Editing Brigitte Fontaine (section)

==Artistic overview==
===1963–1968===
In 1963, she turned to singing and appeared in several Parisian theatres, interpreting her own works. In 1964, she opened for [[Barbara (singer)|Barbara]] and [[George Brassens]]'s show at the [[Bobino]]. Even so, she did not give up theatre. With [[Jacques Higelin]] and actor [[Rufus (actor)|Rufus]], she created the play ''Maman j'ai peur'' ("Mom I am afraid"), which played first at the Vieille-Grille theatre, and then at the [[Théâtre des Champs-Élysées]]. It met with such a critical and popular success that it stayed in Paris for more than two seasons and toured throughout Europe.

In 1965 and then in 1968, she made two albums, one jazz and one avant-pop, as well as two 45s with Jacques Higelin. In 1969, she began what would be a long collaboration with [[Kabyle people|Kabyle]] musician [[Areski Belkacem]]. With Belkacem and in the company of Higelin, she conceived ''Niok'',<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|language=French|first1=Lionel|last1=Decottignies|title=Brigitte fontaine, le tout pour le tout|periodical=L'Humanité|date=2020-03-17|url=https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q106159355|access-date=2021-03-24}}</ref> an innovative spectacle of theatre and song, for the Lucernaire theatre. Soon after, Fontaine wrote a series of works in free verse and prose which comprised the show ''Comme à la radio'' at the [[Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier]] before being turned into an [[Comme à la radio|album of the same name]]. Recorded with the [[Art Ensemble of Chicago]], this album marks a clean break with traditional French songs, building the first bridges to [[world music]].

===1969–1979===
[[File:Areski et Brigitte Fontaine 1974 (5702230463).jpg|thumb|right|200px|Brigitte Fontaine and Areski Belkacem perform together in 1974]] 
Brigitte Fontaine became a major figure in the French underground. In a half-dozen albums,<ref>Yann Plougastel, ''La Chanson mondiale depuis 1945'', Bordas.</ref> the majority of which were released through the independent label Saravah, Fontaine explored different poetic worlds. She renounced the use of rhyme, and using talk-over sometimes, she recorded, with very little means and often on two tracks, songs which addressed topics with humour or gravity, according to the mood, as various as death ("Dommage que tu sois mort"), life ("L’été, l’été"), alienation ("Comme à la radio"), madness ("Ragilia"), love ("Je t’aimerai"), social injustice ("C’est normal"), the inequality of the sexes ("Patriarcat") and racism ("Y' a du lard"). However, she also knew how to make light of herself ("L'Auberge (Révolution)").

Because they sail among pop, folk, electro and world music, the albums ''[[L'Incendie]]'' and ''[[Vous et Nous]]'' by the Areski-Fontaine duo figure among the most unclassifiable records of the French scene. Almost thirty years later, the international audience of these LPs (since re-edited for CD) is comparable to that of the cult record ''[[Histoire de Melody Nelson]]'' by [[Serge Gainsbourg]] and [[Jean-Claude Vannier]], notably due to the enthusiastic remarks made by members of the band [[Sonic Youth]] in the English-speaking press.

===1980–1990===
The 1980s were a period of silence, musically speaking, for Brigitte Fontaine and her partner [[Areski Belkacem]]. Far from the recording studio, she devoted herself to writing and the theatre. Always active, she appeared onstage in Quebec, she performed her play ''Acte 2'' in a grand tour of the French-speaking world, interpreted ''Les Bonnes'' by [[Jean Genet]] in Paris, and published a novel (''Paso doble'') as well as a collection of short stories (''Nouvelles de l’exil''). In 1984, she recorded a single ("Les Filles d’aujourd’hui").

After having given a series of concerts in Tokyo and other large Japanese cities, she had to wait about five years for a French company to distribute her new album ''[[French corazon]]'' (written and composed in 1984 but released in 1988 in Japan). Having been broadcast notably on French television, the video for the single "Le Nougat", directed by comics artist Olivia Tele Clavel, prepared the public for the big return of the singer to the French stage which commenced with a concert in 1993 at the [[Bataclan (theatre)|Bataclan]].

===1990–2001===
In the 1990s, Brigitte Fontaine moved closer to the musical worlds of [[Björk]] and [[Massive Attack]] by testing new, more electric musical forms and, especially, more electronic forms than before. Her lyrics mark a return to a more classical, versified form. The release of her album ''[[Genre humain]]'', in 1995, met with great success (more so on the part of the critics than the general public) with surprising titles like "Conne" (produced by [[Étienne Daho]]), lyric titles like "[[La Femme à barbe]]" (produced by Les Valentins), and poetic ones like "Il se mêle à tout ça" (produced by Yann Cortella and Areski Belkacem).

In 1997, while she published a new novel (''La Limonade bleue''), she recorded ''[[Les Palaces]]'' and its landmark track "Ah que la vie est belle!". The album, very well received by the press, is enriched by the collaboration of [[Areski Belkacem]], [[Jacques Higelin]] and [[Alain Bashung]].

===2001–present===
Her albums ''[[Kékéland]]'' (2001) and ''[[Rue Saint Louis en l'Île]]'' (2004) benefited from prestigious collaborations with artists such as [[Noir désir]] (with whom she also co-wrote and recorded the 23-minute track ''L'Europe'' on [[des Visages des Figures]]<ref>[http://www.noirdez.com/paroles/leurope.htm L'Europe lyrics, Noir Desir & Brigitte Fontaine]</ref>), [[Sonic Youth]], [[Archie Shepp]], [[Matthieu Chedid|- M-]], [[Gotan Project]], [[Zebda]], etc. In 2005, after having given a series of concerts with her usual band (but also with La Compagnie des musiques à ouïr), she published a new novel, ''La Bête curieuse'', whose erotic ambiance somewhat foretold the tonality of her sixteenth album, ''[[Libido (Brigitte Fontaine album)|Libido]]'' (2006). This new album renewed her concerts with a lively energy and gave them a very "baroque 'n' roll" ambiance, in which [[Teresa of Avila]], [[Sufism|Sufis]], Hollywood films, and [[Melody Nelson]] are invoked.

In October 2006, Fontaine appeared at the [[Barbican Centre]] in London along with [[Jarvis Cocker]], [[Badly Drawn Boy]] and other English artists, for the first public interpretation of the mythic "Histoire de Melody Nelson". In January 2007, she appeared onstage with graphic novelist [[Blutch]] at the [[Angoulême International Comics Festival]]. On 29 March 2007, she invested in the [[Paris Olympia|Olympia]] music hall, supported by her friends [[Jacno]], [[Arthur H]], [[Christophe (singer)|Christophe]], [[Anaïs (singer)|Anaïs]], [[Jacques Higelin]], [[Maya Barsony]] and [[Jean-Claude Vannier]]. In April, she played at the [[Printemps de Bourges]] music festival and participated in her [[French-speaking Quebecer|Québécois]] admirer [[Pierre Lapointe]]'s concert for a duo of "La Symphonie pastorale". After having given a series of intimate concerts all through September on a barge anchored under the [[Pont des Arts]] on the [[Seine]] river in Paris, Fontaine toured throughout France. Between two concerts, she went into the studio with [[Olivia Ruiz]] to record a new single, "Partir ou rester", for which she wrote the lyrics.

In February 2008, she published a new novel, ''Travellings'' by [[Groupe Flammarion|Flammarion]], while [[Benoît Mouchart]] wrote a monograph on her life and work("Brigitte Fontaine, intérieur/extérieur"), published by Panama. A new album titled ''[[Prohibition (album)|Prohibition]]'' and produced by [[Ivor Guest, 4th Viscount Wimborne|Ivor Guest]] including collaborations with [[Grace Jones]] and [[Philippe Katerine]] was subsequently released in the fall of 2009. The lyrics of this new work mark the return of Brigitte Fontaine to an anti-authority political position.

In March 2011 she released a new album, also produced by Ivor Guest. It is called ''[[L'un n'empêche pas l'autre]]'', and consists primarily of duets, among others the dance track 'Dancefloor' with [[Grace Jones]], which Polydor uploaded on their official site.<ref>« Je n'avais pas apprécié quand il est venu jouer avec moi au Trianon deux chansons et que la chronique du spectacle dans le ''Parisien'' n'a parlé que de ça. », ''Brain Magazine'', 26 novembre 2013.</ref> In 2013, she released her latest album, named ''[[J'ai l'honneur d'être]]''. The video for the first single "Crazy Horse" has been directed by [[Enki Bilal]].