French Music Blog
ABOUTThe French Music Blog is the place to find the latest hits and music reviews of contemporary French singers.
Featured French Singers
Zaz Stirs Our Souls, Dominates Our Playlists  With a jazzy, vintage flair and deeply resonant vocals the likes of which haven't been heard since Edith Piaf, Zaz became the first French superstar with a global following in a long, long time. She topped the charts in France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Germany, and has a fan base spanning from China to South America. She even won over some globally minded music fans in the U.S. with her epic debut album.
The first time you hear her debut single "Je Veux," you, too, will find yourself pulling out…She Serves French Pop Rock with Powerhouse Vocals  Amandine Bourgeois has always stood at the intersection of Rock and Soul music. Before winning the 6th season of Nouvelle Star (French American Idol), she sang in both Rock and R&B/Funk bands.
Her bluesy sound hints at her wide range of influences, among which she counts Led Zeppelin, Rachelle Ferrell (an underrated American R&B singer) and Joss Stone.
. . . → Continue Reading: She Serves French Pop Rock with Powerhouse VocalsLa Femme: Trippy French Surf Rock Band  The band La Femme brings us New Wave Surf Rock, French style. Their hazy vocals, pulsating synths, Yé-yé vibes, and lo-fi aesthetic combine for an eclectic signature sound.
The haze also extends to the band members themselves, who are deliberately shrouded in mystery through costumes and camouflage.
Even the band's name is an enigma. We know it translates as "the woman," but what woman? Not to mention, we only seem to get passing glances at their faces in their head-scratching videos.
They say…French Music Videos  I've been wanting to do a post like this for a while. Avid French music fans in the United States often miss out on great songs and artists because the music isn't digitally (or physically) available. It frustrates me to no end when I hear a cool French song or artist, but I can't blog about them because their music is not in the U.S. iTunes store.
Sometimes the albums do EVENTUALLY show up -- a year or more after their release in France, but a lot of music…Benjamin Biolay: Sensual French Singer  Benjamin Biolay has a hushed, sensual, "talk-singing" style similar to Serge Gainsbourg and Etienne Daho. Even before he became a popular French singer, Benjamin Biolay had gained a reputation as a sought-after songwriter and producer, having launched the career of Keren Ann and written 4 songs on the successful 2000 comeback of singer Henri Salvador.
In addition to co-writing, producing, and playing instruments (including piano, guitar, and trumpet) on Keren Ann's first two albums, Biolay has worked with Raphael, Carla Bruni, Francoise Hardy, Jane Birkin, and Vanessa Paradis,…Rose: French Folk-Pop Singer  Rose performs a unique brand of acoustic Folk-Pop. Her songs are very honest and personal, which is part of her charm. Who can resist a cute, sweet French girl, strumming a guitar, playing her own songs?
This singer has a girl-next-door demeanor that's endearing to fans. Her voice is just a wee bit raspy and husky, which adds a sense of emotion and vulnerability to everything she sings.
If you like Folk and acoustic music, check out her top songs and albums.
Claire Diterzi Crafts Offbeat French Folk  Claire Diterzi is one of my favorite female French alternative artists. Her music reminds me of Tori Amos, Joanna Newsom, CocoRosie, Björk and fellow offbeat French singer Camille. There's something downright otherworldly about her sound.
Born Claire Touzi dit Terzi, Diterzi fronted and played guitar in two Alternative Rock bands (Forguette Mi Note and Dit Terzi) before embarking on a solo career.
. . . → Continue Reading: Claire Diterzi Crafts Offbeat French FolkThomas Pradeau Modernizes Paris Street Music  Fresh-faced French singer Thomas Pradeau makes music that is downright fun to listen to.He infuses his Pop songs with trademark elements of Parisian street music (accordions, valse, a.k.a. French waltz, etc.).
Bridging the distant past with the, um, more recent past, he cites both Mozart and the rock band Queen as musical influences. You can hear a certain deliberate musicality in his work -- which is definitely a Queen thing.
. . . → Continue Reading: Thomas Pradeau Modernizes Paris Street MusicCaroline Costa: French Teen Sensation  Like her American counterpart Jackie Evancho, teenage singer Caroline Costa has a voice that sounds incredibly mature. Her favorite singers are those with big voices: Christina Aguilera, Celine Dion, and Whitney Houston, to name a few.
Costa hails from the Midi-Pyrénées region in southern France. She attended music school in Castelsarrasin, and first performed on stage at the age of six. In 2007, she competed on a children's talent show called Iapiap!, where she was mentored by M Pokora. Upon winning on the show, she was placed…BB Brunes: A French Band You Might Actually Like  BB Brunes is at the forefront of the new French Rock scene.They're one among a gaggle of Punk-loving bands barely out of their teens that emerged in the mid-to-late 2000's. They're also one of the few contemporary French bands to achieve commercial success singing in their native tongue.
English-speakers will find much to like in their music, as they're primarily influenced by the seminal punk bands of the 70's (The Clash, The Ramones, etc.) and the American and British Post-Punk revival bands of the early 2000's (The Strokes,…De Palmas’ Rare Sound Begs A Closer Listen  In an alternative universe, this singer could very well be the subject of a "Where Are They Know" post. But 20 years after being crowned Best New Artist, Gérald De Palmas is reinventing himself in creative ways.
He spent the late 80's playing in a synth band (Les Max Valentin), then made it big huge as a Guitar Pop solo star in the 90's and early aughts, with a diamond-selling album. (He was that era's Christophe Mae / John Mayer, if you will.)
…Chinatown: French Indie Rock from Canada’s ‘Brooklyn’  Let’s just be honest for a moment: Quebec is far ahead of France when it comes to making quality French Rock. Could it be its closer proximity to Brooklyn? (Just kidding.)
The Montreal band Chinatown, named after Roman Polanski's classic film noir, is one band leading the way.
. . . → Continue Reading: Chinatown: French Indie Rock from Canada’s ‘Brooklyn’Alex Beaupain: French Singer / Composer  Alex Beaupain is an award-winning singer-songwriter and composer. He first came to my attention when I saw the film Dans Paris, the second of his six films he's scored for celebrated filmmaker Christopher Honoré. (Think Blake Edwards and Henry Mancini -- it's a filmmaker/composer partnership that spans their careers.) The music was so beautiful that I watched the credits to see who created the music. Once I knew who was behind the music, I was hooked.
.…O Canada! Thank You for Coeur de Pirate  While Canada has foisted some questionable "talent" upon the world over the years (I'm not naming names), I'm delighted with the crop of French-language artists coming out of the Montreal scene. With her breakthrough debut album of French piano Pop, Quebec singer Coeur de Pirate (nee Beatrice Martin) made Chanson Française cool in Canada, where singing in English usually paves the way to success.
She also accomplished the rather rare feat of achieving mainstream success in France. That puts her on a very short list with exports…Camille: A Playful French Songstress  If you're a fan of French music, you should get to know the music of the talented French singer Camille Dalmais (who performs as just "Camille"). She's got a soulful, playful, and eclectic style, prompting some to call her France's answer to Bjork.
Camille was born and raised in Paris, and is fully fluent in English, thanks to having an English teacher for a mother. She's one of the "Nouvelle Chanson" singers, the crop of serious, intellectual, traditional musicians that emerged in the early…
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