Brigitte Fontaine was born in Morlaix, a town in northern Brittany, in 1940. Young Brigitte grew up in a highly cultural home environment - both her parents were primary school teachers in state schools - and she was introduced to music at an early age. But Brigitte's first passion in life was not music, but drama. Brigitte, a solitary child given to daydreaming, discovered the exciting world of theatre in her childhood and the talented youngster soon progressed from reading plays in her bedroom to performing with a number of amateur theatre groups in Morlaix and Brest. It was while performing with one of these local groups at the tender age of 12 that Brigitte was spotted by the director of a professional theatre troupe. Impressed by Brigitte's obvious talent, this director offered the young actress a job on the spot, but Brigitte's parents were loath to let their daughter leave school at such a young age.

Brigitte thus stayed at school and went on to pass her 'baccalauréat' with flying colours. However, she did not give up her childhood dream of launching a career in the theatre. Far from it! In the early 60's the young would-be actress arrived in Paris and signed up for a course in drama school.

But in the midst of her theatre studies Brigitte suddenly discovered Paris's thriving cabaret scene and her career dreams changed overnight. Brigitte decided that she would appear on stage, not as an actress but as a singer. Brigitte started performing in the clubs on the Left Bank but soon progressed to the legendary Trois Baudets in Montmartre. The talented young singer also performed a repertoire of Boris Vian songs at La Grande Sévérine, then went on to support a number of famous French chanson stars at the Bobino. By 1963 Brigitte Fontaine's 'alternative' style had become famous on the Paris cabaret circuit and the general public got a chance to discover France's wackiest new star when she appeared on the television programme "Les Mardis de la chanson" (also in 1963).

Higelin

Meanwhile, Brigitte maintained her links with the French theatre world. Indeed, she would soon take a break from her singing career to return to her first love, acting. In 1964 Brigitte staged a play entitled "Maman j'ai peur" at La Vieille Grille theatre in Paris. This highly improvisational piece, very close in spirit to the famous 'happenings' on the 60's arts scene, co-starred two up-and-coming French artists, Rufus and Jacques Higelin. Fontaine and Higelin hit it off immediately and their intense friendship soon blossomed into a successful artistic partnership (which is still going strong 30 years on!) The play "Maman j'ai peur" went on to prove a phenomenal hit with French theatre audiences and the troupe moved from La Vieille Grille to perform their 'happening' at the prestigious Théâtre des Champs-Elysées. Fontaine, Higelin and Rufus would then enjoy a successful 12-month tour with "Maman j'ai peur", taking their experimental play to the French provinces.

Fontaine and Higelin, united by their passion for experimental theatre and alternative music, would carry on working together after "Maman j'ai peur". Indeed, by 1965 they were already locked away in the studio together working on a joint album entitled "Douze chansons avant le déluge". Interestingly enough, Fontaine and Higelin's début album was produced by the owner of the Trois Baudets cabaret, Jacques Canetti, who had established himself as a talent spotter extraordinaire. (Canetti had already played an active role in launching the careers of Juliette Gréco, Jacques Brel and Georges Brassens ). Following in the tradition of dark cynicism and ironic wordplay pioneered by the likes of Boris Vian and Serge Gainsbourg, Fontaine and Higelin developed their own form of modern irony, which went on to prove extremely popular with the French public.

Three years after the success of Fontaine and Higelin's joint album, Brigitte Fontaine would return to the studio in 1968 to record a début solo album, amusingly entitled "Brigitte Fontaine est folle" (Brigitte Fontaine is mad!) Produced with the aid of the renowned French musician and arranger Jean-Claude Vannier, this wildly experimental album established Fontaine as one of the most eccentric stars on the French music scene.

Areski

Shortly after the release of the album "Brigitte Fontaine est folle", Higelin introduced Fontaine to a musician friend of his whom he had met in the army. Areski Belkacem (an Algerian of Kabyl origin who had been born in France) became a close friend of Fontaine's and the pair soon began working together. Fontaine and Belkacem went on to fuse the rhythms and melodies of Arab music with elements of French chanson, creating an innovative repertoire which would pave the way for the modern concept of world music. The pair then teamed up with Higelin and got involved with the world of experimental theatre once more, staging another successful play/happening entitled "Niok" in 1968.

Later that same year Fontaine and Higelin would also get together to co-write the soundtrack for Christian Gion's film "Les encerclés". The pair's duet "Cet enfant que je t'avais fait", taken from the film soundtrack, was later released as a single and went on to enjoy great critical acclaim. (Indeed, "Cet enfant que je t'avais fait" is still considered to be one of the classic French chanson hits of the 60's).

By this stage in her career Brigitte Fontaine had established herself as the diva of the Paris 'underground'. At the end of the 60's the singer's passion for avant-garde experimentation would take her back to the studio to record "Comme à la radio" (which went on to become the best-known album of her entire career). "Comme à la radio", released in 1969 on Pierre Barouh's new independent label, Saravah, was recorded with the Chicago Art Ensemble, the leading avant-garde jazz group on the American music scene. Fontaine had met the Chicago Art Ensemble in Paris, when the group were performing at the American Center on Boulevard Raspail - just across the road from the theatre where Fontaine was starring in "Niok"). Fontaine's eccentricity and the Chicago Art Ensemble's musical innovation proved to be a winning combination and Fontaine's album soon produced two ground-breaking singles, "Comme à la radio" and "Lettre à monsieur le chef de gare de la Tour de Carol". In spite of the fact that these singles failed to make a huge commercial impact on the musical mainstream, the critics loved them and began showering Fontaine with rave reviews. By the end of the year Fontaine also found herself the proud owner of the prestigious Prix de l'Académie Charles Cros".

In 1971 Brigitte Fontaine was back in the media spotlight again, although this time not for her music but for her personal beliefs. That year the singer signed a high-profile petition together with 343 other women, stating that she had terminated an unwanted pregnancy before abortion became legal in France (in 1975). Brigitte Fontaine would continue to take a stand on various political and humanitarian issues throughout the rest of her career, demonstrating on behalf of AIDS sufferers, homeless people and 'les sans-papiers' (France's growing population of illegal immigrants). Although the singer has always refused to align herself with any particular movement or political party, she has certainly proved that she is a committed militant ready to defend a number of worthy causes.

Fontaine returned to the studio in 1972 to record a new album entitled "Un beau matin". But as soon as the underground diva had finished work on her solo album she resumed her collective projects with Higelin and Areski. However, the trio's collaborative work became increasingly fraught as Higelin, Fontaine and Areski all began pulling in different directions. The tension came to a head one evening when the trio were in the midst of performing a show at the Théâtre du Ranelagh in 1972. Fed up with the non-stop bickering backstage and the audience's lukewarm reaction, Fontaine stormed off stage fifteen minutes into the show, grabbed her bags and stomped out through the audience. This dramatic coup de théatre ended up with Fontaine zooming off into the distance on the back of a motor bike!

Thus began a period of self-imposed exile for Brigitte Fontaine. The singer's behaviour at the Théâtre du Ranelagh provoked a storm of criticism from France's showbiz fraternity, but Fontaine shrugged off these comments and carried on with her career regardless. Fontaine and Areski (who had become Fontaine's lover as well as her musical partner) began to put an increasing distance between themselves and the mainstream, as they became more involved with Paris's musical and theatrical underground. Meanwhile, Fontaine's erstwhile partner Higelin went on to pursue a brilliant solo career on the French music scene.

Fontaine 'blossoms' underground

Following the débâcle at the Théâtre du Ranelagh, Brigitte Fontaine threw herself into her work with a vengeance and the 70's ended up being an extremely fruitful period for her, not only in terms of music but also in terms of her theatrical and literary output. In 1973 Fontaine returned to the studio with Areski to record a new album entitled "Je ne connais pas cet homme" and this album was closely followed by another opus, "L'Incendie" (released in 1974). Fontaine would recount this intense period of creation in her book "Chroniques du bonheur", which was published later that same year. In 1975 Fontaine and Areski returned to the studio once more to work on a new album entitled "Le Bonheur" (Happiness - there was certainly no doubt about Brigitte Fontaine's positive state of mind around this period!) The couple also began to travel a great deal in the early 70's and they were surprised to find that while Brigitte Fontaine might have faded into obscurity in France her albums remained extremely popular abroad. (Fontaine had an impressive following of fans in Japan for example).

By 1977 Fontaine and Areski were back in the studio, hard at work on "Vous et nous", a new double album which featured no less than 29 tracks. The following year the couple emerged from exile and returned to the stage in Paris, performing a show at Le Lucernaire, which fused elements of avant-garde theatre with songs from their new album. 1979 saw the release of a new album, "Les Eglantines ne sont peut-être pas formidables", and a second book entitled "Madelon".

Yet while the 70's had been an intensely creative period for Brigitte Fontaine, the 80's proved to be heavy going as far as the singer's music career was concerned. In spite of the fact that Fontaine continued her songwriting and recording work with Areski, her name was no longer a crowd-puller on the French music scene. Faced with the decline of her musical career, Fontaine threw herself into her theatre work, adapting one of her own texts, "L'Inconciliabule", for the stage under the title "Acte 2" in 1980. Fontaine then went on to create a new show with her faithful partner Areski, "Made in France", which premièred at the Théâtre de Paris in 1985. Following the success of this show, the couple were invited to perform at a number of major theatre festivals later that year. The ever-dynamic Fontaine was also busy putting the finishing touches to a new novel "Paso Doble" (which would be published later that same year).

Meanwhile, Fontaine remained in touch with the music scene, working with her old friend Jacques Higelin on a couple of experimental jazz projects. But it proved impossible for Fontaine to get her own singing career back off the ground, in spite of the fact that she had written a huge amount of new material. Fontaine took her new work (an album entitled "French Corazon") to a number of French producers and record company directors in 1985, but no-one wanted anything to do with it. Fontaine was still considered too much of a radical free-wheeler for the musical mainstream and nobody wished to run the risk of releasing an album which might prove to be a commercial flop.

Fontaine Makes A Comeback - At Last!

Three years later, however, Fontaine's career was resurrected thanks to the support of her Japanese fans. In 1988 Reïko Kidachi, a Japanese producer and journalist working at Radio France Internationale, went to interview Brigitte Fontaine in her apartment on the Ile Saint-Louis in Paris. Kidachi had been a passionate Fontaine fan for many years and when she found out that French record companies had rejected the singer's new album she immediately offered to help produce "French Corazon". Kidachi also set about organising an extensive Japanese tour for Fontaine.

The indefatigable Fontaine threw herself into this new venture with enthusiasm and the singer's tour in the Land of the Rising Sun proved to be a huge hit with Japanese music fans. Following the success of the tour, the singer's best-known album "Comme à la radio" went on to enjoy a new lease of life in Japan. But, more importantly, Fontaine's critical acclaim in Japan led to renewed interest in the singer at home - and Fontaine's new album "French Corazon" was finally released on the EMI label! Yet, while Fontaine's faithful fans rushed out to buy the new album, the general public continued to ignore the avant-garde diva.

On October 25th 1988 Brigitte Fontaine gave her first concert in ten years, performing at the Café de la Danse in Paris with her faithful musical partner Areski. Needless to say, the French media were hardly out in force to cover this event (although, rather ironically, Fontaine was to become a media darling just a few years later). Meanwhile Fontaine continued her prodigious literary output, publishing a new novel in 1988 which was, rather appropriately, entitled "Nouvelles de l'exil" (Stories About Exile).

By 1989 it became clear that Fontaine had definitively returned from her years in the wilderness. The singer's new single "Le Nougat" began to do fairly well in the charts, thanks to a brilliant video, and in April 1989 Fontaine was invited to perform at the legendary Printemps de Bourges Festival. Fontaine's career appeared to be taking off again in style, but the following year the Gulf War broke out and brought an abrupt end to things. Fontaine's singles "Le Nougat" and "Leïla", which were directly inspired by Arab melodies and rhythms, were banned from the French airwaves and EMI refused to print any more copies of "French Corazon", claiming that it was impossible to sell the album without airplay.

Fontaine, who was by now more than used to such career setbacks, concentrated her attention on new collective projects. In 1992 the singer was involved in "Opération Blow-Up", a musical/theatrical 'happening' performed by the group Un Drame Musical Instantané.

But the following year Fontaine made another major comeback on the French music scene when she appeared in Paris at Le Bataclan on April 14th 1993. Playing to an enthusiastic young audience, Fontaine brought the house down with a spectacular show, directed by her old friend Jacques Higelin - who would also take to the stage later that evening to perform several joint numbers with Fontaine and Areski. Music fans also got a special treat that night as Fontaine's backing musicians included two very special guest stars on the accordion - French chanson idol Georges Moustaki and the up-and-coming modern star Arthur H. Following the success of her appearance at Le Bataclan, Brigitte Fontaine returned to the live circuit the following year, performing another major concert at the Casino de Paris (on March 5th 1994). The queen of the Paris underground had become so popular by 1994 that in spite of a complete lack of publicity her concert at the Casino de Paris was a sell-out affair!

Daho

While Fontaine's 1988 album "French Corazon" would never have seen the light of day if it had not been for a Japanese fan, the singer's 1995 album "Genre humain" owed its existence to a very special French fan, Etienne Daho. Daho, who had made a name for himself in the 80's as the King of French pop, may have appeared an unlikely bedfellow for an avant-garde non-conformist such as Fontaine but the pair worked well together. Daho co-wrote a couple of tracks with Fontaine - such as the song "Conne" (the other tracks on the new album were co-written by Fontaine and Areski as usual) and also helped produce the album, bringing in his old music friends Les Valentins and Arnold Turboust to help with the musical arrangements. Fonatine's new album "Genre humain", which tapped into modern musical trends such as rai and hip hop, was not only highly acclaimed by French music critics, it also proved a huge hit with the public. The album's title track and Fontaine's new version of "Comme à la radio" both received an extensive amount of airplay on French radio.

Fontaine's long-awaited comeback on the French music scene was accompanied by a radical change of image. The singer shaved her head and began to dress in black, hiding her fun-loving and rather mischievous personality behind this austere new image. But while Fontaine's look might have changed, her influences remained exactly the same. When the singer returned to perform at the Café de la Danse (from January 31st to February 10th 1996), her music was still tinged with colourful Oriental influences and Arab melodies. By the spring of 96 Fontaine had attained new heights of popularity and on May 3rd the singer was even invited to perform at the legendary Olympia, the most prestigious music venue in Paris. From that point on Fontaine became one of the most sought-after guests at that summer's music festivals, and she went on to appear at all the major events including Le Printemps de Bourges and the Francofolies festival in La Rochelle. At the end of the year Brigitte Fontaine received a prestigious award, the Grand Prix National de la Chanson française.

While "Genre humain" had enjoyed an incredible amount of media coverage following its release in 1995, Fontaine's next album "Les Palaces" (released in 1997) was a far quieter affair. This album, which revealed a more tender, serene side to Fontaine, featured a song written by the singer's old friend Jacques Higelin ("La cour") as well as a track by Bashung ("City"), but the majority of the songs on the new album were once again penned by Fontaine and Areski. Following the release of the album, Fontaine embarked upon another major tour, which included a week in Paris in November at the Auditorium des Halles.

In the course of her 30-year career, Fontaine has proved herself to be a multi-talented star, writing novels and staging avant-garde theatre projects as well as continuing to work on her albums. The thread running through all the singer's disparate works is writing - and Fontaine has certainly shown herself to be a brilliant and passionate wordsmith. As for the next few years of her career, who knows? If there's one thing we've learnt from Brigitte Fontaine it's this: always expect the unexpected !

Island Life

In 2004, Brigitte gathered a group of musician friends around her and began work on a new album entitled "Rue Saint Louis en l’Ile." (The title is a reference to her home on the Ile Saint-Louis, the famous island which stands at a fork of the river Seine in central Paris). The list of guest stars on this new album included old musical accomplices such as "-M-" and Areski and new acquaintances such as Mouss and Hakim (from the group Zebda). Meanwhile, electro-Argentinian outfit Gotan Project introduced a catchy tango edge to the title track. The album "Rue Saint Louis en l’Ile", which confirmed Brigitte's status as an eccentric but much-loved diva, was followed by her book of celebrity portraits, "Galerie d’art à Kékéland" (published the same year).

Brigitte hit the road again in 2005, embarking upon an extensive tour of France which included two major Paris appearances at the Opéra Comique and Les Folies Bergères. 2005 also saw the publication of the singer’s novel "La bête curieuse", described as a surrealist love story.

Brigitte was back in the news in the autumn of 2006, publishing an essay entitled "Attends-moi sous l'obélisque" and releasing a new album, provocatively entitled "Libido". The latter, produced as usual in collaboration with her husband, Areski Belkacem, also featured two compositions by Jean-Claude Vannier ("Barbe à papa" and "Mendelssohn"). French star -M- also put in an appearance, recording guitars and composing the music for "Mister Mystère", a song Brigitte had penned especially for him.

In October 2006, Brigitte Fontaine sang her version of Serge Gainsbourg’s "l’Histoire de Melody Nelson" at London’s Barbican Theatre, alongside British singers like Jarvis Cooker and Badly Drawn Boy. In December, she performed at the Trianon Theatre and the Flèche d’Or in Paris.

On 29 March 2007, the vocalist got together with her singer friends (Jacques Higelin, Arthur H, Anaïs, Christophe, etc.) to form the “kékés” (the posers) at Olympia. In April she was at the Printemps de Bourges music festival, and in September she spent a month in a barge under the Pont des Arts in Paris performing a series of highly personal concerts. Her unremitting tour continued, with a studio stopover between concerts to record the new number “Partir ou rester” with Olivia Ruiz. The title was written straight after Nicolas Sarkozy’s election as president and questions the choices of domestic resistance or exile. In February 2008, she published the novel “Travellings” with Flammarion, and then from 13 to 18 May she was at the Jamel Comedy Club, performing in Jamel Debbouze’s show space.

2009: "Prohibition"

In 2009, she wrote seven texts for Matthieu Chédid for his album “Mister Mystère”, including the highly erotic “Tanagra”. In October 2009, she released the album “Prohibition”, produced by the irreplaceable Areski Belkacem and the Welsh producer Ivor Guest. The titles convey her disgust with an over-sterile society, with an accent on guitar work and a raw and distinctly pop composition. Two duets stand out in this exuberant new album: one with Philippe Katerine on a new version of “Partir our ester” and the other with Grace Jones on “Soufi”.

Straight afterwards, Brigitte Fontaine got going on her next tour. On 16 November she was playing at the Palace in Paris.

October 2009

© RFI Musique
Any reproduction of this website - either whole or partial - is strictly prohibited without the agreement of the authors.