Difficulty: Intermediate
France, Spain
Kendji Girac, a star of the French version of The Voice, goes back to his Gypsy roots in "Color Gitano" (Spanish for "Gypsy color"). This fun, rhythmic song will definitely make you want to get up and dance, and it'll even teach you some Spanish too!
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Isabelle Geffroy, aka Zaz, sings “On ira” (We'll Go) from her 2013 album Recto Verso. She takes us on a beautiful journey where, as she says, "encounters make the most beautiful voyages." Let her powerful voice transport you into an ideal world where "children are the guardians of the soul."
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Oldelaf's "Bérénice" is a beautiful love song with a somewhat tragic (but very comical!) ending. You'll both laugh at and be moved by Oldelaf's poetic language and soulful crooning.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
The thirty-four-year-old singer Zaz made her debut in 2010 (after singing on the streets of Paris for a while, like her famous predecessor, Edith Piaf). Her single "Eblouie par la nuit" (Blinded by the Night) was hugely successful and is sure to dazzle you too.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
In his song "Zombie," Maître Gims wants to wake up from his Zombie state and take charge of his destiny by removing the chains that hold him back: warding off the darkness, confusion, and paranoia surrounding his life.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Oldelaf, aka Olivier Delafosse, sings "Je mange" (I Eat). This darkly humorous video paints a portrait of a modern man's dysfunctional relationship with food. If it sounds a little too familiar to you, that could mean it's time for a game of table tennis (with a partner)!
Difficulty: Intermediate
Belgium
In the music video for "Tous les mêmes" (All the Same) Stromae impersonates both the man and the woman in a stormy relationship. He wants children. She doesn't want any because she thinks "men are all the same" and can't be trusted to raise them. Stromae concludes the song with a beautifully choreographed dance equal to none—except for the late Michael Jackson, perhaps.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Belgium
In his brilliant song "Papaoutai" (Dad, Where Are You?), Stromae depicts the endless game of hide and seek that some children play with their fathers. Stromae (né Paul Van Haver), who was raised by his mother, lost his own father in 1994 to the Rwandan Genocide.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
In this powerful music video, Grand Corps Malade puts a modern twist on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and even gives it a happy ending. You'll find a good amount of argot (slang) in the song lyrics, including some verlan, a form of slang that's very popular among French youth.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Maître Gims's hit "J'me tire" (I'm Outta Here) reached the top of the French music charts in 2013. In the song, the rapper expresses his frustrations with being famous and a desire to leave it all behind him and escape to a place where he "won't be the suspect."
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
In her first hit single, "Dernière Danse" (Last Dance), Indila shares her troubles, her loneliness, and her sense of rejection in the big city of Paris. Her sweet suffering (douce souffrance or douce France) is a melancholy echo of classic French songwriting, underlining her struggles and lending pathos to her courage.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Oldelaf turned his abhorrence for rough stucco walls that scrape your skin into a funky song, "Le crépi" (Stucco).
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
In his song "Le monde est beau" (The World Is Beautiful), Oldelaf's ironic take on social networking is bittersweet and not without humor.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Enjoy Duel's spooky new single "Vertigo," set against a particularly impassioned, vengeful scene from an old film. It will definitely give you the chills!
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
The Parisian band Duel, formed by Julien Boulfray and Brieuc Carnaille, takes us from the Champs-Élysées to the Caribbean atolls in this energetic music video.
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