Desireless

The pop singer known as Desireless was born Claudie Fritsch-Mentrop on December 25, 1952 in Paris. She grew up in Tréport and, in the early '70s, became a fashion designer. Drawn into the musical orbit by her friends, she began singing with various jazz, new wave, and R&B bands in the early '80s. In 1983 she met Jean Michel Rivat, a composer and producer who had already made his name working with Joe Dassin, Michel Delpech, France Gall, and Patrick Juvet, among many others. In 1986, Rivat and Dominique Dubois penned for her "Voyage Voyage," an extremely catchy synth-pop number that topped the charts in many European countries and even hit number five in Britain. The song became a beloved era classic, covered by the likes of Japan's Wink, Belgian singer Kate Ryan, Mexican outfit Magneto, and metal band Sirenia. The singer's deliberately androgynous look -- complete with a porcupine-style hairdo -- made her one of the most colorful personalities to grace the European pop scene, while her moniker, Desireless, was reportedly inspired by her voyage to India and her subsequent interest in its philosophy of acceptance and inner serenity. She released her first album, François in 1990, with the opening track "Qui Sommes Nous" becoming her third and last hit (the second one was "John" in 1987). Then she decided to take a break and gave birth to a daughter, Lili. Desireless' second album, I Love You, came out in 1994. This time she co-wrote all the compositions, which rendered the album more quiet and personal. Though that release was generally well-received, the lack of promotion made it short-lived. In 1995, the artist decided to abandon city life and move to a picturesque rural area with her family. Both of her albums were reissued on CD in the late '90s with bonus tracks added. Desireless started the new millennium with a series of acoustic concerts across France and began work on a third album, which included songs from that tour. A number of compilations carried her into the 2010s, when she began collaborating with Antoine Aureche (Operation of the Sun, Valfeu). Together they released 2013's L'Oeuf Du Dragon, 2014's Noun, and 2017's Desireless chante Apollinaire. ~ Yuri German