The teenage violist Valentin Tournet plays an excerpt from Marin Marais’ “Folies d’Espagne” (Follies of Spain) in this interview. He talks about the folia, an early music theme from Spain, as well as the passion for music he developed at a very young age.
Nicola Sirkis, head of Indochine, the new wave French rock band that’s been popular since the 1980s, has a few things to say about some of his fellow artists. (Could he mean megastar Johnny Hallyday?) Nicola’s strong voice (in many senses) is clearly one of the reasons Indochine has so much staying power.
Melissa tells us how the music video for “Army of Love” came to be. She produced and directed it herself, with the help of animator Thomas Guerigen. It was a labor of love—one that paid off!
We hear a bit more from the lovely Pascale: on her beginnings in the musical world (she started early), her new album, and her music’s special combination of rhythm and soul.
French-Canadian singer-songwriter Pascale—who prefers to introduce herself in verse rather than give the usual “hello my name is”—tells us of the importance of maintaining optimism and lightness in the face of hardship.
Hugo Bonneville talks about the relationship between music and money, the success of his first album, and offers us all the sound advice to take a good long look at ourselves.
Meet troubadour Hugo Bonneville, a socially aware singer-songwriter whose love of words makes his lyrics pure poetry. Hugo shares with us what being a musician means to him.
Montpellier-based heavy metal group Peach FTL has been going strong since 1997. “L’Empreinte” comes from their first album, Addiction, released in 2005. They followed up Addiction with Supernova in 2007.
From dreams to reality, putting forth “a little bit of energy each day,” Annie Chartrand, a vocalist who debuted singing behind her bathroom door, burst onto the music scene in 2006. Here is an interview with the singer of Ma blonde est une chanteuse [My Girlfriend Is a Singer]—a group which is actually part of a love story…
Dahlia formed in 1999 in the province of Brittany in northwest France as a collaboration between guitarist Guillaume Fresneau and cellist Armel Talarmain.
Babylon Circus, a ska band from Lyon, sings in this song about romantic regrets, missed cues, and lost opportunities. “J’aurais bien voulu” could well be translated as “Woulda, shoulda, coulda.”
As Laurent Voulzy is walking down the beach, he chances upon a fan, and sings a little duet with her. At his concert that night, she’ll be in the front row. Can that “change the face of the world”?
Yacine Boularès, a young French musician of Tunisian origin, demonstrates some of the differences between Western and Arabic music on his saxophone. If you like what you hear, check out Yacine’s jazz band, Afro Groove Collective.
Parisian duo, Julien Boulfray and Brieuc Carnaille sing a colorful song “Hey, tu ne me manqueras plus” (“Hey, I won’t miss you anymore”) from their album, Vertiges. Enjoy their quirky retro Pop/Rock electro style of music.
The French singer Oldelaf took his girlfriend to the Normandy beach town of Courseulles-sur-Mer, but their time there wasn’t quite as romantic as it could have been. Find out what happened in this charming music video!
In this nursing home in France’s Pays de la Loire, musical therapy is used to stimulate the minds of residents suffering from Alzheimer’s and other mental disorders. The directors of the program and the home explain the benefits of this still underdeveloped technique.
Moving further westward, Bertrand Boulbar takes us through the deserts of Nevada in this video for his melancholy song “Je cherche ta voix” (I Seek Your Voice).
The French singer Bertrand Boulbar takes Las Vegas in this music video for his song “De paquebots en épaves” (From Liners to Wrecks). His smoky, deep voice is reminiscent of one of France’s most iconic singers, Serge Gainsbourg.
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