Poptastic French Songs and French R&B / Soul
In Paris, there’s a world of French music to explore. But you don’t have to wait — start exploring French songs and artists right now. Though I always loved old French songs like Charles Trenet’s “La Mer” and the classic “La Vie en Rose” when I heard them in movies, my obsession with French songs really began when Les Nubians’ song “Makeda” came out in 1998 and was played on American radio — which is extremely rare for a French song. Les Nubians’ all-French album Princesses Nubiennes completely turned soul and R&B music on its head. I was hooked.
After that, I acquired French music through a variety of sources. For instance, I discovered Tété while browsing at FNAC (a record store chain in France) in 2004. I was in the mood to buy random stuff, and his CDs A la Faveur d’Automne and L’Air de Rien happened to be on the endcap display. The Alliance Française I belonged to has a library where I could check out CDs, and I discovered more French musicians there. Movie soundtracks have always been a good place to find music. I just Netflixed the film, “Dans Paris,” and am now completely in love with Alex Beaupain’s jazz songs from the soundtrack. Also, there are English speaking or bilingual artists who throw a random French song or two into the mix on their albums, like Feist, Yael Naim or Pink Martini. There’s Charlotte Gainsbourg and Carla Bruni, of course. (President Nicolas Sarkozy’s wife is a popular French singer, in case you didn’t know.) And then there are the French pop and French R&B songs you wouldn’t know about unless you listened to French radio.
French Pop
If you’re into mainstream pop, check out these French Pop singers. You’ll enjoy singers like Christophe Mae, Yelle (if you like Fergie or Lady Gaga), Alizée, and Pierre Guimard.
French Rock
If you want some edgier French music, explore the sounds of French Rock Bands. Some of my favorites are Luke and BB Brunes.
French R&B
For French R&B, I like Teri Moise, Gage, Monsieur Nov, Rony, Les Nubians (jazzy, sophisticated soul), Freddy, (jazzy, neosoul), Lea Castel (she has an AMAZING voice — if you like Mariah Carey or Alicia Keys, you’ll like her), and Zaho.
Now I know what you’re thinking. “I like French songs, but I don’t know where to find them.” Check out the French Music Blog, where I’ll be spotlighting French singers and bands. Enjoy discovering French music!
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