Kiki de Montparnasse was immortalised by Man Ray, showing the suggestive curves of a woman's back and the two violin soundholes painted directly onto her skin, making this female body the most irresistible of musical instruments.

A girl from nothing who wants it all, a free woman freed from convention, Kiki represents female emancipation and inspires this recording programme, which illustrates the transition from melody to song in the 20th century. The fascinating shift from a bombastic yet sublime expressiveness to the world of icons (Édith Piaf, Barbara, Dalida, Jane Birkin, Juliette, Hoshi...).

The voice sheds its pathos and vibrato and becomes a popular gesture: natural, microphonic, languid, intimate, bluesy, pop, cinematic..., while the piano becomes guitar in this trio of mezzo voice, strings strummed and plucked.

Don't let the multiple facets of femininity, audacity and sensuality embodied by this unlikely trio fool you. This recording is a true declaration of love.