Ben Ricour

Born in Paris in 1975 and raised in Malakoff, Ben Ricour developed a strong connection to the guitar and to songwriting from his teenage years, working within a chanson française vein that blends acoustic pop, folk and touches of rock. After early band experiences in high school, he formed Arturo Pastor with Jean-Michel Clairenbeaud in the early 1990s and honed his stage craft in café-concerts, festivals and at the Francofolies in La Rochelle. His solo trajectory began under the name Ricour with the single “Qu’est-ce qui fait qu’on fait qu’un” in 2001, followed by the albums L’Aventure (2005) and Ton image (2007), and the EP Dans le futur (2011). Alongside his own records, Ben Ricour has worked regularly as a songwriter for other performers, notably “J’traîne des pieds” for Olivia Ruiz, and has written or co-written songs for Florent Pagny, Michel Delpech and Vanessa Paradis. His repertoire rests on direct melodies, narrative lyrics and a stage presence tied to understated instrumentation. He has also taken part in several collective projects, including L’Incroyable Histoire de Gaston et Lucie in 2010 and The Joe’s in the mid-2010s.