My Fave Five: French musicians
My Fave Five: Musicians Who Make French Music
Stromae
Before “Alors On Danse” became a dance trend anthem on TikTok, I was obsessed with the Belgian singer’s work after hearing his most popular 2013 hit, “Papaoutai”.
As I continued listening to Stromae’s work and watching his music videos, I quickly grew an appreciation for his musical and visual artistry.
Scrolling through the thumbnails of his music videos, the uniqueness and different vibe he brings to the table with each project is hard to miss. Seeing how he brings his ideas to life is quite spectacular.
Last summer, he released a collab with Camila Cabello on his track “Mon Amour,” which was accompanied by an amusing “Love Island” inspired music video. The character that Stromae created in this video is unlike any other that he has portrayed previously.
It is only a wonder as to what the iconic concepts Stromae will grace fans with in the future.
Indila
Indila is another artist with visually pleasing music video concepts.
The visuals match the enchanting vibe of her tracks that has been created through the heavy use of orchestral instruments within musical arrangements.
When it comes to the tracks with the best visuals and musical compositions, the top two are definitely “Tourner Dans Le Vide” and “Love Story”.
Indila’s soft, yet powerful voice, fits the overall feel of her music and her persona.
The French singer-songwriter has not released an album since 2014. After eight years since her last release, will the singer stick to her usual sound in the future, or will she switch it up?
Garou
When I was younger, my mom played cassette tapes of Garou's music all the time.
The song that stuck with me the most was “Belle”, a song that comes from his work in the musical “Notre-Dame de Paris” where he was casted as Quasimodo.
It wasn’t until my first semester of college that I was taking French class and that song came to mind again. I didn’t remember the name, which was something that nagged at me for a while, but eventually those French skills paid off and I successfully rediscovered this nostalgic track of my childhood.
I prefer to listen to the live version of his music because the more raspy and powerful parts of his voice come through compared to the studio version.
Mike Brant
A family celebration was never complete without my grandfather playing Mike Brant on his record player, but more specifically, “Laisse-moi T’aimer.” Similarly to Garou’s “Belle,” my French skills were put to the test in a quest to reunite with this track.
The wide range of his vocals was truly exceptional, and shines through his more upbeat tracks like “Qui saura” and ballads like “Dis-lui”.
The singer was originally from Israel and relocated to France after he achieved fame. As he reached the peak of his career his life was cut short at 28 years old, and his death was officially reported as suicide.
Edith Piaf
An artist that absolutely can’t go unmentioned is Edith Piaf.
Whether you listen to her music or not, there is almost a 99% chance that you’ve heard one of her songs whether it'd be “Non, je regrette rien” or “La Vie en Rose”, which have been used in many commercials and covered by many legendary artists.
Out of all of her songs, “La Vie En Rose” is her most streamed song on Spotify, understandably so considering her vocal range shines through this track. To go even further, her vocals in combination with the arrangement just sends chills through listeners.
The accordion, bass, violin and several other instruments in the composition of “La Foule” really sets the track up as the ultimate classical French tune.
Seeing that her work hasn’t failed to pop up in different parts of society today, Piaf’s work has proven to be timeless and an integral part of society.
Abigail Chachoute is a second-year majoring in journalism. To contact her, email axc6070@psu.edu.
