Born on March 30: Lene Lovich still has a touch of madness

Born Lili-Marlene Primilovich, the singer came into the world in Detroit, Michigan, before emigrating to England as a teenager.

A distant cousin of the German Nina Hagen (with whom she would worked in 1979), she has always been passionate about music (she even plays the saxophone) and all forms of avant-garde theatrical expression. Alongside her musical excursions with English guitarist Les Chappell and initial concerts with the aptly named The Diversions, she fleetingly tasted success collaborating with Matc Cerrone, the king of French disco, on his worldwide hit "Supernature". Although she's not mentioned in the credits, Lene Lovich did write the lyrics, which are rather simplistic.

At the same time, the London label Stiff Records, already home to Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe, saw her as a new "Lucky Number" to play on the hit parade roulette. A song with this title, punctuated by the startled chirps that became her vocal signature, opens "Stateless", her first memorable album in 1978. At the time, she was seen as the alter ego of Siouxsie. But this first venture would also be her most notable success.

From "Flex" (1979) to "March" (1989) through the interesting "No Man’s Lang" (1982), her later recordings gradually garnered less interest. She then decided to take a fifteen-year break before returning in 2005, liberating herself from all business constraints. She self-produced "Shadows And Dust" in 2005 and managed her career herself, like a slightly eccentric artisan. She took advantage of a compilation such as "Retrospective" (2018) to return to the stage, rummage through her wardrobe of improbable outfits and, as usual, overdue the makeup. One suspects she likes being mistaken for the witch from Snow White!

Like Brigitte Bardot, Lene Lovich has been fighting for animal welfare for decades. With help from Nina Hagen, she recorded the explicit "Don’t Kill The Animals" for an album created by the PETA association in the early 80s, at a time when such a stance provoked more sniggers than enthusiasm...

(MH with Stéphane Soupart - Photo: © Etienne Tordoir)

Photo: Lene Lovich on stage at the W-Festival in Waregem (Belgium) on 17 August 2019