The French chanteuse Catherine Ringer signalled her robust, no-nonsense Gallic attitude when French president Emmanuel Macron tried unsuccessfully to kiss her on the cheek in 2024 after she had sung La Marseillaise. It was a powerful signal – she had adapted the national anthem’s lyrics to celebrate France having signed into law the constitutional right to abortion.
It was not the first time she had shown her mettle. In a chat show with the provocative singer-songwriter and actor Serge Gainsbourg, she lashed out when he reminded her of her past roles in pornographic films, describing her as an “adult actress”. He accused her of being “nothing but a filthy whore”, which drew the riposte: “Look at you, you’re just a bitter old alcoholic. I used to admire you but these days you’ve become a disgusting old parasite.”
Despite the hostility of her words, Ringer was noted for having addressed Gainsbourg with calm and dignity, and later reiterated her artistic respect for him by choosing to cover his well-known song Je suis venu te dire que je m’en vais in a TV appearance.
Catherine Ringer, who has died aged 68, became a luminary of the French pop scene with her fusion of new wave, chanson, rock and synthpop in the duo Les Rita Mitsouko, which she co-founded with Fred Chichin. She was also noted for working with Sparks and Iggy Pop. Armed with a range of talents, she forged a career as an acclaimed songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, dancer, choreographer and actress.
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