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.

Sophie-SongJa Lévy takes us into her music workshop, SongJa Flûtes. She is a transverse flute (concert flute) specialist who will show you the different parts of the instrument and teach you a few technical terms.

Nâdiya, a champion athlete, has switched gears to become a chart-busting R&B/hip-hop artist. She is fast becoming a major urban act featuring a great blend of lyrical and instrumental innovation. In this music video, “Et c’est parti,” Nâdiya pairs up ringside with US rapper Smartzee, demonstrating both her physical and artistic talent. This song will surely get you moving!

The youngest of six children, Nâdiya was born and raised in Tours to Algerian parents. Not long after turning 16, Nâdiya earned the title of French champion in the 800-meter track and field competition. Now, in her thirties, she is one of France’s biggest R&B stars. Sung with the passion of the young mother that she is, Parle-moi (Talk to me) tackles the difficult topic of child abuse.

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!

Matthieu Chedid, better known as M, comes from a long line of talented artists. Mathieu is the eldest son of famous French singer Louis Chedid and the grandson of the writer Andrée Chedid.

Cyril Kamar, who later appeared on the music scene as K-Maro, was born in Lebanon. While still a child, he and his family fled to Paris, but finally settled in Quebec.

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.

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.

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.”

After finding early success in his native Rwanda in ’93, Corneille was forced to flee his country. “Comme un fils” (“Like a Son”) is representative of his soul roots and affinity for emotional melodies.

Philippe composed a short piano melody for Claire. After playing it for her, he teaches her some basic chords.

DJ Gilb’R and I:Cube, a unique duo, are the key ingredients of Château Flight. Their innovative electro-fusion beat, with hints of everything from pop to soul, is demonstrated on their album, The Meal.

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!

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