French pop music…what’s that then?
For quite a while now I’ve been trying to extract an article about French pop music from teenage daughter. Unfortunately cash hasn’t worked and Mrs B has said that torture is not an option, so the project has been set aside for the time being. Presumably until daughter has a pressing need for a new pair of shoes or earrings.
We do have an article about French pop stars but it is out of date and of limited use - anyone under 40 years old will immediately recognise that there is nothing mentioned of recent vintage or interest, and foreign readers will get a strange idea of the world of modern French pop music. Although most of the world already have a strange idea about it so perhaps nothing will change…
French music gets, let’s say, its fair share of criticism. Like French TV it is usually written off as being ‘complete rubbish’, typically by people who don’t know it, listen to it or watch it. In truth both French TV and French pop music, like that of every country in the world, has a good amount of uninspiring and uninteresting content, and a certain amount of originality.
Anyway I don’t have the time or the youth to investigate the scary world of the young, so I was pleased to see that someone else was picking up the baton. Over at this French pop music blog you can meet some of the pop stars that the French like to listen to, usually (but not always) in French.
The site gives a pretty good overview of some of the popular but not very very trendy music, that real youth in France actually enjoy - such as the recent winners of the French Music Awards - the ‘Victoires de la Musique’. If you are interested in such things I suggest you check it out.
While you are there you can also see a startling picture of Carlo Bruni, wife of president Sarkozy and looking like MrsThatcher never did - Carlo Bruni was a pop star before being a president’s wife. Then watch a bit of the video of her singing ‘Quelqu’un m’a dit’ - even if you don’t understand a word of French she has the sexiest voice you ever heard.
Good, that’s pop music and youth culture out of the way for the time being, I can get back to writing about French Impressionist painters - much more up my street!
That’s really funny. Even when you do get the scoop from your daughter I doubt I will understand much of it. I’m continually surprised here stateside about how much language changes with each generation.
mc solaar is class. otherwise, french pop music is stuck in a difficult and murky place right now.
We have been in France now since December 2007. They are still playing the same songs on the radio now that they were playing when we first arrived!
The trouble is, when you;ve heard the same 10 songs every day for 3 months, you actually start to learn them - not something I ever wanted to be do… still, it’s one more thing I can embarras the kids with by singing along in the car :o)
Richard, the trick is to rotate radio channels. They only buy about 10 songs every month or two as you say…but usually each radio station buys different songs. So a careful process of selection can make you think that you are hearing a wide variety.
Otherwise just give up and listen to Cherie FM.
I beg to differ with Globus, and with anyone else who thinks French music is in a murky place. Since 2005 I’ve dedicated my blog to French singing girls, posting wonderful sexy music from past and present. Heck, I even compiled a well=selling cd with nothing but French singing filles.
See here http://www.fillessourires.com
and here http://www.myspace.com/fillesfragiles