Biography
April March, born Elinor Lanman Blake on April 20, 1965, in New York City, is an American singer-songwriter and multi-talented artist who has built a distinctive career spanning music, animation, and visual arts. Raised on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and later in Brooklyn, she developed an early fascination with French culture through a junior high exchange program, which would profoundly shape her artistic identity. She graduated from Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts in 1983, and subsequently studied at Parsons School of Design and the Disney-founded Character Animation Program at California Institute of the Arts, establishing herself as a skilled animator before fully committing to music.
March's musical career began in the late 1980s under her birth name, Elinor Blake, when she founded her first band, The Pussywillows, in 1987. The "April March" persona emerged in the early 1990s through a collaboration with colleagues from her animation work on Ren & Stimpy. Her artistic vision centers on a sophisticated blend of French 1960s yé-yé pop music, baroque pop, and girl-group rock and roll, performed in both English and French. She gained international recognition for her cover of Serge Gainsbourg's "Laisse tomber les filles," released as "Chick Habit" in 1995, which achieved widespread visibility through its placement in Jamie Babbit's 1999 film "But I'm a Cheerleader" and Quentin Tarantino's 2007 "Death Proof." Her discography spans from the mid-1990s to the present, including albums such as "Gainsbourgsion!" (1995), "Paris in April" (1996), and "In Cinerama" (2022), which has been recognized by some reviewers as her finest work.
Beyond music, March has maintained a parallel career as an animator and visual artist, contributing to iconic projects including Pee-wee's Playhouse, the Ren & Stimpy animated series, and Madonna's "Who's That Girl" music video and film. She has also created children's book illustrations, including work on Jack White's "We're Going to Be Friends," and performed theme songs for television series such as Cartoon Network's "I Am Weasel." Though more celebrated in France than in the United States, her work has influenced a generation of artists interested in reviving and recontextualizing French pop music within contemporary indie and alternative music scenes.
Fun Facts
- April March's stage name was created by a collaborator from her Ren & Stimpy animation work in the early 1990s, marking a deliberate separation between her animation career (credited as Elinor Blake) and her music career.
- She worked as a principal animator on the cult classic animated series Ren & Stimpy while simultaneously developing her music career, representing a rare dual mastery of animation and music production.
- When she met Serge Gainsbourg in the early 1990s to discuss her cover of "Laisse tomber les filles," even French people were largely unfamiliar with his work, and Gainsbourg himself was reportedly amazed that she knew songs from his catalog that he had nearly forgotten.
- March considers herself a "lifelong Francophile" and has maintained a career more successful in France than in her native United States, with her albums and collaborations receiving greater recognition and appreciation in French markets.
Musical Connections
Mentors/Influences
- Serge Gainsbourg - Primary musical and stylistic influence; March's most famous work is a cover of Gainsbourg's composition ("Laisse tomber les filles" (covered as "Chick Habit")) [1990s-present (posthumous influence)]
- France Gall - Stylistic and musical influence; March draws from Gall's yé-yé pop aesthetic (French 1960s pop music style) [1990s-present]
Key Collaborators
- The Pussywillows - First band; founding member and primary creative force (Early recordings and performances) [1987-1991]
- The Shitbirds - Band formed after Pussywillows dissolution (Band recordings) [1991-1995]
- The Makers - Collaborative album partner ("April March Sings Along with the Makers" (1996)) [1996]
- Petra Haden - Featured vocalist on limited edition EP ("April March and Los Cincos Featuring the Choir" (1998)) [1998]
- Los Cincos - Musical collaborators on multiple projects ("April March and Los Cincos Featuring the Choir" (1998) and subsequent collaborations) [1998-present]
- Bertrand Burgalat - French collaborator on musical projects ("RosEros" (2010)) [2010-present]
- Jonathan Richman - Contemporary collaborator (Recent collaborations) [2000s-present]
- Olivia Jean - Collaborative partner on EP ("Palladium" (2021)) [2021]
Connection Network
Discography
Albums
| Title | Release Date | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Chick Habit | 1995-10-20 | Album |
| Paris In April | 1996-01-01 | Album |
| Gainsbourgsion | 1994-01-01 | Album |
| April March Sings Along With The Makers | 1996-12-01 | Album |
| Chrominance Decoder (Bonus Track Version) | 1999 | Album |
| Chick Habit | 1995-10-20 | Album |
| Triggers | 2003-01-01 | Album |
| April March Meets Staplin | 2023-05-05 | Album |
| In Cinerama | 2022-03-18 | Album |
| April March & Los Cincos | 1998-11-01 | Album |
| Magic Monsters | 2008-06-01 | Album |
| Paris In April | 1996-01-01 | Album |
| Quai d'Orsay (Bande originale du film) | 2013-11-04 | Album |
| April March & Los Cincos | 1998-04-01 | Album |
| In Cinerama | 2022-03-18 | Album |
Top Tracks
- Chick Habit (Chick Habit)
- Laisse Tomber Les Filles (Chick Habit)
- Le Temps De L`Amour (Chick Habit)
- While We're Young (Paris In April)
- Deux Garçons Pour Une Fille (Chick Habit)
- Tu Mens (Chick Habit)
- Chick Habit (Gainsbourgsion)
- Caribou (Chick Habit)
- Cet Air-La (Chick Habit)
- Surfing Castafiore
External Links
Tags: #yé-yé
Heard on WWOZ
April March has been played 1 time on WWOZ 90.7 FM, New Orleans' jazz and heritage station.
| Date | Time | Title | Show | Spotify |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 25, 2025 | 18:29 | Garcon Glaconfrom Rendezvous A Paris | Jazz from Jax Breweryw/ T.R. Johnson |