These brief interviews on the streets of Lille were conducted in order to test the waters of the tricky dispute over the banning of burqa-wearing in public.

Alex Terrier’s second project as a bandleader, Roundtrip, is a critically-acclaimed album in the vein of John Coltrane. Listen to it in full (and for free!) here.

Arlette Grosskost, UMP (Union for a Popular Movement) representative and member of the Parliamentary task force on the burqa in France, advocates a law aiming to ban the wearing of the full-body veil in public. What’s your take on this controversial issue? Is it a question of women’s rights? Of religious freedom? Are arguments against the burqa perhaps another type of veil—to cover up underlying racism?

Saxophonist Alex Terrier talks about how he came to be a jazz musician and shares some photos. Come take a glimpse inside the life of this gifted artist.

It’s the perfect day for a stroll along the Atlantic. Jean-Marc shows off more of his hospitable surroundings. Check out the sun, sand, and cold, cold water.

Frenchman Jean-Marc takes a trip to the seaside and lets us know how the beaches of New York’s Long Island compare to those in France. (Though clearly he’s never been to Long Beach on a holiday weekend!)

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 is truly multi-talented. You’ve heard her sing and watched her clever, creative music videos. Did you know she also has a role in the mega blockbuster From Paris with Love, with John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys Meyers? We’re starstruck!

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!

Fate works in funny ways. Melissa’s tale of how she came to be in Mozart, l'opéra rock shows us that some things are just written in the stars. We’re glad she agreed.

How many singers do you know who could pull off a dress made of origami? Melissa sparkles in renowned director Olivier Dahan’s rock opera full of glitter, color, costumes, and music that shines just as brightly.

Melissa Mars talks about her third album, À la recherche de l’amour perdu, and the making of the video for her hit single "Love Machine."

Melissa talks about the making of the music video for her second clip “Et Alors!” She was lucky enough to find a director whose vision matched her own. Great minds think alike!

Meet Melissa Mars: actress, singer, songwriter, storyteller, dreamer, “Martian.” In the first of her interviews with Yabla, Melissa tells us how her career got launched.

This Parisian poetry fair sees poets young and old, from all walks of life. Perhaps poetry is, as one attendee says, a link extended across space, time, and people.