Mario Canonge is one of the most exciting pianists tickling today’s plastic ivories, and Yabla was lucky enough to have caught him in person.

Mario has been influenced by Martinique, and he discusses what it means to represent and build upon French Caribbean rhythms on the world stage.

Youssou N’Dour, one of the world’s most beloved French-speaking musicians, hails not from France, but from Africa.

Rock and roll, garage, hard-core, street punk — from Black Flag to Agnostic Front to Crisis, Frustration isn’t just a sentiment, it’s a way of life! With Frustration, “Your life will be sadder, but it’ll be more lucid.”

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 that's actually part of a love story…

From Scratch is not only the name of Neïmo’s first album, it also sums up their ethos. Original and full of energy, Neïmo is a distinctive part of a rock and roll trend: made in France but sung in English! According to the band, rock and roll is best done in its original language. Hear about how they mix their inspirations and influences with their innovation.

The lovely singer tells us in franglais about franglais. She discusses her experiences growing up bilingual in Quebec, her international travels, and why it’s not always a good idea to tell someone if you’ve ripped your pants…

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.

Men, women, love: Charles-Baptiste tells us what’s special (and what’s universal) about his love life in New York, and lets us in on the secret to his success. You have to get your hands dirty!

Remember Bertrand Pierre, the smooth crooner of “Si vous n’avez rien à me dire”? He’s back to tell us about his background as a musician, and how he stumbled across the Victor Hugo idea…

Bertrand Pierre is back to tell us more about his album: Autre Chose, a tribute to the lesser-known love poems of Victor Hugo.

Bertrand Pierre was inspired by Victor Hugo, and Victor Hugo was inspired by his very active love life. As it turns out, Hugo’s little love poems make for great song lyrics.

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.

Meet Les Nubians, two singer-songwriter sisters who grew up in both Paris and Chad and whose music has been nominated for several awards, including a Grammy (and not just in the World Music category, thank you very much). We know we’re big fans!

Hélène and Célia tell us about their musical influences, origins, and inspiration. When they encountered prejudice about Africa and Africans upon coming back to France, Les Nubians used music to paint a truer picture of African culture.