From La Compagnie Créole to System of a Down, the youthful tunes of Simone Ringer

As a child, the daughter of Fred Chichin and Catherine Ringer listened to her parents’ records to fall asleep. She looks back on the musical moments that marked her youth, from Rita Mitsouko concerts at La Cigale to the creation of the group Minuit.

OWhere did you grow up and in what environment?
I grew up in the 20th arrondissement of Paris. My parents were the creators of the group Les Rita Mitsouko. I was a wise little girl, a bit mystical, I believed in fairies and witches. I was a good student, quite independent and very sociable. I have a big sister and a little brother, with whom I spent a lot of time creating dance and circus shows and fake television news. In our family of musical artists, performance has always been a very important means of expression. A big comic book collector, I drew a lot. After my baccalaureate, I studied art at the National School of Visual Arts of La Cambre, in Brussels.

Did your parents listen to music?

My parents liked a wide variety of things. It ranged from the Beatles to David Bowie, Dr Dre, Cesária Évora, and quite a bit of blues as far as my father was concerned. With my brother and sister, we loved La Compagnie Créole and Henri Salvador.

As children, our grandmothers took great care of us. With them, I listened to Les Rita Mitsouko a lot. I knew all their records by heart. I put them on to go to sleep at night. I watched the video tape of their clips over and over again. My paternal grandmother loved the Beatles, Barbara. She was always very curious about what was new.

What is your favorite song from your childhood?

When I was 5 or 6 years old, with my sister, we were fans of Starmania. We sang all the songs by heart. She was Cristal and I was Johnny Rockfort. If I had to choose a song, I would say When we have nothing left to lose. At 7 years old, I discovered Mylène Farmer while watching her Bercy concert on VHS in 1996. I loved the whole show, the music and the visuals, it was crazy. As a young teenager, I listened to quite a variety of things: the Beatles, Britney Spears, Destiny’s Child, Robbie Williams, then, in middle school, I discovered the Saïan Supa Crew, I also listened to a lot of soul and had a passion for Supremes.

What was the first concert you attended?

I always went to my parents’ Parisian concerts. Often in residence at La Cigale, I had a different experience every evening. One evening sitting in the room with friends and their parents, another at the edge of the stage in the wings, or even in the pit. I was proud, very happy and very excited. As a teenager, we went to see System of a Down, with my father and my brother. But the concert that really marked me, when I was around fifteen, was that of Arcade Fire at Rock en Seine.

I didn’t know the group. The whole spectacle amazed me. On stage, there was an accordionist, a string orchestra, a sort of symphonic brothel that was both extremely joyful and very melancholic.

Did you learn music as a child?

As a child, my parents suggested that I try several instruments. I played piano, a little drums, bass, but it didn’t really interest me. I preferred to draw. After my art school in Belgium, I set up a graphic design studio with a friend. We created record covers and posters. Even though I wasn’t a musician, I always wanted to work in this field. At 22, I wanted to sing. For Christmas, my mother gave me a master keyboard and I started composing and writing songs on music software for fun. I learned like that. I went on stage for the first time during a karaoke (with a real group) at the Bus Palladium, in Paris. My brother was one of the musicians. I was 21 or 22, and I loved it. A year later, my brother called me to ask me to take a test. He was looking for a singer for the group he wanted to start with Joseph Delmas. The Minuit group was born.

Do you remember the first song you wrote?

Her name was I dance and was about a girl who, in the evening, runs into the boy with whom she has a somewhat vague relationship. She sees him flirting with other girls. To forget, she goes dancing. We played it in concert with Minuit, but we never released it!

The EP Intentional, by Simone Ringer, was released on October 4, 2024. In concert at La Boule noire, in Paris, on November 26, 2024.