Philippe Katerine, generally known simply as Katerine, is a French alternative singer/songwriter who emerged to underground acclaim in the mid-‘90s and steadily garnered commercial success in subsequent years as his renown grew. Born Philippe Blanchard on 8 December 1968, in Chantonnay, Vendée, he made his full-length commercial recording debut in 1991 with Les Mariages Chinois on the Rosebud label. A home-recorded lo-fi album comprised of one- or two-minute minimalist songs, Les Mariages Chinois proved highly influential and was reissued with bonus material in 1993 as Les Mariages Chinois et la Relecture. Subsequent albums L’Éducation Anglaise (1994), Mes Mauvaises Fréquentations (1996), Les Créatures (1997), and L’Homme à Trois Mains (1999) solidified Katerine’s reputation as a leading light of the French indie pop scene. His reputation was further enhanced by a variety of collaborations; most notably, he wrote an entire album for Anna Karina, Une Histoire d’Amour (2000). By the turn… read more
Philippe Katerine, generally known simply as Katerine, is a French alternative singer/songwriter who emerged to underground acclaim in the mid-‘90s and steadily garnered commercial success in subsequent years as his renown grew. Born Philippe Blanchard on 8 December 1968, in Chantonnay, Vendée, he made his full-length commercial recording debut in 1991 with Les Mariages Chinois on the Rosebud label. A home-recorded lo-fi album comprised of one- or two-minute minimalist songs, Les Mariages Chinois proved highly influential and was reissued with bonus material in 1993 as Les Mariages Chinois et la Relecture. Subsequent albums L’Éducation Anglaise (1994), Mes Mauvaises Fréquentations (1996), Les Créatures (1997), and L’Homme à Trois Mains (1999) solidified Katerine’s reputation as a leading light of the French indie pop scene. His reputation was further enhanced by a variety of collaborations; most notably, he wrote an entire album for Anna Karina, Une Histoire d’Amour (2000). By the turn of the century, Katerine’s fan base had grown to the point where he began hitting the French albums chart with regularity, beginning with 8ème Ciel (2002). Katerine then started work on his own personal film projects, shooting a short film entitled “Un km à pied”, then a full-length feature film, “Peau de cochon” (2004). His mainstream breakthrough came in 2005 with Robots Après Tout, which reached the Top 30 of the French albums chart and spawned the Top 40 hit single “Louxor J’adore.” Thanks to the popularity of “Louxor J’adore” and the follow-up single “100% V.I.P.,” Robots Après Tout spent nearly two years on the French albums chart, logging 97 weeks in total. After five years of artistic agitation, the singer returned to a more minimalist form of expression. The songs on the album that was released in September, called “Philippe Katerine”, are unsettling, yet underline a creativity still highly coloured with derision. Musically speaking, Katerine this time opted for instruments like the guitar, bass and drums. One of the album’s first tracks, “La Banane”, is in praise of idleness. Another track, “J’aime tes fesses” sees him accompanied by his partner Jeanne Balibar, and yet another by his daughter Edie, “A toi – à toi”. The cover of the album is a photo of Katerine posing with his parents.In addition to his musical output, Katerine established himself as a talented actor after the turn of the century, appearing in numerous films: Un homme, un vrai (2003), Peindre ou faire l’amour (2005), Capitaine Achab (2007), Louise-Michel (2008), Le Voyage aux Pyrénées (2008), Les Regrets (2009), Gainsbourg, vie héroïque (2010), Je suis un no man’s land (2011) and others. —Allmusic.com
