Pingipung proudly introduces Iko Chérie, the experimental pop project of French multi-instrumentalist Marie Merlet. The 7'' single "Ghosted Ghosters of the Holy G" offers a first glimpse into her forthcoming LP, Soft Centre (Nov 2025) — a hypnotic blend of dub-infused songwriting and blissful noise.


On the flipside, French electro-dub visionaries FROID DUB unravel the track into a shadowy, slow-
motion version, with a solid sub-bass, flickering delays and Marie's spaced-out whispers.

Iko Chérie about the single: 

“The melody and structure came to me in one go – I recorded a draft on my phone at a party. It’s a playful take on ghosting karma, with ooh-oohs and a vocal line inspired by the vibes of Lovers Rock.”

Trained in classical piano as a child, Marie Merlet shifted to teaching herself the guitar when she discovered the DIY indie punk scene, she then studied jazz singing and electro acoustic composition in Bordeaux before moving to London to play bass in Monade alongside Laetitia Sadier (Stereolab). 
With her solo project Iko Chérie, she crafts a surreal sound world of woozy incantations, Casio drones, and reverb-drenched guitars, woven with processed spoken-wordsamples. 


Beyond Iko Chérie, Marie Merlet tours globally with Gina Birch (The Raincoats) and is the guitarist in psychedelic cumbia outfit Malphino. She also hosts a monthly Soho Radio show championing women in music and curates a film & performance series at London’s Cinema Museum. *Pingipung