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InFrance,music reflects a diverse array of styles. In the field ofclassical music, France has produced several prominentromantic composers, while folk and popular music have seen the rise of thechanson andcabaret style. The oldest playable musical recordings were made in France using the earliest known sound recording device in the world, thephonautograph, which was patented byÉdouard-Léon Scott de Martinville in 1857. France is also the 5th largest market by value in the world, and its music industry has produced many internationally renowned artists, especially in thenouvelle chanson andelectronic music.
Frenchmusic history dates back toorganum in the 10th century, followed by theNotre Dame School, an organum composition style.Troubadour songs ofchivalry andcourtly love were composed in theOccitan language between the 10th and 13th centuries, and theTrouvère poet-composers flourished in Northern France during this period. The fiddle was their instrument of choice.[1] By the end of the 12th century, a form of song called themotet arose, accompanied by traveling musicians calledjongleurs. In the 14th century, France produced two notable styles of music,Ars Nova andArs Subtilior
Burgundy, which was the mostlyFrench-speaking area unified with theKingdom of France in 1477, had become a major center for musical development in the musical continent Europe. This was followed by the rise ofchansons and theBurgundian School.
Influential composers includedJean-Baptiste Lully,Marc-Antoine Charpentier,Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre,Louis Couperin,François Couperin andJacques Champion de Chambonnières.Jean Philippe Rameau, a prominent opera composer, wrote an influential treatise on musical theory, especially in the subject ofharmony; he also introduced theclarinet into his orchestras. In the late Renaissance and early Baroque period, a type of popular secular vocal music calledAir de cour spread throughout France.
The first Frenchopera may beAkébar roi du Mogol, first performed inCarpentras in 1646. It was followed by the team ofPierre Perrin andCambert, whosePastoral in Music, performed inIssy, was a success, and the pair moved to Paris to producePomone (1671) andLes Peines et les Plaisirs de l'Amour (1672).
Jean-Baptiste Lully, who had become well known for composingballets forLouis XIV, began creating a French version of the Italianopera seria, a kind of tragic opera known astragédie lyrique ortragédie en musique - see (French lyric tragedy). His first wasCadmus from 1673. Lully's forays into operatic tragedy were accompanied by the pinnacle of French theatrical tragedy, led byCorneille andRacine.
Lully also developed the common beat patterns used by conductors to this day and was the first to take the role of leading the orchestra from the position of the first violin.
The French composerGeorges Bizet composedCarmen, one of the best-known and most popular operas.
Claude Balbastre was an organist, harpsichordist and fortepianist. He was one of the most famous musicians of his time.
Henri-Montan Berton, son of Pierre, is principally remembered as a composer of operas, most of which were first performed at the Opéra-Comique.
Chélard earned his living for much of his career as a violist at the Paris Opera. His 1827 opera Macbeth was a flop in Paris, but a great success in Munich.
Jeanne-Hippolyte Devismes married the director of the Paris Opéra. Her only known works are a song, "La Dame Jacinthe", and an opera, Praxitėle, which was a success and ran for 16 performances.
Harpsichordist and composerJacques Duphly contributed to Jean-Jacques Rousseau dictionary, for articles relating to the art of playing the harpsichord.
One of the major French composers of the time, and one of the most innovative composers of the early Romantic era, wasHector Berlioz.
In the late 19th century, pioneers such asGeorges Bizet,Jules Massenet,Gabriel Fauré,Maurice Ravel andClaude Debussy revitalized French music. The last two had an enormous impact on 20th-century music - both in France and abroad - and influenced many major composers such asBéla Bartók andIgor Stravinsky.Erik Satie was also a very significant composer from that era. His music is difficult to classify.
The early 20th century saw neo-classical music flourish in France, especially composers such asLili Boulanger,Nadia Boulanger,Albert Roussel andLes Six, a group of musicians who gathered around Satie. Later in the century,Olivier Messiaen,Henri Dutilleux andPierre Boulez proved influential. The latter was a leading figure ofSerialism while Messiaen incorporated Asian (particularly Indian) influences andbird song and Dutilleux translated the innovations of Debussy, Bartók and Stravinsky into his own, very personal, musical idiom.
The most important French contribution to musical innovation of the past 35 years is a form ofcomputer-assisted composition called "spectral music". The astonishing technical advances of the spectralist composers in the 1970s are only recently beginning to achieve wide recognition in the United States; major composers in this vein includeGérard Grisey,Tristan Murail, andClaude Vivier.
Traditional styles of music have survived most in remote areas such as the island of Corsica and mountainous Auvergne, as well as the more nationalistic regions of theBasques and theBretons. In many cases, folk traditions were revived in relatively recent years to cater to tourists. Thesegroupes folkloriques tend to focus on very early 20th-centurymelodies and the use of thepiano accordion.
In 1900 in Paris, a new style of waltz emerged, the "Valse musette" an evolution ofBal-musette also known as "French Waltz". Aimable,Émile Vacher,Marcel Azzola,Yvette Horner,André Verchuren were famous accordionists who played valse musette. There is alsoYann Tiersen and itsAmélie (soundtrack) of Amélie from Montmartre.
The West of France comprises thePays de Nantes, the provinces ofVendée,Anjou andMaine, and thePoitou-Charentes region. Traditions ofballad-singing, dance-songs andfiddle-playing have survived, predominantly in Poitou and the Vendée.Jérôme Bujeaud collected extensively in the area, and his 2-volume work "Chants et chansons populaires des provinces de l'ouest:Poitou,Saintonge,Aunis etAngoumois" (Niort, 1866) remains the principal scholarly collection of music and songs. In recent decades John Wright andClaude Ribouillault (amongst others) have done much to collect, analyse and promote the surviving traditions.
TheMarais Breton of Vendée is noted particularly for its tradition ofveuze playing - which has been revived by thebagpipe-maker and playerThierry Bertrand - and for traditional singers such as Pierre Burgaud.
Folk dances specific to the West of France include thecourante, or maraichine, and the bal saintongeais.Bourrées in triple time have been noted in the 19th century by Bujeaud, and more recently, in Angoumois. Circle- or chain-dances accompanied by caller-and-response singing have been noted in the West, and also in other regions such asGascony,Normandy andBrittany.
Notable contemporary folk musicians includeChristian Pacher andClaude Ribouillault (Poitou) and the groupLa Marienne (Vendée.)
DistinctlyCeltic in character, the folk music of LowerBrittany has had perhaps the most successful revival of its traditions, partly thanks to the city ofLorient, which hosts France's most popular music festival:Festival Interceltique de Lorient.
The documented history of Breton music begins with the publication ofBarzaz-Breizh in 1839. A collection of folk songs compiled byHersart de la Villemarqué,Barzaz-Breizh re-branded and promoted Breton traditions and helped ensure their continuity.
Sonneurs couples, consisting of abombard and abiniou (bagpipe), is usually played at festoù-noz (Fest Noz) celebrations (some are famous, such asPrintemps de Chateauneuf). It is swiftdance music and has an older vocal counterpart calledkan ha diskan. Unaccompaniedcall and response singing was interspersed with thegwerz, a form ofballad.
Probably the most popular form of Breton folk is thebagad pipe band, which features native instruments such asbiniou andbombard alongside drums and, in more modern groups,biniou braz pipes. Modern revivalists includeKevrenn Alre Bagad andBagad Kemper.
Alan Stivell is perhaps the most influentialfolk-rock performer of continental Europe. After 1971'sRenaissance of the Celtic Harp, Breton and other Celtic traditional music achieved mainstream success internationally. WithDan Ar Braz, he then releasedChemins de Terre (1974), which launched Breton folk-rock. This set the stage for stars such asMalicorne in the ensuing decades.
In later years much has been done to collect and popularize the musical traditions of thePays Gallo ofUpper Brittany, for which the singerBertran Ôbrée, his groupÔbrée Alie and the association DASTUM must take much credit. The songs of Upper Brittany are either in French or inGallo.
Modern Breton folk music includes harpists such asAnne-Marie Jan,Anne Auffret andMyrdhin, while singersKristen Nikolas,Andrea Ar Gouilh andYann-Fanch Kemener have become mainstream stars. Instrumental bands, however, have been the most successful, includingGwerz,Bleizi Ruz,Strobinell,Sonerien Du andTud.
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Central France includes the regions ofAuvergne,Limousin,Morvan,Nivernais,Bourbonnais andBerry. The lands are the home to a significantbagpipe tradition, as well as the iconichurdy-gurdy and the dancebourrée. There are deep differences between the regions of Central France, with the Auvergne and Limousin retained the most vibrant folk traditions of the area. As an example of the area's diversity, the bourrée can come in either duple or triple meter; the latter is found in the south of the region, and is usually improvised withbagpipes and hurdy-gurdy, while the former is found in the north and includes virtuoso players.
The hurdy-gurdy, orvielle-à-roue, is essentially a mechanical violin, with keys or buttons instead of a fingerboard. It is made up of a curved, oval body, a set of keys and a curved handle, which is turned and connected to a wheel which bows the strings that are stopped by the keys. There is a moveable bridge, a variable number of drones and optionalsympathetic strings. Other forms of the hurdy-gurdy are found all over Europe.
The bagpipe is found in a wide array of forms in France. Thecabrette andgrande cornemuse fromAuvergne andBerry are best known. These forms are found at least as far back as the 17th century. Prominent bagpipers includeBernard Blanc,Frédéric Paris andPhilippe Prieur, as well as bandleaderJean Blanchard ofLa Grande Bande de Cornemuses andQuintette de Cornemuses. Frédéric Paris is also known as a member of theDuo Chabenat-Paris, who use elements such as mixed polyphonic ensembles and melodies based on the bourrée. Bernard Blanc and Jean Blanchard, along withÉric Montbel from Lyon, were among the musicians who formed the basis ofLa Bamboche andLe Grand Rouge. It was these two bands who did more than anyone to revitalize the traditions of Central France during the 1970sfolk revival.[citation needed] The festival ofSt. Chartier, amusic festival held annually nearChâteauroux, has been a focal point for the music of Auvergne and Limousin.
The regions ofMorvan andNivernais have produced some traditional stars, includingFaubourg de Boignard andLes Ménétriers du Morvan, respectively. The Nivernais collectorAchille Millien was also notable in the early part of the 20th century.
The music of theFrench Basque Country (east of theBasque Country) should be considered against a Pyrenean cultural background. Up to recent times and stillttun-ttun andxirula should be highlighted in traditional folk music (especially in the province ofSoule) as a tabor and pipe like pair.
Mixel Etxekopar or Jean Mixel Bedaxagar have played a major role in Basque traditional music as xirula players as well as traditional singers. Other popular performers such asBenat Achiary take on a more experimental approach. These performers refer to a former tradition collected and restored by figures such as Etxahun Iruri (1908–1979) where singing improviser poets (bertsolaris) played an important role in popular culture. Thisbertsolari tradition relies almost exclusively on younger generations, and efforts are being made now to restore it along the lines of the "southern" tradition, i.e. of theSpanish Basque Country.
Music from theBasque Country nowadays caters to almost all the tastes of music, with a wide range of music being played in Basque, from choral music (Oldarra inBiarritz) to elaborate music bands (e.g. Bidaia) to ska or hardcore trends, while it is much praised lately for the fine bare voices that have arisen with the likes of Maddi Oihenart, Maialen Errotabehere or Amaren Alabak, to mention but a few.
Corsican polyphonic singing is perhaps the most unusual of the French regional music varieties. Sung by male trios, it is strongly harmonic and occasionally dissonant. Works can be either spiritual or secular. Modern groups includeCanta u Populu Corsu,I Muvrini,Tavagna andChjami Aghjalesi; some groups have been associated with Corsicannationalism.
Corsicanmusical instruments include thecaramusa (cornemuse bagpipe),cetera (16-stringedlute),mandulina (mandolin),pifana (a type ofgemshorn) andurganettu (diatonicaccordion).
The 20th century saw the apogee of theCabaret style withYvette Guilbert as a major star. The era lasted through to the 1930s and saw the likes ofÉdith Piaf,Charles Trenet,Maurice Chevalier,Tino Rossi,Félix Mayol,Lucienne Boyer,Marie-Louise Damien,Marie Dubas,Fréhel,Georges Guibourg andJean Sablon.
During the 50s and 60s, it was the golden age ofChanson Française:Juliette Gréco,Mireille Mathieu,Georges Brassens,Jacques Brel,Gilbert Bécaud,Monique Serf (Barbara),Léo Ferré,Charles Aznavour andAlain Barrière. TheYéyé style was popular in the 1950s and 60s withSheila,Claude François,Françoise Hardy andJohnny Hallyday. This era also sawSerge Gainsbourg andJane Birkin experiment with avant-garde pop, integrating provocative themes and diverse musical styles, marking French pop as emotionally sophisticated and distinct.
The 1970s brought disco, progressive rock, and electronic influences. Artists likeMichel Sardou,Claude François, andDaft Punk merged French pop with global trends.Jean-Michel Jarre pioneered electronic music, notably with Oxygène, pushing French music onto the world stage. In the 1980s, French pop fused international genres with artists likeVanessa Paradis andMylène Farmer, alongside the rise of chanson nouvelle, led byEtienne Daho andAlain Bashung. This era was marked by new wave, synth-pop, and rock influences, reflecting France’s shifting cultural landscape. By the 1990s, French pop achieved global success, especially through electronic music with Daft Punk,Air, and the French touch movement. This period also saw the rise of variété française, with artists likeCéline Dion andZazie gaining international acclaim while staying rooted in French culture.
Cabaret is a typical form of French musical entertainment featuringchanson,music,dance,comedy andspectacles. The audience usually sits at tables, often dining or drinking, and performances are sometimes introduced by a master of ceremonies. The first cabaret was opened in 1881 inMontmartre, Paris, byRodolphe Salis and was calledLe Chat Noir (The Black Cat). Built in 1889,Moulin Rouge is famous for the large red windmill on its roof. Other popular French cabarets include theFolies Bergère andLe Lido. Cabarets were a key venue in the careers of many singers such asMistinguett,Josephine Baker,Charles Trenet andEdith Piaf. More recently,Patricia Kaas embodies the revival of the French cabaret style.
TheCancan, also calledFrench-Cancan, is a high-energy and physically demanding musical dance, traditionally performed by achorus line of female dancers who wear costumes with long skirts, petticoats, and black stockings. The main features of the dance are the lifting and manipulation of the skirts, withhigh kicking and suggestive, provocative body movements. TheInfernal Galop fromJacques Offenbach'sOrpheus in the Underworld is the tune most associated with theCancan. TheCancan first appeared in the working-class ballrooms ofMontparnasse inParis in around 1830. It was a more lively version of theGalop, a dance in quick2/4 time, which often featured as the final figure in theQuadrille.
Chanson Française is the typical style of French music (chanson means "song" in French) and is still very popular in France. Some of the most important artists included:Édith Piaf,Juliette Gréco,Mireille Mathieu,Jacques Brel,Georges Brassens,Gilbert Bécaud,Monique Serf (Barbara),Léo Ferré,Charles Aznavour,Salvatore Adamo andDalida plus the more art-house musicians likeBrigitte Fontaine. Also during the 1950s one of the more representative of Montmartre cabaret singers wasSuzanne Robert.
During the 1970s, new artists modernized the chanson Française (Michel Fugain,Renaud,Francis Cabrel,Alain Souchon,Jacques Higelin,Alain Chamfort,Joe Dassin) and also in the 80s (Étienne Daho,Têtes Raides) till now (Benjamin Biolay,Zaz,Vincent Delerm,Bénabar,Jean-Louis Murat,Miossec, Juliette,Mano Solo, Jacques Higelin,Matthieu Chedid,Mathieu Boogaerts,Daniel Darc,Maurane,Christina Goh,Renan Luce). Singer-songwriterSerge Gainsbourg began as a jazz musician in the 1950s and spanned several eras of French popular music including pop, rock, reggae, new wave, disco and even hip hop.
Musette is a style of French music and dance that became popular in Paris in the 1880s. Musette uses theaccordion as main instrument, and often symbolizes the French art of living abroad.Émile Vacher (1883-1969) was the star of the new style.[2] Other popular musette accordionists includeAimable Pluchard,Yvette Horner andAndré Verchuren. In 2001, the musette-style was a huge international success through the albumAmélie composed byYann Tiersen.
Yéyé is a style of popular music that emerged from France in the early 1960s. The yé-yé movement had its origins in the radio programmeSalut les copains, which was first aired in October 1959. Most famousYéyé stars includeJohnny Hallyday,Eddy Mitchell,Richard Anthony,Dick Rivers and the popular girls such asFrance Gall,Sheila,Sylvie Vartan, and artists who fuse various music genres such asChantal Goya,Dalida orClaude François. These were popular femaleteen idols, and includedFrançoise Hardy, who was the first to write her own songs.
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The more commercial and pop part ofChanson is calledVariété in French, and includedVanessa Paradis,Patricia Kaas,Patrick Bruel,Marc Lavoine,Pascal Obispo,Florent Pagny,Francis Cabrel,Étienne Daho,Alain Souchon,Laurent Voulzy andJean-Jacques Goldman. The superstar status of divaMylène Farmer inspired pop-rock performers such asZazie,Lorie,Alizée, and R&B singers likeNâdiya andOphelie Winter.
More recently, the success of musical television shows have spawned a new generation of young pop-music stars includingNolwenn Leroy,Grégory Lemarchal,Christophe Willem,Julien Doré andÉlodie Frégé. The French-Caribbean singerShy'm enjoys a status of popstar in France since her first album in 2006, as well as her male counterpartMatt Pokora. Notable pop-rock groups includeNiagara andIndochine. Michel Sardou is also known for his love songs ("La maladie d'amour", "Je vais t'aimer").
Rock'n Roll started to become popular in the 60s with singers likeJohnny Hallyday. There were also innovative musicians in France as thepsychedelic rock trend was peaking worldwide.Jean-Pierre Massiera'sLes Maledictus Sound (1968) andAphrodite's Child's666 were the most influential. Later came bands such asMagma,Martin Circus,Au Bonheur des Dames,Trust,Téléphone. In the early 70s, Breton musicianAlan Stivell (Renaissance de la Harpe Celtique) launched the field of Frenchfolk-rock by combining psychedelic and progressive rock sounds with Breton and Celtic folk styles. In the 80s and 90s, bands likeNoir Désir and artists likePaul Personne carried the torch with grunge and blues influences.
French rock has continued to evolve, blending genres and embracing new influences. Bands likePhoenix andAir brought French rock to international audiences, mixing elements of indie, electronic, and pop with traditional rock. Phoenix’s 2009 album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix won global acclaim, blending indie rock with catchy, upbeat sounds. In the 2010s,Indochine,Shaka Ponk, andLa Femme pushed the boundaries further, combining rock with electronic, funk, and psychedelic influences. Indochine, a long-standing group, continued to captivate with their mix of new wave and rock.
France became one of the leading producers ofProgressive rock in the 1970s. Aficionados worldwide were enamoured by recordings such asAnge'sLe Cimetiere des arlequins,Pulsar'sHalloween,Shylock'sIle de Fievre,Atoll'sL'Araignee-Mal andEskaton'sArdeur. Most well-known, however, may be the bandMagma which created its own genre,Zeuhl music.
In the 1980s, French rock spawned myriad styles, many closely connected with other Francophone musical scenes in Switzerland, Canada and especially Belgium.Pub rock (Telephone),psychobilly (La Muerte),pop punk (Les Thugs),synthpop andpunk rock (Bérurier Noir,Bijou andGill Dougherty) were among the styles represented in this era. Beginning in the 1980s,Les Rita Mitsouko became very popular throughout Europe with their unique blending of punk, new wave, dance and cabaret elements.
Punk rock had arisen in the 1970s and continued into the next decade, perhaps best represented byMinimum Vital who are still active,Oberkampf andMétal Urbain. 80s progressive rock peaked early in the decade, withDün'sEros,Emeraude'sGeoffroy andTerpandre'sTerpandre, all from 1981, representing the genre's pinnacle, in French West Indies (Guadeloupe Island) The Bolokos represent the genre.
French heavy metal bands includeGojira,Dagoba,Anorexia Nervosa,Hacride,Eths,Loudblast, Carcariass,Massacra,Gorod,Kronos,Yyrkoon,Benighted,Necrowretch,[3] andFairyland. Many of these bands play in thedeath metal,thrash metal and/orpower metal styles.[4]
France also has a large black metal movement, including,Belenos,Deathspell Omega,Nocturnal Depression,Blut Aus Nord,Peste Noire,Vorkreist,Arkhon Infaustus,Merrimack andAntaeus, and the organization known asLes Légions Noires made up of such bands asMütiilation,Vlad Tepes and Torgeist. The 'shoegaze' black metal movement also has many bands hailing from France, such asAlcest,Les Discrets andAmesoeurs.
Electronic music, as exemplified byJean Michel Jarre andCerrone, achieved a wide French audience. The French electro-pop duosAir andDaft Punk andtechno artistsLaurent Garnier andDavid Guetta found a wide audience in the late 1990s and early first decade of the 21st century, both locally and internationally. Groups such asJustice,M83,Phoenix,Télépopmusik andKlingande continue to enjoy success.
French house is a late 1990s form ofhouse music, part of the 1990s and first decade of the 21st-century European dance music scene and the latest form ofEuro disco. The genre is also known as "Disco house", "Neu-disco" (new disco), "French touch", "filter house" or "tekfunk". The early mid/late 1990s productions was notable for the "filter effect" used by artists such asDaft Punk.[5] Other productions use more mainstream vocals and samples.French house is greatly influenced by the 1970sEuro disco and especially the short livedspace disco music style (a European (mostly French) variation ofHi-NRG disco), and also byP-Funk and the productions ofThomas Bangalter.
The first French house experiments (at the time called "disco house" and "neu disco") became notable in the international market between 1997 and 1999.Daft Punk,Stardust andCassius were the first international successful artists of the genre and their videos show their "space disco" roots.
Several artists played important roles in popularizing the genre, which, in 2000, achieved international success.Bob Sinclar's single "I Feel For You" charted in several countries, including Germany, Italy, and Spain.Etienne de Crécy's albumTempovision charted at #57 in France and included the successful single "Am I Wrong." In September, the French house groupModjo released "Lady (Hear Me Tonight), which debuted at #1 in the UK and became a top-ten hit in thirteen countries.Galleon followed the next year.
Today most French house bands and artists have moved on to other music styles, notably a French variation ofelectro, that is danced on the milky way/Tecktonik style.
TheVillage People, co-founded by the two French composersJacques Morali andHenri Belolo, was a major international disco group. Notable French disco singers also includeDalida,Sheila and B. Devotion,Ottawan,Voyage,Cerrone,Patrick Hernandez andF.R. David, respectively known for their worldwide hits "Monday, Tuesday... Laissez-moi danser" (1979), "Spacer" (1979), "D.I.S.C.O." (1979), "You're OK / T'es OK" (1980),Souvenirs (1978), "Supernature" (1977), "Born to Be Alive" (1979) and "Words" (1982).
Hip hop music was exported to France in the 1980s, and Frenchrappers andDJs such asDavid Guetta andMC Solaar, also had some success.Hip hop music came from New York City, invented in the 1970s byAfrican Americans. By 1983, the genre had spread to much of the world, including France. Almost immediately, French performers (musicians andbreakdancers) began their career, includingMax-Laure Bourjolly andTraction Avant. Popularity was brief, however, and hip hop quickly receded to the French underground. Hip-hop was adapted to French context, especially the poverty of large cities known as banlieues ("suburbs") where many French of foreign descent live, especially from the former colonial countries (West Africa and Caribbean). If there is some influence of African musics and of course American hip hop, French hip-hop is also strongly connected to French music, with strong reciprocal influences, from French pop and chanson, both in music and lyrics.
Paname City Rappin (1984, byDee Nasty) was the first album released, and the first major stars wereIAM,Suprême NTM andMC Solaar, whose 1991Qui Sème le Vent Récolte le Tempo, was a major hit. Through the nineties, the music grew to become one of the most popular genres in France with huge success of the pioneers (IAM, Suprême NTM) and newcomers (Ministère Amer,Oxmo Puccino,Lunatic). France is the world's second-largest hip-hop market. The most popular rappers of the 2000s areDiam's,Booba andKenza Farah with successful artists more underground such asLa Rumeur,la Caution andTTC.
Séga music is a popular style that mixes African and European music. The most popular sega musicians include Ousanousava,Baster, Maxime Laope.Maloya music has a strong African element reflected in the use of slave chants and work songs. The most popular sega musicians includeDanyèl Waro, Firmin Viry, Granmoun Lélé, Mars tou sèl.
Zouk is a fast jump-up carnival beat originating from the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique, popularized by the French Antillean bandKassav' in the 1980s. Very rapid in tempo, the style lost ground in the 1980s due to the strong presence of kadans or compas, the main music of the French Antilles. Today, zouk is the French Antilles compas,[6] also called zouk-loveIn Africa, Kassav's zouk and the Haitiancompas they featured, gained popularity infrancophone andlusophone countries. It is also particularly popular in North America in the Canadian province of Quebec.
Bouyon (Boo-Yon) is a form of popularmusic of Dominica, also known as jump up music in Guadeloupe and Martinique. The best-known band in the genre isWindward Caribbean Kulture (WCK), who originated the style in 1988.Over the years, thanks to inter-trade with the Dominicans and the mass participation of Guadeloupe at theWorld Creole Music Festival, the flagship group as Triple kay and MFR band began to democratize and local artists were inducted including the remix Allo Triple kay with Daly and "Big Ting Poppin 'Daly alone.A popular offshoot within the bouyon is calledbouyon hardcore, a style characterized by its lewd and violent lyrics. Popular Bouyon gwada musicians include, Wee Low, Suppa, Doc J, Yellow gaza, etc.
The French Antilles hip hop is a style ofhip hop music originating from the French departments ofGuadeloupe andMartinique in the Caribbean. Usually in French andAntillean creole, theFrench Antilles hip hop is most popular in the French Antilles andFrance.
Although a minority genre, French Antilles rock groups participate in the broadening of the Caribbean musical spectrum. The spearheads like The Bolokos[7][8] or Livestocks include themes, rhythms or Caribbean melodies on British or American influences. The "Rock In Gwada" collective brings together some of these groups whose first festival took place in Petit-Bourg in 2016.[9]
French language is spoken worldwide and many international artists contribute to French music.
The greatest Belgian chansonnier wasJacques Brel, whose classic songs have been covered by several international artists. Others such asSalvatore Adamo,Axelle Red,Lara Fabian,Maurane,Selah Sue,Frédéric François andAnnie Cordy have also enjoyed some success in France and other French-speaking countries.
Quebec singers are very popular in France, and both nations have influenced each other in terms of music styles. Quebec artists have been taking the French stage quite extensively. Notable singers that have performed in France included:Céline Dion,Diane Tell,Cœur de pirate,Garou,Isabelle Boulay,Lynda Lemay and many others.Roch Voisine andNatasha St-Pier, who are ofAcadian heritage, reached the top of charts in France with their famous songs "Hélène" (1989) and "Tu trouveras" (2002). Rock singerAvril Lavigne, whose father is of French origin (born inLorraine), is also popular in France, and she obtained her French passport and citizenship in 2011.[10][11]Salvatore Adamo andCharles Aznavour are widely recognized in America
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One of the most famous French-speaking Asian artists isAnggun, a French-naturalised singer fromIndonesia, best known for her singleLa Neige au Sahara (Snow on the Sahara) written byErick Benzi. The song was released in 1997 as her debut international single in 33 countries worldwide, and made the charts in Europe (#1 in Italy), America (#16 in USA Billboard), and Asia (#1 in Indonesia, #3 in Malaysia). French music also found surprising favorable reception inJapan, where the language and culture from France is often seen as romantic. Some Japanese groups use the French language, such asMalice Mizer orVersailles, named after theChâteau de Versailles.Charles Aznavour andMireille Mathieu are widely recognized in Japan.
Beginning in the 1920s,Raï music developed in Algeria as a combination of rural and urban music. Often viewed as a form of resistance towards censorship, many of the conventional values of the old raï became modernized with instruments, synthesizers and modern equipment. Later performers added influences fromfunk,hip hop,rock and other styles, creating most notably a pop genre calledlover's raï. Performers includeRachid Taha andFaudel. Originating of the city ofOran, raï shot to the top of the French, Swiss and Dutch charts in 1992 with the release ofKhaled's singleDidi.
One journal that provides coverage of popular music in France along with popular music history isVolume!.Volume! (subtitled in French:La revue des musiques populaires - The journal of popular music studies) is a biannual (May & November)peer-reviewedacademic journal "dedicated to the study of contemporarypopular music".[12] It is published by Éditions Mélanie Seteun, a publishing association specialized in popular music. The journal has both French and English editions.[13]Volume! was established in 2002 under the titleCopyright Volume! by Gérôme Guibert,[14] Marie-Pierre Bonniol, and Samuel Étienne, and obtained its current name in 2008. Étienne (Université de la Polynésie Française) was its firsteditor-in-chief (2002–2008), before Guibert (University of Paris III: Sorbonne Nouvelle) took over in 2008.[15][16][17]
I love France, in fact my father was born here, so I have applied for my French passport. I love this country so much that I am getting a French passport