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Posted by: مدهش* 31st January 2015, 01:30 PM

So I think this is the best album released last year to never get a mention on here. I've been obsessing over this for the past two months and am just never getting tired of it, it's just so infectious and full of beauty, not least because half of it is in French. It's one of those albums that just grows stronger with each listen so keep with it if it doesn't quite click first listen. There have been two singles released so far, Saint Claude and Christine, both have particularly striking videos along the same theme... something I'm hoping she keeps running with as it's just so quirky and addictive - it's been ages since I've watched a youtube clip as often as I have for Christine, it reminds me of something Feist would do and that's clearly no bad thing at all... If you like these then I'd really recommend the album, personal faves are Science Fiction, Paradis Perdus, Ugly-Pretty, Chaleur Humaine and Narcissus Is Back.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9XeN3MSbyk&list=PLKlqvIx4BMVKAtkLsmOnOfD46dxgpxG7z

Saint Claude


Christine






An interview lifted from the Guardian about how she found her style and voice...

A young female singer who found inspiration in the performances of London's drag artists has become the summer sensation of the French music scene.

This weekend sees the debut LP from Héloïse Letissier, the performer also known as Christine and the Queens, who is already behind a series of critically acclaimed hits, accompanied by some startling videos. Her rapid ascent to national prominence led to admiring profiles in French newspapers Le Monde and Libération last week but although her reflective songs and audacious creative philosophy sound about as French as it is possible to imagine, the original inspiration for Letissier's act came from England. Her English stage name and subversive attitude to the sexual conventions of the music industry bear testament to her love of British counter-culture.

After an unproductive period at drama school, Letissier came to London "in exile" in 2010 and befriended a trio of transgender "singing drag queens" in a London club. "They convinced me to attempt singing. They were my Queens," she has said, adding in an interview on Friday, "they had an incredible freedom and they showed me there is no need to check yourself because of other people."

Two years ago, her efforts were rewarded in France with the prestigious Découvertes du Printemps de Bourges award for the best new act, among other prizes.

Although she performs alone, as her alter ego of Christine, she sees herself as representing a force ranged against the cliche of the pretty pop stars. Letissier's creative holy grail, she told Libération last week, would be to be perceived by the public as "a silhouette, a presence", more than a singer.

Her act, as seen in her video for the song Saint Claude, is polished and restrained – and determinedly asexual. She wears a trouser suit and expresses herself, like Michael Jackson (one of her artistic heroes), through the precise movements of her hands and feet.

"Usually, I speak with my hands," she told French media last week. Those hands bear unnerving tattoos taken from Tod Browning's cult 1932 film, Freaks, set in a sideshow: "One of Us", one hand reads, and the other, "We accept you".

Letissier says she is full of mutable identities and the suits she wears are designed to help her neutralise any sexuality that might be projected on to her. Her sense of her own gender, she has explained, fluctuates. "I feel like a man in the morning but a girl in the evening. When I fall in love it is with a personality, not a gender," she said.

Born near Nantes in 1988, Letissier's father was a professor of English literature and her mother taught French and Latin. She played the piano from an early age and remembers an obsession with performance. Classical dance training that began when she was five ended early with a painful foot injury and modern jazz took over for a while.

"As a young woman I wanted to create a character who was outside the classic codes of seduction because I did not feel at ease with them," she has said. After studying drama at Lyon, she found she was not "comfortable" with the limitations of acting. "I did not like submitting to the artistic vision of others," she said.

Her stage persona is in the playful tradition of English singer Jane Birkin during her period singing Serge Gainsbourg hits in the 1960s, but her style is more confrontational and less naive.

When an interviewer from Le Monde recently compared her to Canadian-born French star Mylène Farmer, Letissier was not impressed either. "No, she is sex. Me, I'm not very sexualised." She has, all the same, inherited strong influences from the unorthodox history of the European cabaret and chanteuse scene, most obviously from the stage persona of the androgynous Marlene Dietrich.

And, although Letissier claims to admire modern mainstream stars, such as Kanye West and Beyoncé, she does admit that Ziggy Stardust, the non-specifically gendered 1972 incarnation of David Bowie, also fascinates her. Letissier is following a long line of celebrated male impersonators, including Vesta Tilley and the American Ella Shields, who found fame in the West End in the early 1900s.

The French singer, dancer, performance artist and composer, who is 26 this year, lives alone in the brash 19th arrondisement of Paris, near Pigalle, with her two cats and finds it hard to keep friends. She is often melancholy and says she is obsessed with death: "I've already thought about it. I have even tried it, but it didn't work," she told Libération.

"For me, real life is art on the stage; I want to disappear into it. I don't like me, but I like what I become when I make something."


Should you have made it this far and still approve and want to explore further, she also had a previous EP entitled Nuit 17 À 52 of which The Loving Cup was the lead track and highlight:

Posted by: 152chris 31st May 2015, 12:44 AM

caught her live tonight and I've honestly never seen anyone so worth the hype. perfect in every way.

Posted by: RabbitFurCoat 1st December 2015, 11:07 PM

Can't say anything has really impressed me before but Jonathan with Perfume Genius is perfection

Posted by: dandy* 3rd December 2015, 09:58 PM

I love that too, much like the rest of her album it just grows and grows with each listen.

Posted by: 152chris 4th December 2015, 10:41 AM

french chaleur humaine has been taken off streaming and replaced by what looks like an english re release (mash up of new songs and old translated ones) not available until APRIL

BOO IN ALL DIRECTIONS

Posted by: dandy* 4th December 2015, 11:08 AM

Boo indeed. 'Christine' has been replaced by 'Tilted' which is the English version. i.e. NOT AS GOOD.

Posted by: dandy* 5th December 2015, 02:01 PM

I had no idea this cover existed until just now...



My favourite MJ song

Posted by: Hayzayy 20th June 2016, 07:04 PM

I'm surprised none bumped this thread after her performance on Graham Norton !



Flawless

The album has climbed into the top10

Posted by: Jade 20th June 2016, 07:24 PM

Crazy to see her doing so well on UK iTunes That performance was amazing exposure!

Mainly know her through 'Saint Claude' from BJSC, which is an absolute beaut

Posted by: gooddelta 20th June 2016, 07:39 PM

That was a fantastic performance actually...persuaded me to download the album, it's only £4.99 on Google Play right now.

Tilted is an excellent song.

Posted by: 152chris 20th June 2016, 08:21 PM

she is incredible. the choreography every TIME

Posted by: Cameron 20th June 2016, 11:06 PM

So Good

Posted by: Joe. 21st June 2016, 11:04 AM

iT is by FAR her best song for me. But I love Tilted (easy second best), so I'm soooo pleased at how this performance has helped her.

Posted by: Mart!n 21st June 2016, 11:28 AM

Not even a bad track on the album, been playing it all week, I love Saint Claude and Tilted is another great track and Jonathan (with Perfume Genius), been aware of her for some quite time. The album is really worth buying/ downloading especially for £4.99, you definitely won't be disappointed.

Posted by: dandy* 21st June 2016, 09:31 PM

Loving the appreciation in this thread - been listening to the album on holiday and it is still as great as it was

Posted by: Cameron 21st June 2016, 09:33 PM

I bought the last physical copy today in HMV after listening on Spotify Yesterday! What a stellar album

Posted by: Math ☂ 21st June 2016, 09:34 PM

Saw her open for Marina a few months back ~ WHAT a talent. So excited for their next album as I love this one!

Posted by: dandy* 21st June 2016, 10:01 PM

Marina & Christine at the same gig? Perfection right there.

Posted by: lewistgreen 27th July 2016, 08:43 AM

Thoroughly in love with this album now. It takes a while for an artist to click with me properly and that has definitely happened here.

Posted by: dandy* 27th July 2016, 07:12 PM

To think this looks like being a top 2 album in the UK, I would never have believed you if you'd have told me that last year. So unbelievably pleased for her (and us!) though.

Posted by: dhwe 27th July 2016, 11:42 PM

when she started singing the chorus to "heartless" in "paradis perdus"



also where do i apply to be one of her dancers

Posted by: Devan 27th July 2016, 11:49 PM

she already has the number one album here*.*

Posted by: Froot. 23rd August 2016, 06:33 PM

I've been OBSESSED with this ever since her Graham Norton performance because I'm such a mainstream hoe. I pointed both 'Saint Claude' and 'Christine' when they were entered into BJSC but the absolute perfection of 'Tilted' only hit me when I saw her performance, and even her lovely interview afterwards made me more interested in her as she came across brilliantly! 'Tilted' has certainly become one of my favourites of the year, I can't stop playing it and I think that it helps settle the foreign language debate for me because I think understanding the lyrics was the factor that drew me in properly. I've just listened back to the 'Christine' version then and I'm not enjoying it as much as I do with 'Tilted', not least because the 'I match them with my euphoria' is such a big moment for me. That being said though, I do love the little French excerpts throughout and they are partially what helps make the album so special.

My other favourites are 'Science Fiction', 'Night 52' and 'Narcissus Is Back'. There's not a bad track on the whole album though, the only track I'm maybe not drawn to is 'No Harm Is Done' but that might possibly be because it's sandwiched between my two favourites! It's just a really interesting album for me, I love the arrangements and compositions with the different layers in every song.

Posted by: Joe. 23rd August 2016, 06:36 PM

It's crazy that one Graham Norton performance lead to this chart run...

8-6-7-8-3-2-3-6-4

Posted by: dandy* 23rd August 2016, 06:37 PM

YAY FROOT! After the best part of 2 years, I remain completely obsessed, the album just never tires for me.

Have you got the English version of the album? If so, make sure you listen to the following to complete your experience:

Ugly-Pretty - I seriously can't understand why this was dropped from the UK release?!!!
The Loving Cup
Who Is It
Starshipper



Also... https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chaleur-Humaine-DVD-Christine-Queens/dp/B014G6AO04/ref=sr_1_5?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1471977583&sr=1-5&keywords=christine+and+the+queens edition of the album is well worth buying if anyone wants the physical edition. The DVD is an excellent gig.

[/obsessed]

Posted by: Froot. 23rd August 2016, 06:45 PM

Yeh, I have the English version! I'll definitely be checking out those extra tracks although I think I've heard 'Who Is It' if that's the MJ cover?

Posted by: dandy* 23rd August 2016, 06:51 PM

Yes it is... forgot I posted it earlier in the thread!

Posted by: 🍑💦🍌 23rd August 2016, 07:03 PM

I actually became obsessed with the song through a different French performance of Christine. So flawless. That choreography, the production, the vocals. Amazing.

Posted by: blacksquare 23rd August 2016, 08:57 PM

QUOTE(dandy* @ Aug 23 2016, 07:37 PM)

Posted by: jakewild 25th August 2016, 12:06 PM

still not over the glasto set + choreography. this album is perfffff. i just wish the French version was available in itunes, had to settle for eng

Posted by: dandy* 26th August 2016, 06:51 PM

The French version used to be available, it just got deleted after the english version came out.

Posted by: Noahspike 27th August 2016, 07:46 PM

Only just listened to the album so another Graham Norton performance-fuelled mainstream hoe here , though one who will always hold the original French masterpiece above 'Tilted' by a country mile. Can't think of many better middle-8s than the whispered one in 'Christine', so I'm very glad sense prevailed and that was left untouched. So overall I'm a bit of a mainstream hoe/indie snob hybrid really.

Completely agree that she, her captivating choreography and UK success are among the best things about the music scene this year. Finally checked out (the English) 'Chaleur Humaine' last week while on holiday and wasn't disappointed (though maybe not AS impressed as I thought I'd be, but I'd really built my expectations)! Thoroughly beautiful album that I'll definitely revisit. Would say 'iT', 'Science Fiction', 'Jonathan' and of course 'Saint Claude' are the standouts on first run-through. Need to get on her other stuff so the tips are welcome, Dandy!

Posted by: jakewild 13th September 2016, 10:40 AM

in the live lounge in 20 y'all

Posted by: jakewild 13th September 2016, 11:18 AM

just covered beys sorry... ohmygod

Posted by: jakewild 14th September 2016, 01:49 AM

Posted by: HarryEzra 14th September 2016, 02:31 AM

Just heard this and its a pretty great Cover

Posted by: liamk97 18th September 2016, 10:54 AM

ADORE that cover! I can't stop listening to it. Single release please!

Posted by: jakewild 18th September 2016, 11:00 AM

sameee i need a studio version of this

Posted by: liamk97 19th September 2016, 06:35 PM

Tbh I'm cool with just the live version, but if a studio version enhances what's already there, then I'm all for it!

It looks possible that 'Saint Claude' could be getting a re-release to be the second international single (merely judged on the fact she's performed it on a UK show a couple of days ago) and I'm ecstatic! She just needs to follow that with 'Night 52' and that's my holy trinity from the album released.

Posted by: Mart!n 19th September 2016, 06:57 PM

Loving the cover of Sorry

I'm wondering if she could win a Brit Award for the Best International Band in the new year.

Posted by: liamk97 19th September 2016, 07:09 PM

Oh I do hope so! Not many previously unknown acts can gain such a roaring interest in them after just one performance and that's just testimony to how talented she is!

I'm guessing she'll be assigned to Best International Female though, as 'the queens' are her dancers rather than other singers or musicians.

Posted by: Jonjo 19th September 2016, 07:11 PM

Surely there's a performance slot for them? That would REALLY do wonders for them.

Posted by: jakewild 20th September 2016, 10:28 AM

a brits performance would be MAGIC

Posted by: lewistgreen 27th September 2016, 09:07 PM

Original video has been edited with the new version of the song over the top.

Posted by: Steve201 27th September 2016, 09:58 PM

Is this the next single?

Posted by: Doctor Blind 27th September 2016, 10:00 PM

FINALLY a new single, “Tilted” was a hit on my personal chart in February and since then I've been waiting for them to push ANYTHING else!

Posted by: Steve201 27th September 2016, 10:11 PM

iT was a no1 on mine when radio 1 playlisted it briefly before Tilted was performed - then Tilted was no1 last month as it was a slow burner for me.

If she performed on XF or something this Christmas she would explode properly!!

Posted by: Chez Wombat 27th September 2016, 10:43 PM

I LOVED the original Saint Claude much more so than I did the original version of Tilted (Christine), so I perhaps can't connect with this new version as easily (not that I didn't like Christine, but hearing it again in english language actually made me feel the might of the lyrics a bit more), but it still sounds really fab, such a gorgeous, heart rendering song and real highlight from the album

Posted by: Jade 27th September 2016, 11:43 PM

OMG 'Saint Claude' is my favourite song of the album so I am SO here for that being the next single

Also +1 for a Brits nod/performance! Her blowing up was one of the most exciting things to happen in music this year.

Posted by: Doctor Blind 27th September 2016, 11:52 PM

The crowd at Latitude was massive, literally could not get in the 6Music tent and she seemed to be overwhelmed and taken by surprise by all the support - it was actually very heartening to see. Great performance too!

Posted by: Cucumberella 28th September 2016, 12:47 AM

i wish it was the french version of this being pushed as it is SUCH a beautiful song! she must be a shoe-in for best female at the BRITS surely.

Posted by: lewistgreen 19th October 2016, 01:36 PM

Given the Track of the Day treatment by Radio 1 so looks dead certain to be the next international single

Posted by: lewistgreen 1st November 2016, 05:51 AM

Deluxe Edition of the album was released on Friday and includes:

Saint Claude (French version)
Christine
Chaleur Humaine
Ugly-Pretty
Intranquallite
Amazoniaque

Posted by: lewistgreen 17th November 2016, 06:52 PM

One of the first proper remixes for Christine to surface (the Remix EP for Tilted appears to be international only). Tourist has turned Saint Claude into a chilled dancefloor stunner.

Posted by: lewistgreen 8th December 2016, 10:57 PM

Interview with Héloïse http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04kkhd3 for Radio 1 as Annie Mac has made the album one of her best albums of the year.

Posted by: 🏆award🏆inary 8th December 2016, 11:53 PM

QUOTE(jakewild @ Sep 20 2016, 10:28 AM)

Posted by: lewistgreen 28th December 2016, 10:15 AM

Another stunning performance.

Posted by: lewistgreen 11th January 2017, 09:06 AM

Fantastic news!

Posted by: Hayzayy 16th January 2017, 07:25 PM

So YAY for the Brits nomination ! Up against Sia, Beyoncé, Rihanna and Solange

Oh and... THIS


I'm in love with her dancers

Posted by: Steve201 16th January 2017, 09:52 PM

I like her dance routines lol - I assume a new single will get AirPlay for the Brits?

Posted by: lewistgreen 19th January 2017, 08:58 PM

Mistajam confirmed last night on his radio show that 'iT' is the next single

Posted by: liamk97 19th January 2017, 09:37 PM

Oh. I mean, it is definitely a standout from the album but I'm pretty sure this already had a UK push. It was before 'Tilted' and I know re-releases aren't uncommon after an artist reaches a breakthrough during an album's campaign, but it was already played so much on Radio 1 that it just feels like it's been and gone and I'm ready for something else on the album to get a push.

Ah well, I'm certainly not going to hold anything against the song itself because, like I say, it is one of the album's finest and is very radio friendly.

Posted by: Steve201 19th January 2017, 11:36 PM

I pushed it myself and it was a no1 on my personal chart but iT only made the upfront list on radio1!

Posted by: liamk97 20th January 2017, 12:35 AM

I remember it didn't make the A, B or C list but I think it could have been on the INMWT list (which can sometimes get as many plays as the C-list) and must have been played even after being removed, because I remember hearing it a lot and thinking I must remember to take note of who it was by and listen to the song through choice.

Posted by: Steve201 20th January 2017, 12:40 AM

It's the best song on the album but I will have to listen t something else if this gets pushed again!

Posted by: Tinasha 23rd January 2017, 10:39 AM

I'm so so glad this is a single. It was briefly on the In New Music We Trust list on R1, but I wouldn't call it a proper push. To me this sounds like even more of an accessible hit than Tilted - easily my favourite on the album.

Posted by: Steve201 23rd January 2017, 10:21 PM

Yeh it is THE defining single on the album for me!

Posted by: jakewild 6th December 2017, 12:55 PM

want more music nowwww