Hey guys, I'm trying to learn French on my own right now. I already love the history, food, and France itself. I went to Paris two summers ago and it was amazing. I want to connect more with French culture, which is hard because I'm not actually in France. So I'm looking for French music that I would like. Does anyone have any suggestions for music in French that is more modern, say recent rock, pop, or techno (preferably with French lyrics)? I've already been listening to Stromae (I know he's Belgian but it's still French singing) and Indila. Can you guys give me any recommendations along the lines of those two? I know this is an English language forum but if you can help me, merci!
Hi BigCityBoy You can stream french radio stations from the internet. I listen to France Bleu Nord (because I have a second home in Northern France near the Somme). It's quite a bit of talking but some music. The French tend to like English music, and as such there is a law in France that a certain persentage of French language must be played!! You'll find a lot of stations get around this by playing their french music quota over night! Have a look at France radio stations streaming live on the internet - Listen online where you can try out some stations.
I know you didn't say rap but look up La Fouine on youtube specifically J'avais pas les mots because I love that song.
Hello bigcityboy. I know some french pop singers, don't know whether you would like them, but I think these will be good for practicing: Gary Fico, Coeur de pirate, Nolwenn Leroy, Christrophe Maé, Anggun, Zaz, Raphaël, Renan Luce, Grégoire, and Carla Bruni. They are not like Stromae, but better than nothing. Hope, you find something good
Oooh, Please go look up Yelle. She has one song in particular that is super catchy and gets stuck in my head for days at a time. I throw some down here in link form for you. Complètement fou - Yelle Je Veux Te Voir - Yelle L'équilibre - Kyo Ils Sont Cools - OrelSan ft. Gringe
The only song that comes into my mind with modern, French and Techno is that Moustache song that was on last years Eurovision which annoyingly, I could not get out of my head for ages. Probably not the best suggestion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vrmc_l6sJY Now seriously, check classic stuff like Serge Gainsbourg, Mylène Farmer, Edith Piaf... The 80s were also good : Patrick Juvet, Desireless (she sang 'Voyage, Voyage', amazing lyrics)... Start with Gainsbourg, he was the boss. J'adore Gainsbourg...
Irie Révoltés!!! Love them They have some songs completely with french lyrics but they have also lots of songs where they use french and german. But I can't really describe their music.. it's a mix of reggae and dancehall with hip hop and a bit of ska :lol: Just unique. Even if they don't fit exactly in the metioned genres, check 'em out. Maybe start with the song "Citoyen du monde", it's my favorite More pop are Christrophe Maé and Gerald de Palmas - imo kinda the typical singer/songwriter stuff. Zaz is pretty cool. And if punkrock is okay for you, then I can recommend Tagada Jones, they are great!
Wow, all these recommendations are really helpful! I'm definitely gonna try to look at all of them, and hopefully one day I'll be able to understand French lyrics without looking up translations. Thanks guys!
Yann Destal is pretty good. Most of his songs are in English, though a few, like Un Univers, Je t'aime, and Manureva are in French.
My favorite french group by far is Kyo (check out their new album!) and rapper would be Orelsan. Check them out they are pretty popular in France!
Elle me dit is a favourite of mine!! Plus the singer (Mika) is openly gay! [YOUTUBE]NiHWwKC8WjU[/YOUTUBE]
Have you ever listened to Yelle? [youtube]8QOxKCKC09A[/youtube] She's one of my favourite French artists
If you're specifically looking to connect with FRENCH culture, make sure the artist is French not French-Canadian maybe. X'D Coeur de pirate, for example, is a Canuck. It's also good to be aware because there are some differences in the dialect. For French artists, I love Mika.