Tristesse Contemporaine

“Tristesse Contemporaine is a Parisian trio:

-       Narumi was born in Tokyo, she began playing the piano at the age of 3 before entering the academy at 17. She started an all girl punk band at high school and covered songs by Staline (a famous Japanese band) and The Cure. As a fan of Godard and La Nouvelle Vague, Narumi came to Paris in 1994 to learn the French language and study fashion. She has worked for the music orientated media and for the Japanese gallery Poetry of Sex, as well as taking part in bands Suburbia (with Marc Collin), aswefall (with Léo Hellden) and Telepopmusik. It was on tour with the latter that she met Maik the singer. Screamadelica by Primal Scream is her favourite album.

-       Léo Hellden grew up in the suburbs of Stockholm and was focused on a career as a hockey player before he started playing guitar at the age of 18. Three years later he became the guitarist of Jay Jay Johanson and recorded three albums (Tatoo, Poison, Antenna). On his way to London, he met a French woman and moved to Paris where he started aswefall with Clément, as well as studying economics. Léo often quotes Robin Guthrie from the Cocteau Twins as a decisive influence.

-       Maik is from East London where his Jamaican family still live today. He is a fan of hip hop and started writing words after discovering Leonard Cohen (Maik hopes to equal him before he is 70). In the mid 90’s, he became the singer of Earthling after answering an advertisement in The NME. He recorded three albums including the cult trip hop album Radar. He took part in a project called Cuba, a group signed to 4AD, but the apocalyptic touring got the better of him. A French woman saved him and he followed her to Paris where he said : “If I had stayed in England, I would have died.”