Though Mai Lingani grew up in Côte d’Ivoire, she is one of the most popular singer/songwriters in Burkina Faso, where she was born. In 1998 that country presented her with its highest award for a musician, the “Prix national de la chanson.” In addition to her beautiful French and melodious English, Mai also speaks (and sings in) three African tongues: Moré, Dioula, and Bissa. Please enjoy our interview with this delightful talent!

Carmen Maria Vega—a four-member band led by the eponymous singer, born in Guatemala and raised in Lyons—show off their musical and “creative” talents in this video for their popular song “La Menteuse.” What do you think? Any chance Carmen is stretching the truth about all that lying?

Melissa’s inner “petites fées du coeur” are unleashed and band together to free two soulmates frozen in time. All the mini-Melissas are there: the warrior, the sensitive type, even the one with her head not quite on her shoulders.

Proust was in search of lost time, but Melissa’s in search of lost love, and she’ll travel anywhere to find it.

Watch the beautiful Martian Melissa tell those Earthlings a thing or two. It’s nothing a little “so what?!” can’t handle.

France’s beloved national star, Johnny Hallyday, is still going strong! He lit up the Stade de la Beaujoire recently, playing to a crowd of over 33,000.

Charles-Baptiste returns to us with a new existential song: “Je sais,” or how he moved on to a new stage in life.

Les Nubians record with the late great father of Bossa Nova, Henri Salvador. “Que le mot soit perle” is a sweet song dedicated to all children orphaned by AIDS.

Unique and talented young singer-songwriter Charles-Baptiste brings us “Sale type”: a lighthearted song for the broken-hearted. Sing it from the rooftops, Charles!

Wallen was born to a family of Moroccan immigrants in Bobigny. In “Donna,” she sings about the life of teenage girls struggling to handle family, love, and school.

“Tes lacets sont des fées” is an upbeat tune by rock band Dionysos, accompanied by singer Olivia Ruiz. This animated clip transports us into an inferno of love and innocence.

Jeronimo is the musical alias of Belgian singer-songwriter Jérôme Mardaga. “Les mains qui tremblent” is a solemn song about the sadness that comes from a break up.

This musical adaptation of Marceline Desbordes-Valmore’s poem “La Sincère,” performed by Karin Clercq, is a touching and troubling song — themes the video captures well with its New York setting. You can hear tracks from her brand new album, La Vie Buissonnière, here.

Debout Sur Le Zinc is a seven-member group that plays a unique fusion of rock and traditional French, Irish, and Gypsy folk music. The band’s name (which means “standing on the zinc,” as in the zinc countertop of a bar) comes from the Jacques Prévert poem “Et la fête continue”—and indeed DSLZ is the perfect music for a fête!

Ina-Ich, singer, songwriter, composer, and instrumentalist: this rockin’ babe has it all! Her song “Âme armée” shows off her many talents, blending elements of screamo, metal, rock, electronica, and even classical music into a passionate, intense ballad about the battle scars of war.