Abandoning the idea of an acting career, Clarika enrolled at the "Studio des Variétés" in rue Ballu, deciding to concentrate on her singing instead. It was during this period that she met one of the most influential figures in her early career, making the acquaintance of a Belgian singer and musician by the name of Jean-Jacques Nyssen. Teaming up as a musical partnership – as well as a couple in real life – Clarika, the feisty brunette and Jean-Jacques, the balding, quiet half of the duo went on to make a series of demo tapes which they sent to Paris-based record companies. Unfortunately, their music fell on deaf ears and no offers of record deals were forthcoming!

Then, out of the blue, the duo got a phone call from François Hadji-Lazaro, aka lead singer of Les Garçons Bouchers and director of the independent label Boucherie Production. Impressed by Clarika's fresh and original-sounding vocals he signed her to his new 'chanson' label "Chantons sous la truie".

Clarika's debut album, "J'attendrai pas cent ans", was released on Boucherie Production in 1994. The photo on the album cover confirmed Clarika's alternative image, picturing a punky-haired girl, standing hands on hips, staring defiantly at the world. Meanwhile, Jean-Jacques Nyssen was pictured, head laid on arms, dozing away in the background. The photo perfectly captured the atmosphere of Clarika's single "Tu dors tout l'temps" (You're always asleep), a bitter-sweet ode to modern-day relationships and the problems of unsatisfied desire. The wonderfully ironic/poetic lyrics penned by Clarika - daughter of Hungarian poet Istvan Keszei and a literature teacher - fused perfectly with Jean-Jacques Nyssen's arrangements and his performance on strings, accordion, saucepans, biniou and ukelele.

The themes explored on Clarika's debut album, "J'attendrai pas cent ans", tended towards the dark side of life. "Un peu bizarre" revolved around the twin themes of madness and death, while "Mon bel héros" mourned the fantasy of a lost Eden and "Superwoman" debunked the illusion of a perfect world. "Margot" cast a slightly different light on things, however, taking a nostalgic look back at childhood. The song's stories of classroom dramas and playground fights recalled the sensitive lyrics of "J'ai dix ans" written by Alain Souchon, a singer Clarika admits has influenced her own songwriting to some extent.

"I feel quite close to Souchon really," Clarika says, "I like the fact his songs have a popular side to them that makes them readily accessible to everyone. Souchon manages to create a real complicity with his listeners through his lyrics."

Clarika's alternative approach to 'chanson' and her ability to mix bitter-sweet lyrics with real tenderness caught on with a certain sector of the French public. And fans turned out in force to watch her perform live at small low-key venues such as Le Sentier des Halles and Le Lucernaire in Paris. Clarika went on to bring the house down at the "Francofolies" music festival in La Rochelle in July '93, performing on stage with a simple acoustic outfit. In fact, Clarika's popularity spread so quickly by word of mouth that Sony ended up offering to take the young 'chanson' star under their wing.

Clarika went on to release a follow-up album entitled "Ça s'peut pas" in 1996. Thanks to a bigger recording budget and the aid of Dominique Blanc-Francard as artistic producer, this second album saw her musical talent blossom and gain a certain depth. Clarika toned down the biting tone of some of her more ironic songs, but the themes on the second album remained pretty much the same, revolving around the male/female dichotomy and relationship problems.

The song that went on to become the best-known track from the album was the sardonic "Beau comme garçon" (Boy beautiful), whose lyrics pointed fun at the male airhead: "T'es beau comme garçon / Mais y'a tant d'air dans ta tête / Qu'on peut y faire de l'avion" (You're boy beautiful/ But there's so much air in your head / That you could fly a plane though it!) The song proved a hit with both male and female music fans alike and became a popular fixture at Clarika's concerts.

Clarika rapidly established herself as the figurehead of a radical new 'chanson' movement which, although it received almost no coverage on mainstream radio or television, drew a whole generation of young singer/songwriters in its wake including Mano Solo (whose guitarist Jean-Louis Solans guested on Clarika's debut album). This original new movement also included acts such as Les Elles, Rachel des Bois and La Grande Sophie (who has often performed backing vocals for Clarika and Jean-Jacques Nyssen).

Although the mainstream media continued to ignore Clarika, the specialist music press picked up on her talent, hailing her barbed irony and her impressive 'gift of the gab'. And frankly, anyone who can integrate musical influences from the Bee Gees and French 60s icon France Gall on the same song ("J'suis game over") deserves praise indeed!

As for modern love songs such as "Non, ça s'peut pas", it's Clarika's on-stage performance as much as her lyrics which have earned her such a strong following of fans. Infused with an almost disarming naturalness on stage, Clarika appears to draw few boundaries between her artistic and her private life and the two often end up merging at the seams. (Jean-Jacques Nyssen appears happy to go along with this game. In fact, he recorded his own 'pre-techno fusion' version of "Non, ça s'peut pas" and included it on his solo album "Le parcours" released in 1999).

Clarika went on to triumph at the "Francofolies" music festival in 1998, carrying off the "Félix Leclerc Award" for Best Young Songwriter of the Year. With her public popularity increasing by the day, it was not long before Clarika was invited to take part in a variety of music fund-raising projects. These included recording a compilation album on behalf of the Sol en si (a French charity set up to help the children of AIDS sufferers). Clarika recorded the duet "L'Océan des Possibles" with fellow Hungarian-born singer Michel Jonasz.

Clarika went on to win an artistic 'residency' at the Théâtre d'Ivry in the Paris suburbs and it was during her time there that she began work on her third album, "La fille, tu sais". Recorded in 2001 in collaboration with Jean-Jacques Nyssen, the album opened with "Les garçons dans les vestiaires", a brilliantly funny number on which Clarika poked gentle fun at the goings-ons in male shower and locker rooms. The cheeky song was accompanied by a saucy video clip starring players from the French rugby team posing naked in the changing rooms at the Stade de France.

Clarika also paid tribute to her Magyar origins on her new album with "Heureux", a song on which she received full backing accompaniment from Les Moujiks. "Deux Anglaises", a song about Sapphic infatuation, was another outstanding track on which Clarika's haunting vibrato was accompanied by accordion and acoustic guitar.

Following the release of this third album, Clarika got involved with a number of collective projects. These included "Ma chanson d'enfance", a compilation of childhood favourites to which she contributed her own version of the Bourvil classic "La ballade irlandaise". Clarika also featured on the soundtrack to Philippe Vidal's cartoon film "Bécassine, le trésor des Vikings", singing "Etre un ami pour la vie".

Clarika returned to the music news in 2005, performing as a support act to Zazie on the latter's "Rodeo Tour." The tour included dates from June through to September. But it was Clarika's new album, "Joker", that really put her back on the musical map. Released in September 2005, the album featured songs which had predominantly been written by Clarika herself. And she displayed remarkable skill in the songwriting department, penning lyrics which were funny, cutting and full of clever wordplay and hidden meanings. Most of the musical arrangements on "Joker" were assured by Clarika's loyal songwriting partner, Jean-Jacques Nyssen. The album also included two duets from Clarika's earlier days: "L'océan des possibles" (recorded with Michel Jonasz) and "Non, ça s'peut pas" (with Bernard Lavilliers).

Clarika re-emerged on the live circuit in the autumn of 2005, performing at Le Divan du Monde in Paris (15 - 19 November).

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Playing with a mix of mischievousness and passion, cynicism and tenderness in her songs, Clarika likes to present herself as a quirky off-the-wall alternative. In the space of just three albums, however, the feisty young brunette has established herself as one of the standard-bearers of the new 'chanson' movement in France.

October 2005