has appeared on motion picture soundtracks, as well as performing the theme song for the

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series ''

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''. Her albums contain songs sung in both English and French, and her style is heavily influenced by

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

1960s pop music. March traveled to France to record the album ''Chrominance Decoder'' with

Bertrand Burgalat Bertrand Burgalat Born: July 1963 French musician, composer and producer. Background Bertrand Burgalat was born in the Corsican town of Bastia in 1963. His father, a high-ranking civil servant, was the sub-prefect of the island at the ti ...

's label Tricatel. Tricatel released the album in France and Japan in 1996, along with two singles, "Mignonette" and "Garçon Glaçon", and a promotional video created by Bergalat. Ideal Records released it in the United States, with the addition of some remixes contributed by The Dust Brothers, and Tricatel released a Vinyl edition in 2011. March developed and performed an English translation of the

Serge Gainsbourg Serge Gainsbourg (; born Lucien Ginsburg; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991) was a French musician, singer-songwriter, actor, author and filmmaker. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provoca ...

song, "

Laisse tomber les filles "Laisse tomber les filles" (English: "Drop it with the girls" i.e., "Stop messing around with the girls") is a French song written by Serge Gainsbourg and originally performed by France Gall in 1964. The song was a major hit in France, peaking at ...

", renamed as "Chick Habit." The song has been featured in the 1999 teen comedy '' But I'm a Cheerleader'' and in

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, Black comedy, dark humor, Nonlinear narrative, non-lin ...

's 2007 film ''

''; it was also used as the backing music to television advertisements for the

Renault Twingo The Renault Twingo is a four-seater passenger city car manufactured and marketed by the French auto-maker Renault, introduced in 1992 and currently in its third generation. The first generation Twingo (two door, front engine) debuted at the Pa ...

in the UK and in France in 2008. It is part of the soundtrack of the immersive theatre production by

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'' The Drowned Man'' in London, which played until March 2014. The song was used as background music for a non-official trailer for ''

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'' (2007) by Dan and Dave. Her song ''Garçon Glaçon'' is featured in the American show ''

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'' March has collaborated with many artists, including

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Ronnie Spector Veronica Yvette Greenfield (; August 10, 1943 – January 12, 2022) was an American singer who co-founded and fronted the girl group The Ronettes. She is sometimes referred to as the original "bad girl of rock and roll". Ronnie formed the ...

Andy Paley Andrew Douglas Paley (born November 2, 1952) is an American songwriter, record producer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist who formed the Paley Brothers, a 1970s power pop duo, with his brother Jonathan Paley. Following their disbandment, And ...

LL Cool J James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, along ...

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, and the

Dust Brothers The Dust Brothers are a pair of songwriters and producers consisting of E.Z. Mike ( Michael Simpson) and King Gizmo ( John King). They are famous for the sample-based music they produced in the 1980s and 1990s, and specifically for their work on ...

in the U.S. and in France with

. She has performed with the garage rock band Bassholes. Her collaboration album with

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, titled ''Magic Monsters.'', was released online in 2008 and later in vinyl format on the label Martyrs of Pop.

Discography

Albums

* ''Gainsbourgsion !'' (1995) – France only * ''Paris in April'' (1996) – International expanded version of ''Gainsbourgsion!'' * ''Superbanyair'' (1997) – Japan only * ''April March Sings Along with The Makers'' (1997) – Collaboration with The Makers * ''Lessons of April March'' (1998) – Compilation * ''April March and Los Cincos'' (1998) * ''Chrominance Decoder'' (1999) – International version of ''Superbanyair''. * ''Triggers'' (2002)"Billboard Picks: Albums. Michael Paoletta. * ''Magic Monsters'' (2008) – Collaboration with Steve Hanft * ''April March and Aquaserge'' (2012)"Reviews: April March & Aquaserge"
''The Quietus'', Tom Hughes, June 11, 2013 * ''In Cinerama'' (2021) – Originally a "Record Store Day"-only release

EPs

* ''Voodoo Doll'' (1993) * ''Chick Habit'' (1995) * ''April March and Los Cincos Featuring The Choir'' (1997) – Japan only limited edition. Features

Petra Haden Petra Haden (born October 11, 1971) is an American musician and singer. She is the daughter of the jazz bassist Charlie Haden, and is the triplet sister of bassist Rachel Haden (her bandmate in That Dog) and cellist Tanya Haden (married to sing ...

and Bennett. * ''Dans les yeux d'April March'' (1999) – France only. Limited edition Tricatel Club Release. Pressed on 10" translucent white vinyl.

Singles

* "Mignonette" (1996) * "Sometimes When I Stretch" (2003) * "Jesus And I Love You" (1998) – ''

Orgazmo ''Orgazmo'' is a 1997 American superhero sex comedy film written, directed and edited by Trey Parker and produced by Matt Stone, Jason McHugh, and Fran Rubel Kuzui. It stars Parker, Stone, Dian Bachar, Robyn Lynne, and Michael Dean Jacobs. The ...

'' Soundtrack

References

External links

*
Discogs
* *http://www.aprilmarch.com {{DEFAULTSORT:March, April 1965 births Living people American animators American women singers Sympathy for the Record Industry artists American indie pop musicians American women animators Phillips Academy alumni California Institute of the Arts alumni French-language singers of the United States 21st-century American women