I
RoBERT

About:

14 October 1964

RoBERT (real name: Myriam Roulet) is an independent artist, writer and composer from France. Her singing style is somewhere between Jane Birkin and Mylène Farmer, her music is baroque and gothic, often with electronic touches. With lyrics about death and (tragic) love and her excentric outfits she creates a unique fairytale univers.

Trained as a classical dancer, her dreams break as a teenager when a bone calcium loss forced her to abandon her passion. She persued an acting and singing career instead, and she devoted herself to music in 1989. Since then, she worked primarily with her husband Mathieu Saladin, musician and (co-)composer of most of her songs.

Her first single, 'Elle se promène' ('She takes a walk'), was released in 1990. In 1993 her first album was released, 'Sine'. The same year, she sang a duet and backing vocals on Jean-François Coen's new album. On of his promotional video's was directed by Michel Gondry, who also directed RoBERT's clip for 'Les jupes' ('The skirts') a few months earlier.

In 1997, RoBERT released a second album, 'Princesse de rien' ('Princess of nowhere'). The same year, Jean-Remy-Bridet Gaudin, president of Mylène Farmer International Fan Club and distibutor of her albums at the time, introduced her to Belgian writer Amelie Nothomb.She wrote 'L'appel de la succube' ('Call of the succubus'), performed by RoBERT on the second edition of 'Princesse de rien' in 2000. In September 2002, RoBERT confides her third album, 'Celle qui tue' ('The one who kills'). Her friend Amélie Nothomb wrote the lyrics to six of the songs. The album is a bit less extreme than her former records with more pop and dance influences.

In 2004, the compilation 'Unutma' ('Do not forget' in Turkish) was released. It contains not only a few of her best songs, but also many alternative versions and some new songs. On of them is a 'Prince blue' ('The blue prince'), this time in duet with American singer and actress Majandra Delfino (known for her roles in the movie 'Traffic' and the tv-series 'Roswell'). Since RoBERT's clip have become legendary, for this duet, an animated film is directed by Sébastien Rossignol. They receive rthe award for best special effects at the Festival International Video Clip in France. The same year, a remix of the song 'Nickel' is directed by Roman Tranchart (from the duo Modjo, known for the hit song 'Lady' in 2000).

Spring 2005, a recording from her performance at the Cigale concert hall from September 2004 was released first as a limited cd, later also on dvd. It is a visual introduction to RoBERT's unique fairytale univers.

Her fourth album, 'Six pieds sous terre' ('Six feet under the earth'), was released in November 2005. It contained eleven titles written by RoBERT, among others 'Prière pour aller au paradis', a title borrowed from famous Swiss singer Marie Laforêt. French comedian Sacha Bourdo stepped into the world of RoBERT and collaborated on the song 'Histoire de loup'. Gabriel Aghion ('The libertine', 'Belle maman', 'Soft pedal') realises the promotional clip for the first single of the album, 'Personne'. On 5 February 2006, RoBERT performs at the famous Olympia theatre in Paris for the first time.

In November 2006, RoBERT signs with a new distributor, Rue Stendhal. Following the deal, all her albums were re-released in January 2007 and became available after being out of stock for many years. Additionally, a compilation with English versions was released as 'Princess of nowhere'. A dvd of her recital 'Haute couture' at the Pierre Cardin hall was released in October 2007. November 17, 2008 a new was released: 'Sourde et aveugle' ('Deaf and blind'). In 2012 she returns with a much more lighter and playfull album featuring a duet with Anthony Delon (son of Alain).

On the web:

- RoBERT's official website: http://www.robertlesite.net
- In English: http://www.robertlesite.net/english h

If you like this, you probably like... / european counterparts:

Renata Przemyk (Poland)

Josipa Lisac (Croatia)

What do we think:

PR: RoBERT is a unique artist both in France and worldwide, I guess. Her singing is style is somewhat excentric. Either you love it, or you hate it. (In my experience, most people tend to the latter, when first hearing RoBERT's records.) Personally, I love the drama, the electronic experiments and the beautiful songs. She has a developed a style of her own, but still manages to discover different musical directions on every new album. If you are up for something different, let RoBERT take you into her mystic world. Bu beware, listen before buying!

DB: Welcome to the dark mystical world of RoBERT. On first account she sounds like a siren (on helium) in a Lord of the Rings episode. Her high and sometimes unstable singing is an easy target for ridicule. And then the stage act which featured in her last tour a dead tree, a stuffed baby hog and a canopied bed. Why then is this nymph from the underworld so intriguing and annoying at the same time. And why are songs like 'Nickel', 'A la guerre comme a la guerre' and 'Les jupes' so interesting. RoBERT is an enigma and is capable of irritating me and liking her at the same time. If you have a problem with Mylene Farmer, don't even try this.

Albums:

♪♪♪ - Sine - 1993 

♪♪♪ - Princesse de rien - 1997 

♪♪♪ - Celle qui tue - 2002

♪♪♪ - Unutma (compilation) - 2004  

♪♪♪♪ - Six pieds sous terre - 2005

♪♪ - À la Cigale (live) - 2005

♪♪♪ - À la Cigale (live dvd) - 2005

♪♪♪ - Princess of nowhere (in English) - 2007

♪♪♪ - Haute couture (live dvd) - 2007

♪♪♪♪ - Sourde et aveugle - 2008  

♪♪♪♪- Nuit gravement - 2012

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♪♪♪♪♪ = outstanding album, an absolute must-have
♪♪♪♪ = great album, highly recomended
♪♪♪ = nice album
♪♪ = be careful, requires listening before buying
♪ = best to be avoided