Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Singer-songwriter Elea Lumé gives us an enchanting live performance of her song “Diesel.” Under the stage lights, Lumé is luminous.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
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.”
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
First sung by Alain Souchon in 1993 and performed here by Fréro Delavega, "Foule Sentimentale" (Sentimental Crowd) denounces society's materialistic attitude.
Difficulty: Advanced
France
The ethnic violence that devastated the central African states of Burundi and Rwanda in the 90s claimed the lives of more than a million people and created many more refugees. One of them was Gaël Faye, a French-Rwandan rapper who expresses his feelings toward his birth country in this beautiful song.
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
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: Adv-Intermediate
France
In "Inch'Allah" (Arabic for "if God wills" or "God willing"), French slam poet Grand Corps Malade and Algerian singer Reda Taliani team up to promote a message of love and acceptance of people of all cultures and colors. In the video, two people are lucky enough to have the song performed at their wedding!
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
In "Éducation Nationale," the slam poet Grand Corps Malade gives us his opinion on the shortcomings of the French national education system through the eyes of Moussa, a fifth grader in Épinay. It's a touching song and a call for change in the name of equal opportunity.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
Slam poet Grand Corps Malade sings "Comme une évidence" ("Like an Obvious Fact" or "Like it's Meant to Be"), in which he tries to write a love song for his beloved who wreaks sweet havoc on his life. He is anxious to find the right words for her. As in his previous song, "Les Voyages en Train" ("Train Rides"), which he alludes to, he includes multiple double entendres and clever turns of phrase that you will enjoy.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
In "Pocahontas," slam poet Grand Corps Malade offers some insights on raising kids and watching them grow up. He even recreates some old family photos!
Difficulty: Advanced
France
Fabien Marsaud was once an accomplished athlete who after a serious accident had to change his life path. Sometimes we're forced to give up on our dreams, as his song "Plan B" cheekily illustrates.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
On his sixth album, Plan B, slam poet Grand Corps Malade tells his story through his songs. This one, "Dimanche Soir" (Sunday Night), is dedicated to his wife of twelve years.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Discover love in capital letters with the French band Hangar singing "Les Mots" [Words].
Difficulty: Beginner
France
Here's a love song from the French band Hangar for the seafarers in all of us: "Version Originale."
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
Tahiti
In collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Tahitian artist DJ Harmelo released "Mets ton masque" ("Put on Your Mask") to encourage people to do exactly as the title says during the COVID pandemic. Check out DJ Harmelo's SoundCloud for more of his catchy tunes!
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
Canada
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.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
Canada
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.
Difficulty: Beginner
France
Ina-Ich, singer, songwriter, composer, and instrumentalist: this rockin’ babe has it all! Her song “Âme armée” shows off her many talents, blending elements of screamo, metal, rock, electronica, and even classical music into a passionate, intense ballad about the battle scars of war.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Talented musician Ina-Ich is back to share another song with us. Her live acoustic performance of “Libre comme l’eau” shows off a more classical side to her music, and treats us to a heartfelt and powerful tribute about roots, identity, and the notion of freedom.
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
"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
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
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.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
In her song "Run Run," Indila advises us to slow down and take stock. Are lifelong ambitions and the pursuit of money and success worth the sacrifice? Life in the fast lane might be too costly.
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