Shy’m is often called the French Rihanna, and this Pop queen lives up to the comparison with her broad crossover appeal and her ever more frequent “break the internet” moments.
In the span of a few years, she went from guesting on Hip Hop tracks to ruling the Pop charts and being THE artist to watch. With a slew of hits and best-selling albums under her belt, she’s become one of France’s biggest music stars.
Every new album of hers is an event, and her latest is no exception. Follow her journey from R&B chick to next-level artist.
Shy’m is a stage name — the “shy” is for her shyness, and the “M” for the island of Martinique, her father’s homeland. Born and raised in Trappes (a Paris suburb), Tamara Marthe always had a passion for singing and dancing. Her mother, from Normandy, and her father, who’s an amateur musician, exposed her to Soul, Blues, Zouk / Antillean music, and French Pop as a child.
She began pursuing a dance career in earnest after high school, and it was her dance instructors who encouraged her to record a singing demo to shop around to record labels.
An audition with the French/Canadian rapper K.Maro led to her appearance on his Million Dollar Baby album on the top 10 hit “Histoires de Luv” and the track “Nice and Slow.” The two have been teamed up ever since, with K.Maro (aka Cyril Kamar) producing all of her albums — each one reaching the top 10 in France.
Mes Fantaisies
In the early days, Shy’m was an R&B princess. She shot to stardom in 2006 with the release of her debut album Mes Fantaisies. It reached number 6 on the album charts and went platinum in France. It includes the hits “Victoire,” “T’es Parti,” and “Femme de Couleur,” and it’s an essential purchase for French R&B fans.
(Please note: Shym’s albums are only available as physical CD’s in the U.S. No digital formats are available.)
Her very first single, “Femme de Couleur,” is an homage to Martinique and her cultural identity. The universal lyrics are relatable for anyone of color who wants to celebrate their heritage.
The mid-tempo song “T’es Parti” exemplifies why this album was such a smash hit.
The top 5 hit “Victoire” is an anthem about perseverance and following your dreams, and the video’s staircase serves as a visual metaphor.
RefletsIf you enjoy so-called Urban Pop, then you’ll find this 2008’s Reflets a solid effort that holds up well over time. The production is heavier and more electronic — but not overly so — and the format works for both R&B and Pop radio. Singles included “La premiere fois,” “Step Back,” and the number 2 single “Si Tu Savais.” Reflets reached number 4 on the French charts.
Standouts that should’ve been singles: “Nulle part ailleurs,” “On n’a pas tout notre temps”
Check out the video for “Si Tu Savais.”
Prendre l’AirShy’m was aiming straight for the masses with 2010’s Prendre l’Air. Her upbeat, triple platinum album embodies the very definition of the phrase, “going Pop.” The Pop undercurrent that was always in her music was pushed to the forefront, and she made her first forays into Electro / Dance Pop as well. She wanted to break out of the R&B box, be more creative, and stand out from the pack, and boy did she with this album.
Singles included “Je Sais,” “Je Suis Moi,” “Prendre l’Air” and “Tourne.”
My favorite track by far was the leadoff single, “Je Sais.”
CaméléonHer 2012 album, Caméléon, is basically an ode to EDM (electronic Dance music). It reached number 1 in France and went triple platinum with help from the leadoff single, “Et Alors,” which reached number 2.
Other singles included “Et Si,” “On se fout de nous,” “Caméléon” and “En Apesanteur,” which features some beautiful vocals.
I’m not really feeling this whole Glow Stick Pop thing she’s doing here, and I wish she’d made some music that’s a bit more timeless. I’m totally OK with her branching out from R&B, but I also like the idea of classic albums you can always come back to, and no matter what, Caméléon is always going to sound like summer 2012, which is a shame.
More Music
SolitaireOpinions are sharply divided on the singer’s latest album, Solitaire. Her 2014 effort is somewhat of a return to Prendre l’Air territory, but it’s more personal. The vibe is kind of all over the place, and it sounds like an album that an artist makes for just for themselves to get something out of their system.
Both sides have it right. Solitaire is neither as great or as awful as people have made it out to be. It’s middling, yet, it has its moments.
Though she whips out the glow sticks out a couple of times — “L’Effet De Serre,” “J’te déteste” — she seems to be mostly off the Club music bandwagon, and I couldn’t be happier about it. The English-language song “Save My Way” is more Ambient than EDM, and surprisingly, I found myself really liking it.
She resorts to some lyrical gimmicks on “Garçon manqué” and elsewhere that are sure to tick off purists and critics in her home country. We Americans are less picky about that sort of stuff, so long as it sounds good. And it does.
Some stuff works, while other excursions don’t turn out so well. “Silhouettes” is pleasant take on 80’s Electro-Pop, and “Inverser les rôles” is sparse, eerie, and a bit reminiscent of Timbaland’s production on “Cry Me A River.” On the flip side, “Cape Town de toi,” “On s’en va,” “Les chaussures en plastique” “Comment tu vas?” are nap-inducing, to put it nicely.
The leadoff single “La Malice” is already a Top 25 hit (check it out below), and the energetic follow-up “L’effet de serre” has charted in France as well. She recently put on a sexy, boundary-pushing performance of the latter on France’s “Dancing with the Stars.”
Bottom Line: Shy’m is ever evolving. She’s the queen bee in France, so whatever she releases will be popular. If you want to stay current with the latest in French Pop, then you need this album.
Check out the video for Malice, which is available as a download in the U.S.
You should definitely keep an eye on this ever-evolving artist to see what she does next.
What do you think of this artist? Leave a comment below.
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She is a great singer I love her songs!!!!