Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Héloïse Letissier took on the stage name Christine and the Queens in honor of the drag queen performers she met in a London club at a low point in her life. They helped her reinvent herself as Christine, a powerful, confident persona that she took on to counteract her shy offstage self.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
In "J'ai plongé dans le bruit" (I Dove into the Noise), the French trio Baden-Baden depicts a relationship through impressionistic imagery and poetic language. The video's water-themed visuals might be a reference to the group's namesake, the German spa town Baden-Baden.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Yseult makes her debut after being discovered on the talent quest "Nouvelles Stars" (New Stars). Later that year, she released her first single, "La Vague" (The Wave). A song about hope and overcoming trials and disappointment, it's an invitation to ride a new wave of hope and optimism.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Louane Emera sings "Jour Un" (Day One), in which she reminisces about the heady days of new love. Sadly, it's not long before she discovers that love is a fleeting emotion as she finds herself alone, having been replaced by another. Amidst the heartache, she consoles herself by saying that "day one" will always be remembered.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Canada
Sally Folk is a young Québécois singer who released her first album "Heureux Infidèles" (Happy Unfaithful) in 2013. In the title song, she sings about an affair she is having. Although she feels a twinge of conscience, being unfaithful holds too much excitement for her to stop and confess.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Zaz sings a very catchy tune, "Comme ci comme ça," from her album Recto Verso. "Comme ci comme ça" usually means "so-so," but in her song, Zaz chooses to give it a more literal meaning, "like this, like that." She wants others to accept her as she is. And to press her point, she never actually appears as herself in the video!
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Louane Emera (aka Anne Peichert), semi-finalist in the French talent competition "The Voice," released her second single "Avenir" (Future), which topped the official French Singles Chart in March 2015. She sings about overcoming a breakup and sends a hopeful message: although "it's all over," she still has a future.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Maître Gims' song "Bella" (from his solo album Subliminal) is an epic tale set in Spain where beautiful Bella wrecks havoc in all the villages she visits. Lovelorn men are falling for this "femme fatale" everywhere, and Maître Gims doesn't heed the locals' advice to stay away from her but instead falls for her too. You'll notice that Maître Gims uses a form of slang known as verlan, in which a word's syllables are reversed.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Few people can escape Oldelaf's imaginary death sentences: from children who wake up too early, to people who wear socks with sandals, to people who copy the music from the film Drive (such as Oldelaf himself), to people who actually support the death penalty. It's a good thing this video is just satirical!
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Indila sings "Love Story" from her debut album Mini World. In her song, Indila celebrates enduring love through the eyes of an old man reliving his past.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
"S.O.S." is the third single by French R&B singer-songwriter Indila from her album Mini World. The music video was shot in Greece and the song was released in 2014. Indila's sweet, melancholy voice seems perfect for this song, a cry for help from within her "kingdom of pain."
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Kendji Girac, a winner of the French version of The Voice, sings about his "beautiful Andalusian girl" in this video that will definitely make you want to get up and dance. You'll even learn a few Spanish words along with your French!
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
In "Les Voyages en train" (Train Rides), the French slam poet Grand Corps Malade creates an extended metaphor comparing love stories to train rides. Just as a successful train ride involves arriving at the station on time and catching the right train, a good love story involves finding the right person at the right moment in one's life. See if you can find some other similarities between the two in this gorgeous video.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Maître Gims's song "Changer" (To Change) is a promise to change and rescue his crumbling relationship. Too busy building his empire, he neglects his family and wants to become a better person, but is it too late to make amends? Maître Gims's choice of decor, the atmospheric ambiance of a grandiose castle—empty but for him, a guard dog, and the ghostly figure of a woman in the background—only adds to the feeling of mystery and heartache.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
R&B singer Indila sings "Tourner dans le vide" (Spiraling into Emptiness) from her album Mini World. In the song, she describes how her lover's absence has caused her to fall into a state of vertiginous sorrow and suggests that societal prejudices may also be playing a role.
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