LINKS
Official website > pinkmartini.com
Page Facebook > facebook.com/pinkmartini
BIO
Pink Martini, formed in 1994 in Portland, Oregon, is celebrating thirty years of a musical journey that is as refined as it is eclectic. Discovered in France at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival, the band immediately stood out for its retro elegance and China Forbes’ smooth vocals, particularly on Sympathique, an iconic song inspired by a poem by Apollinaire. This track, which has become a cult favourite thanks to its chorus ‘Je ne veux pas travailler’ (‘I don’t want to work’), embodies the band’s Francophile, jazzy and slightly offbeat charm.
Founded by Thomas Lauderdale and China Forbes, both Harvard graduates, Pink Martini draws its inspiration from literature, classical music and European culture. Their world combines sophistication and fantasy, reflecting the band’s name, which evokes cocktails and the glamour of Blake Edwards’ films. Lauderdale, pianist and artistic director, revisits the sounds of the 1950s and 1960s, incorporating influences from around the world: rumba, samba, bolero, French chanson and jazz.
Polyglot Pink Martini sings in more than twenty languages and charms international audiences with its ability to combine cosmopolitan elegance and accessibility. Their first commercial success with Citroën in 1997 helped to anchor Sympathique in French popular culture, turning it into a timeless anthem. But their success goes far beyond this hit: eleven albums, numerous artistic collaborations and rich orchestrations combining brass, strings and percussion have enabled them to build a unique universe between pop and classical music.
Their career has been built on the world’s greatest stages — from the Hollywood Bowl to the Royal Albert Hall, the Olympia and Jazz à Vienne — confirming their reputation as a refined and festive orchestra. True to its values, Pink Martini is also committed to social and political causes, notably supporting LGBT rights, refugees and the fight against AIDS. In thirty years, the group has established itself as a symbol of cultural openness, timeless elegance and infectious joy.
ON TOUR
Pink Martini featuring Storm Large
