By Cyriaque Griffon
A STUNNING STAGE PRESENCE
The iconic French singer Catherine Ringer has just passed away. Shei s the iconic frontwoman of the 1980s pop-rock duo Les Rita Mitsouko. Her music is a chaotic yet perfectly orchestrated collision of punk aura, synth-pop and traditional French songs that she’s been mastering since the creation of her band Rita Mitsuko that has conveyed an iconic unique style in the music landscape. She treated music as a highly theatrical, visually daring playground. She managed this while mastering the art of singing about deep pain, grief, or societal taboos over danceable, high-energy rhythms. The perfect example is her 1985 magnum opus “Marcia Baila », a track that is wildly celebratory and vibrant and that yet serves as a heartbreaking tribute to her friend who died of cancer. Her music embodies the philosophy of dancing through the tears.
Marcia Baila
Thanks to an astonishing vocal range, she could shift from operatic heights to punk-rock growls in a single breath. She possessed a ferocious stage presence, radiating an untamed, magnetic energy that defied conventional expectations of how a female pop star should behave.
Following the tragic passing of her lifelong partner and musical collaborator Fred Chichin in 2007, she carried their musical legacy forward with fierce resilience, launching an acclaimed solo career.
DANCING IN THE SHOWER
One of the highlight of Catherine Ringer’s career was the collaboration with the American art-pop brothers of the band Sparks. The song Singing in the Shower remains a high-water mark of transnational musical eccentricity and is a brilliant combination of two distinct worlds of quirky, theatrical pop that somehow felt completely soul-bound with a catchy tune.
Singing in the shower
Dodging President Macron’s kiss
Following her death, French President Emmanuel Macron paid a highly publicized tribute to her, which reminded many of a famous viral encounter between the two.
In March 2024, Catherine Ringer was invited to sing the French national anthem, La Marseillaise, during a historic public ceremony celebrating the inscription of abortion rights into the French Constitution.
After her powerful performance, President Macron approached her to congratulate her. He attempted to lean in for a traditional French cheek kiss (la bise) and embrace her. On live television and in front of the political assembly, Ringer visibly pulled back and dodged his embrace, walking away with a smile.
The clip immediately went viral. When asked about it on television days later, Ringer bluntly clarified her boundaries and explained that she didn’t mean it as a hostile political attack, but rather felt the gesture was entirely inappropriate for such a grave moment.