Les Rita Mitsouko (, translation: ''The Rita Mitsukos'') were a French

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

group formed by Fred Chichin and Catherine Ringer. The duo first performed as Rita Mitsouko at Gibus Club in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

in 1980. They went on to become one of the most acclaimed musical acts in France. " Marcia Baila", their debut single produced by

Conny Plank Konrad "Conny" Plank (3 May 1940 – 5 December 1987) was a German record producer and musician. He is known for his innovative work as a sound engineer and producer in Germany's krautrock and kosmische music scene in the 1970s. Plank was invol ...

, went to number 2 in the French singles chart in 1984. They then started a collaboration with producer

Tony Visconti Anthony Edward Visconti (born April 24, 1944) is an American record producer, musician and singer. Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers. His first hit single was T. Rex's " Ride a White Swan" in 1970, the first of man ...

on two albums: '' the No Comprendo'' and '' Marc & Robert''. "Singing in the Shower", sung as a duet with Sparks, was a commercial success in France and was then heavily played on US dance radio stations in 1988. Iggy Pop also collaborated with them on 1993's '' Système D'', duetting with Ringer on "My Love Is Bad". Chichin died from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

in 2007. Instead of continuing as Les Rita Mitsouko, Ringer completed a final tour, "Catherine Ringer chante Les Rita Mitsouko and more" (''Catherine Ringer sings Les Rita Mitsouko and more''), and started a solo career.

History

The duet has stated that the name "Rita Mitsouko" originated from the combination of Catherine Ringer's childhood friend and the name of a meal they enjoyed in a local Japanese restaurant soon after they met.Prologue of biographical documentary ''Rita Mitsouko: A Life of Music'' the duet soon found love for each other and married and had 16 children. According to the French Wikipedia the name of the group was chosen to reflect the band's extremely diverse musical reference: Rita refers to the South American music (and the iconic actress

Rita Hayworth Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino; October 17, 1918May 14, 1987) was an American actress, dancer and producer. She achieved fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars, appearing in 61 films over 37 years. The press coined th ...

). Mitsouko is the French spelling of the Japanese first name Mitsuko, and is also the name of a perfume by

Guerlain Guerlain () is a French perfume, cosmetics and skincare house, which is among the oldest in the world. Many traditional Guerlain fragrances are characterized by a common olfactory accord known as the "Guerlinade" (fr). The house was founded in P ...

. The group originally went by the name "Rita Mitsouko" but in 1985 "Les" was added when they realized that many people believed the name of the group was that of the singer. Rita Mitsouko began performing in the early 1980s in alternative spaces such as the Pali-Kao, a

squatted Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...

factory building in

Belleville, Paris Belleville () is a neighbourhood of Paris, France, parts of which lie in four different arrondissements. The major portion of Belleville straddles the borderline between the 20th arrondissement and the 19th along its main street, the ''Rue de Be ...

. The band first achieved major popular success in 1985, with the release of the second single from their first album: " Marcia baila" rose to number 2 on the French record charts that summer. Philippe Gautier directed a vibrant and widely viewed music video to accompany the record. "Marcia Baila" is an homage to the choreographer and dancer Marcia Moretto, with whom Catherine Ringer had studied and performed in the 1970s. Moretto died of cancer in 1983 at the age of 36. ''Rita Mitsouko'' was a creative and eccentric first album, combining elements of

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

, rock, synthpop and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

. Coupled with the band's colorful, wild, over-the-top image, it brought Rita Mitsouko to the attention of some important anglophone listeners. In October 1985, they contributed a cover version of "

All Tomorrow's Parties "All Tomorrow's Parties" is a song by the Velvet Underground and Nico, written by Lou Reed and released on the group's 1967 debut studio album, ''The Velvet Underground & Nico''. Inspiration for the song came from Reed's observation of Andy Warh ...

" for the

Velvet Underground Weave details visible on a purple-colored velvet fabric Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed, with a short pile, giving it a distinctive soft feel. By extension, the word ''velvety'' means ...

tribute album ''Les Enfants du Velvet''. The American record producer and musician

produced the band's next two albums, ''The No Comprendo'' and ''Marc et Robert,'' helping to polish and perfect their sound. These two albums have both French and English lyrics. The most successful singles from these albums were "C'est comme ça" ("That's the Way It Is") and " Andy". The American band Sparks collaborated with Les Rita Mitsouko on ''Marc et Robert''. Russell Mael sings lead vocals with Catherine Ringer on three of the album's tracks, "Singing in the Shower", "Live in Las Vegas" and "Hip Kit". "Singing in the Shower" was included on the soundtrack of the Ridley Scott film '' Black Rain''.

Jean-Baptiste Mondino Jean-Baptiste Mondino (born Aubervilliers, France on 21 July 1949) is a French fashion photographer and music video director. He has directed music videos for Madonna, David Bowie, Sting, Björk, Don Henley, Neneh Cherry, Axel Bauer and Les Rita ...

directed most of Les Rita Mitsouko's

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

s in the 1980s. Jean-Luc Godard's 1987 feature film '' Soigne ta droite'' incorporates documentary footage of the band's ''The No Comprendo'' recording sessions. In 1991, they made the music of the movie '' My Life Is Hell'', directed by

Josiane Balasko Josiane Balasko (born Josiane Balašković; 15 April 1950) is a French actress, writer, and director. She has been nominated seven times for César Awards, and won twice. Career One of Balasko's most recognized roles among English speakers is ...

. In 1993, the video of "Y'a d'la haine", from the album ''Système D'', was awarded Clip of the Year by

MTV Europe MTV Global (formerly as MTV Europe) is the international version of the American TV channel MTV, a 24-hour music and entertainment TV channel that began broadcasting on August 1, 1987, as part of the worldwide MTV network. Initially, MTV serve ...

. On ''Système D'', Ringer sings a duet, "My Love Is Bad", with Iggy Pop. ''Variéty'' also includes a vocal duo in which Ringer is joined by the guest musician

Serj Tankian Serj Tankian (born August 21, 1967) is an Armenian-American singer, musician, songwriter, political activist and entrepreneur. He is best known as the lead vocalist, primary lyricist, keyboardist, and occasional rhythm guitarist of heavy metal ...

(from

System of a Down System of a Down (also known as SoaD or simply System) is an Armenian-American heavy metal band formed in Glendale, California, in 1994. Since 1997, the band has consisted of Serj Tankian (lead vocals, keyboards); Daron Malakian (guitar, voc ...

). Les Rita Mitsouko's album ''Variéty'' was released in 2007 in both French and in English ''(Variety)'' versions; it was produced by

Mark Plati Mark Plati is a New York–based musician, record producer, and songwriter, best known for his work in the 1990s with David Bowie. Plati also has worked with Spookey Ruben, The Cure, Duncan Sheik, Hooverphonic, Robbie Williams, Joe McIntyre, D ...

. On Wednesday 28 November 2007, Chichin died from cancer while the band had just cancelled their previous concert dates in Paris. He had been diagnosed only two months before. Ringer toured under her own name following his death. Image:Les Rita Mitsouko f7122439.jpg Image:Les Rita Mitsouko f7362751.jpg Image:Les Rita Mitsouko f7372591.jpg

Discography

The

discography Discography is the study and cataloging of published sound recordings, often by specified artists or within identified music genres. The exact information included varies depending on the type and scope of the discography, but a discography entry ...

of Les Rita Mitsouko, the French pop-rock duo, consists of seven studio albums, two compilations, one remix album, three live albums, two extended plays, twenty-seven singles, one video and twelve music videos.

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Live albums

Extended plays

* ''The Eye, More Variety'' (2007, Because Music) * ''Variety Remixes'' (2007, Because Music)

Singles

Videos

* ''8 Clips Et 2 Films'' (1995)

Music videos

Awards

* 1987 : Grand Prix of the Charles-Cros Academy * 1987 : Victoires De La Musique: "Best Album of the Year" for ''The no comprendo'' * 1987 : Victoires De La Musique: "Best Video of the Year" for "C'est comme ça" * 1990 : Prix Val Rock, for the video "Le Petit Train" * 1990 : Bus d'Acier of the decade for their collected work * 1994 : MTV Europe Music Awards: "Best video of the Year" for "Y'a d'la haine" * 2001 : Prix Roger-Seiller for "Best French Band" (SACEM Prix de Printemps)

References

External links

Official Les Rita Mitsouko website

Biography of Les Rita Mitsouko
from

Radio France Internationale Radio France Internationale, usually referred to as RFI, is the state-owned international radio broadcaster of France. With 37.2 million listeners in 2014, it is one of the most-listened-to international radio stations in the world, along with ...

Extensive Rita Mitsouko fanpage with many images

MySpace page
* :fr:Les Rita Mitsouko#Biographie Wikipedia page in French with more links
Video to "Ding Dang Dong"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rita Mitsouko, Les French pop music groups French dance music groups Married couples French new wave musical groups Squatters Because Music artists French musical duos Male–female musical duos