Esther Lekain, whose real name was Ernestine Niekiel (or Nickel), was born in Paris on April 1, 1870. She made her debut around 1885 at the Casino de Nancy, where she had spent her youth, then went on to sing at the Alcazar in Marseille, before performing in the greatest Parisian venues: the Cigale (1895), the Concert Parisien, the Alcazar de Paris, the Alhambra, the Scala, the Parisiana, the Ambassadeurs and the Folies Bergères. Admired by her peers, who praised her diction, the singer racked up hits with songs such as "La Petite tonkinoise" (1906), "La Dernière gavotte" (1912), "Un vieux farceur"," Les Vieilles larmes", "Ça ne vaut pas l'amour" (1920), "Ne dis rien" (1929), "Le Cœur de Ninon" (1930) and "Ah! Si vous voulez d'l'amour" (1934). In 1928, she appeared in Maurice Gleize's film La Faute de Monique, then bid farewell to the stage in 1936 at the Palace, before appearing the following year at the Théâtre des Capucines in Le Crime du boulevard Haussmann. She then opened a singing school, and in 1954, after a career spanning seventy years, recorded a final session of eight songs with pianist Marc Berthomieu. That same year, she was awarded the Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur. Aged 89, Esther Lekain died in Nice on March 2, 1960.
