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 names Mozart (whom he calles the first “punk,”) MC Solaar, and the rock band Queen as musical influences. You can hear a certain deliberate musicality in his work — which is definitely a Queen thing.
He’s also inspired by 70’s Pop star Jacques Higelin, along with the familiar names frequently cited by most modern French singers: Cabrel, Gainsbourg, Goldman, and Piaf.
Like Joyce Jonathan, Pradeau was discovered by the crowd-funded label My Major Company after posting some of his songs on MySpace. He was one of the first artists they signed.
He’s a self-taught musician who began playing piano at age 3, and he also taught himself drums and guitar. As a teen, he played in a Rock band called Koinar.
The son of a painter, Pradeau was born and bred to be a performer in the bohemian Montmartre quarter in Paris — where he happens to set all his music videos. Even his album title, À Deux pas de ma Rue refers to his beloved neighborhood. (It translates roughly as “a stones throw from my street.”)
His catchy songs, vibrant harmonies, soulful Pop, and judicious use of traditional French musical elements make his debut album a modern classic.
À Deux Pas de ma Rue
À Deux pas de ma Rue is not a passive listen. Just as you think a song is going to unfold a certain way, Pradeau amps up the harmony or ratchets up the energy, goes Classical, or does something unexpected that keeps the listener hanging on to hear what he’s going to do next.
This singer makes an album that transports you to the old streets of Paris, but he keeps things modern enough that it never becomes too novelty. From his debut album, À Deux pas de ma Rue, here’s the piano ballad, “Audrey.”
The song that hooked me on him (because I love the harmonies so), is “Le Pays de Molière.” That’s “the land of Molière.” (The comedic playwright Molière hails from France, of course.) Here’s the video:
The singer crowdfunded a new EP, so stay tuned for new music from him.
What do you think of this artist? Leave a comment below.
POSTED UNDER: 
Leave a Reply