Laetitia Sadier is a French musician from Vincennes, London, born in 1968. She is best known as the singer of Stereolab, and she also has a long solo and collaborative career across a number of related projects.

Early career and Stereolab

Sadier meets McCarthy leader Tim Gane in Paris in the late 1980s while working as a nanny. She later moves to London to be with Gane and to continue her career. Before McCarthy ends, she contributes vocals to the band’s third and final album. After McCarthy breaks up in 1990, Sadier and Gane form Stereolab straight away.

The first Stereolab line-up includes former Chills bassist Martin Kean, drummer Joe Dilworth and Gina Morris on backing vocals. Although Gane writes most of the music, Sadier’s sing-song alto voice and her lyrics in English and French become central features of the band’s sound. She also plays keyboards, percussion, guitar and trombone, and is left-handed on guitar.

Other projects

In 1996, Sadier forms Monade with Rosie Cuckston of Pram. Monade releases the singles “The Sunrise Telling” and “Witch Hazel/Ode to a Keyring” in 1997. Their debut album, Socialisme Ou Barbarie: The Bedroom Recordings, appears in 2003 on Duophonic in Europe and Drag City in the US. The follow-up, A Few Steps More, comes out on Too Pure in 2004, and the third album, Monstre cosmic, is released in 2008 on Duophonic.

Sadier also works with several other artists and groups. She adds French backing vocals to Blur’s “To the End” in 1994, records Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot’s “Bonnie and Clyde” with Luna in 1995, and contributes vocals to the High Llamas, the project associated with Sean O’Hagan. She sings on “Sol y Sombra” from Fugu’s Fugu 1 in 2001, on the chorus of Common’s “New Wave” from Electric Circus in 2002, and on “Haiku One” from Sigmatropic’s Sixteen Haiku & Other Stories in 2004, an album based on poetry by George Seferis.

In 2009, the French label Deux Mille releases an EP featuring Sadier singing with Momotte, a band from Toulouse. She also collaborates at intervals with Mouse on Mars: she sings on “Schnick Schnack Meltmade” from Autoditacker in 1997, contributes vocals to the Cache Coeur Naif EP with Mary Hansen, writes songs with the group and tours Italy with them in 2007. Mouse on Mars also produce tracks on Stereolab’s Dots and Loops. In addition, she provides backing vocals on “Go Round” from The Hair & Skin Trading Company’s Over Valence in 1993, and writes and sings the lyrics to Atlas Sound’s “Quick Canal” on Logos in 2009.

Labels and recording

Sadier’s work appears on Duophonic, Too Pure, Drag City, Minty Fresh Records and the French label Deux Mille. Across these recordings, she works mainly in the overlap between post-rock, indie, art pop and related French and European styles, with French and English lyrics appearing throughout her output.

Later work

The trip is released in 2010.