Desireless French Singer Born 1952 in Paris

Early life

Desireless was born Claudie Fritsch-Mentrop on 25 December 1952 in Paris. She is a French singer who performs under a stage name, and she has one child. Her recordings fall within pop music and synth-pop, and her releases from the 1980s appeared on the label CBS Disques.

Career

Desireless became internationally known between 1986 and 1988 through the single "Voyage, voyage". In France it peaked at number two, and in a long list of countries it reached the top of the chart, among them Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Greece, Israel, Lebanon, Norway, Thailand and Yugoslavia. It also charted at number three in Canada, number four in Switzerland, number eleven in the Netherlands and Sweden, and number 26 in Italy. In Britain the song reached number 53 on its first release in 1987, and number five when a remix came out in 1988. Bettina Rheims directed the music video, which presents the singer in a cold, androgynous style comparable to that of other female performers of the period, such as Annie Lennox and Grace Jones.

Her next single, "John", appeared in 1988 and reached number five in France. It also entered the charts in Germany and the United Kingdom. Both songs were taken from her first album, François, released in 1989. A further single from that record, "Qui sommes-nous?", charted in Canada and Germany, and "Elle est comme les étoiles" followed in 1990.

The album I Love You came out in 1994, with "Il dort" and the title track as singles. In 2003 a compilation titled Ses plus grands succès was released, and it was issued in Russia the following year. The album Un brin de paille followed in 2004, and More Love and Good Vibrations arrived in 2007, with an edition released in Russia in 2008. In 2010 a club remix of "Voyage, voyage" by the DJ Esteban reached number 81 on the French club chart.

From the early 2010s she collaborated with the musician Antoine Aureche, who records as Operation of the Sun. Her 2011 release L'Expérience humaine was followed by further material with him, and a worldwide tour accompanied the new music from 2012. Her later work with Aureche includes the album Noun in 2014 and a collection of settings of texts by Apollinaire in 2017. According to her official website, she continues to release albums and perform live.

In 2012 she appeared in the film Stars 80, which is her only screen credit on record.

Recognition

The work most closely associated with Desireless is "Voyage, voyage", which is the single listed as her notable work. Its chart record, which includes first place in more than a dozen countries, forms the core of her documented success. Her records have been released in France and in Russia, and her discography on record counts several albums and a handful of singles over a career that runs from 1986 into the 2010s.