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.

The “ch’ti” dialect and way of life of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region in northern France is the subject of the movie Bienvenue chez les ch’tis, number two on the all-time French box office list and the first French movie on the list. Actor-director Dany Boon knew just the right mix of ingredients to make it stick.

Two women – one French, one American – speak of their new careers as vineyard owners. With the increasing popularity of New World wines, land in the Bordeaux region of France is becoming cheaper.

Singer-songwriter Phil Cambron talks about the “chanson vivante” scene in Montreal, his musical tastes and his ambitions.

Buddhist monks and other Tibetans protest against Chinese rule while their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, continues his exile in India. The topic of Tibet was a sore point for China as it prepared to host the Summer Olympics.

Don’t confuse Noah’s Ark with Zoé’s Ark. The first is said to have saved Noah, his family, and two representatives of each living creature, and the second claims it tried to save children. The members involved in this child abduction scheme have been found guilty, but who should pay the restitution?

Pain, and how to better manage it, is becoming increasingly focused on by members of the medical community. Some hospitals have even appointed special doctors for pain management and a few are opening pain management centers.

This electro-pop song named “La place des anges” belongs to the Belgian group Yaaz’s album Azerty. The word “Azerty” refers to the Qwerty keyboard’s cousin, which is more adapted to French typing.

Montpellier-based heavy metal group Peach FTL has been going strong since 1997. “L’Empreinte” comes from their first album, Addiction, released in 2005. They followed up Addiction with Supernova in 2007.

Choosing a name for a new baby is just one of the tricky tasks parents face. Should you go with a classic, like Jeanne; a trendy name, like Mathéo; or an old-school throwback, like Alphonse? It can be tough to decide, but if all else fails, just use your alphabet blocks!

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!

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.

Meet Jean-Phillipe Talbot, pizza man at Montréal’s F&F Pizza. F&F is a gourmet pizza shop, owned by the multi-talented company Rhinoceros, where Francophones and Anglophones alike can come to savor a slice (those who can afford it, that is).

Les Nubians record with the late great father of Bossa Nova, Henri Salvador. “Que le mot soit perle” is a sweet song dedicated to all children orphaned by AIDS.

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