Issue 35: Chéri Chéri
Welcome to The Band Bible! I’m truly glad to have you here. If you’re a new reader, purpose of this newsletter is to address, break down, and shine a light on the business of being in a band. Each issue, we do this by interviewing (and celebrating!) someone who is making waves through their incredible work with or for artists, or is an artist themselves. Learning the business of being in a band is something that is often inaccessible or shrouded in mystery, and it shouldn’t be, so I hope The Band Bible is able to play even a small role in helping to change that.
What you’re about to read is a snapshot of a band on the brink.
It seems as if it was always going to be that way for Chéri Chéri, a Franco-American quintet that taps into the spirit of rock’s golden era while imbuing it with their own verve. After all, you don’t form via a School of Rock inspired “Dewey Finn wants YOU” poster and play your first gig in the thick of Parisian traffic without eventually percolating towards something truly great. It’s too strong of a foundation — and too cool of a foundation — for any other outcome to seem plausible.
Photo by Johann Bertelli
Chéri Chéri have been consistently performing around Paris, but online footage of their live sets have won them fans far outside of France’s borders. The footage, which can be seen on their Instagram, doesn’t just showcase a group of people playing good music and playing it well. It also showcases a group of people who were all clearly meant to be onstage, and meant to be onstage together. The palpable sense of synergy and fun between them makes for a performance that feels organic and joyful — something you often don’t realize the rarity of until you see it. The cocktail of this joy, clear skill, and (as you’ll read more about in a moment) vision is something that will undoubtedly carry them far.
Photo by Adrianna Lankford
In fact, it already carried them to the point where they’re preparing to record their debut EP. The songs people have fallen in love with from their live sets, whether they were lucky enough to hear them in person or through their phones, are finally on their way to being recorded. Chéri Chéri has a GoFundMe page set up to help them cover recording costs, which you can contribute to by clicking here.
Without spoiling the answers you’re about to read, Chéri Chéri is more than just a great band who’s set for great things — they’re proof that it’s possible to carve a path to success by doing things that the industry likes to peddle as “not working” anymore. They’ve built up a robust following through live sets, and these bookings happened before they’ve had a formal release. They’ve relied on community, not a label, for financing. They didn’t start off automatically knowing all the right people, including each other, but they knew how to seek them out. Chéri Chéri is climbing to the top their way, and it’s a combination of this and their clear talent that left no doubt in my mind that they’d make fantastic Band Bible interviewees. And they did.
In the interview you’re about to read, Chéri Chéri talks what it was really like to form via poster, their upcoming EP, their breakthrough into Paris’s live circuit, and more. Enjoy!
Photo by Adrianna Lankford
You came together via poster. What was that experience like, and how did you know when you had the right lineup?
When Celia decided to start a band she was sure about one thing; she wanted to create a family. The most important thing was finding people that were serious & committed to being a part of something bigger than themselves.
“I was extremely self conscious about my own ability to sing or write music,” says Celia. “But I woke up one morning and I said to myself - today I’m going to start a band. If I don’t do it today I’ll never do it. I drew out a poster inspired by School of Rock, taped it on a street pole, and posted the photo on instagram a few hours later… the responses immediately started to pour in.”
Celia and Val had met once two years prior during a lunch break at Studio Bleu where they were both rehearsing with projects that didn’t work out for them. When Val responded to the post Celia she knew immediately it was meant to be. Elise was the only person who responded about the drums so she was in too. We met Thomas a few weeks later at a student jam and he was ready and willing to take over the keys when we needed him to fill in. It wasn’t until Titouan came in on the drums and everyone rotated instruments for what was supposed to be a special guest encore that everything finally clicked. Eventually we made a big decision to keep him in the band permanently.
Celia Marie is American but Val (lead guitar), Elise (bass), Thomas (rhythm guitar), and Titouan (drums) are all French so the band is this perfect combination of English rock energy and authentic lyrics with that je ne sais quoi French touch. We think it’s special!
You recently announced plans to release your debut EP. Is there anything you're able to share about it at this time?
We are scheduled to record our first EP in England with the very talented producer Gordon Raphael. We’ve been working and reworking the songs live over the past year and we’re really excited to be one step closer to sharing them with the world.
Photo by Johann Bertelli
You've achieved something folks sometimes struggle to do, which is book gigs prior to having formal releases out. Do you have any advice for artists who are trying to pitch themselves for live opportunities without being able to rely on an existing catalog?
Rock bands used to play live for years before ever getting the opportunity to record. These days social media makes it feel like you better be a musical genius immediately or you might as well give up. Luckily Celia’s Instagram account was already challenging this phenomenon as she gained a following through her journey to learn the bass guitar.
After a few months of rehearsals Celia asked a friend if we could open for their zero stakes show during Fête de la Musique. We announced the band on the same day as the gig. As soon as we launched the Instagram we had photos from the first performance and people pretty much bought our look as a band. Have a vision and fake it till you make it!
What's one thing you want people to know about Chéri Chéri?
We love each other even more than we love rock ‘n’ roll.
Lastly, which "commandment" would you like to leave behind in The Band Bible?
Don’t be afraid of making a fool of yourself. If you sit around and wait to be perfect it will never happen. Go out there and be bad long enough until all of a sudden you’re good. All musicians are judgmental because all musicians are insecure and it’s easy to tear each other down. Just keep going!
Photos by Johann Bertelli
A big thank you to Chéri Chéri for taking the time to share such thoughtful answers. To keep up with them, click here for their TikTok, here for their Instagram, and here to access their EP GoFundMe.
A note from Chéri Chéri on their fundraiser: “Between the five of us none of us have money (it all goes to rehearsing) and we really want to record our songs. Anything helps so that we can keep the rights to our own songs and hopefully play them live in a city near you soon!”