Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
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.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
This electro-pop song named “La place des anges” belongs to the Belgian group Yaaz’s album Azerty. The word “Azerty” refers to the Qwerty keyboard’s cousin, which is more adapted to French typing.
Difficulty: Advanced
Canada
Singer-songwriter Phil Cambron talks about the “chanson vivante” scene in Montreal, his musical tastes and his ambitions.
Difficulty: Beginner
France
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.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
You’ve heard of Elvis impersonators? Well France has Claude François impersonators! Meet Tom Evers, who performs in the style of Podium at the very same club where the real Claude used to come to relax, comme d’habitude.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Miss Acacia is a character in the novel La Mécanique du Cœur (“The Mechanics of the Heart”) by Dionysos lead singer Mathias Malzieu; in it, the protagonist falls madly in love with her.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
“Neige” is another fantastical number from French rock band Dionysos. The group, which has been together since high school, lists several film directors among their influences, and it’s not hard to see the impact of one in particular, Tim Burton, on the dark, whimsical stylings of this video.
Difficulty: Beginner
France
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.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Lunatic Age is a four-member group from France’s Montpellier, a band that makes rock and roll “as though every song could be the last.” The song “À quoi bon?” deals with the heavy subjects of alcoholism and child abuse.
Difficulty: Beginner
France
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.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Get lost in the dreamy lyrics and musical styling of Vincent Venet with this song from his 2005 album “Humeur.” Venet, who describes himself as an author, composer, performer, and director, wrote and composed the album in just several weeks in the beautiful Ardennes of Belgium.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
The last in our four-part series on Paris fashion week showcases the latest collections of Lanvin by Alber Elbaz, Christian Lacroix and his luxury ready-to-wear, Louis Vuitton by Marc Jacobs, and Hermès by Jean-Paul Gaultier.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
The band No One Is Innocent (whose name is also the title of a single by the seminal punk band the Sex Pistols—coincidence?) have described themselves as “electro-rock-blues” and list influences as diverse as Beck, Betty Davis, and Black Sabbath.
“La Peur” was written around the time of France’s most recent presidential election, and if you listen to the lyrics, it’s not hard to hear its influence on the song’s theme. Perhaps now No One will write an ode to the USA’s new president; they could call it “L’Espoir.”
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
Marion Cotillard was not a superstar when she landed the role of Edith Piaf in La Môme. But, already a formidable actress, she had an impressive set of roles under her belt, and the film’s director had no doubt she was “the one.” He was right: Marion took home the Oscar for best actress in 2008.
An interesting note: The USA release title for the film – in French, ironically enough – is La Vie en Rose, the name of a famous Piaf song, which basically means, “life through rose-colored glasses.” The French title comes from Piaf’s nickname: “La Môme Piaf,” which can be translated as “the little sparrow,” but also means “little kid Piaf.”
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Which four designers’ collections are not to miss (if your income is in the seven digits)? Chanel, Yves Saint-Laurent, Loewe, and, for your delicate foot, René Caovilla and his sparkling handmade Venetian shoes.
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