French pop music
French pop music is pop music sung in the French language. It is usually performed by singers from France, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, or any of the other francophone areas of the world. The target audience is the francophone market (primarily France), which is considerably smaller than and largely independent from the mainstream anglophone market.
Music of France | |
---|---|
Styles | gregorian - classical - opera - folk - chanson - nouvelle chanson - cancan - musette - cabaret - popular - yéyé - pop - jazz - rock - hip hop - house - electronic - celtic |
History | |
Awards | Victoires de la Musique - Prix Constantin - NRJ Music Awards |
Charts | SNEP |
Festivals | Aix-en-Provence - Bourges - Eurockéennes - Francofolies - Hellfest - Interceltique - Rock en Seine - Vieilles Charrues |
Media | |
National anthem | "La Marseillaise" |
Regional music | |
Auvergne - Aquitaine - Brittany - Burgundy - Corsica - Gascony - Limousin | |
Overseas music | |
French Polynesia and Tahiti - Guadeloupe - Guiana - Martinique - New Caledonia - Réunion |
History
The first distinct French pop music styles that emerged were the French rock and the yé-yé, which originated in France during the 1960s. They were influenced by the American rock & roll of the 1950s. In the early days, this style of French pop music was easily distinguishable from the earlier category of French music called chanson in English. Eventually the early French pop music and the chanson styles crossed over and combined.
Radio in France
French pop music can be heard on radio stations in France, such as NRJ, RTL 2, Virgin Radio (formerly Europe 2), Radio Nova, Chérie FM, and others. (There are francophone radio stations outside France, but the ones in France are the most influential with respect to French pop music.) Besides French pop music, these radio stations typically play mainstream pop music (in English) as well as Latin pop, Italian pop, and African pop depending on the station.
Radio stations in France are required to play at least 40% of their songs in French, during prime hours. France's Pelchat amendment to the 1994 Broadcasting Reform Act is the law which requires this.[1]
There are studies which correlate radio station play-time with album sales.
French pop music artists
- AaRON
- Adamo
- Alizée
- Anaïs
- Keren Ann
- Dick Annegarn
- Arno
- Hugues Aufray
- Charles Aznavour
- Josephine Baker
- Daniel Balavoine
- Barbara
- Alain Bashung
- Axel Bauer
- Bénabar
- Amel Bent
- Brigitte Bardot
- Michel Berger
- Benjamin Biolay
- Jane Birkin
- Isabelle Boulay
- Mike Brant
- Georges Brassens
- Patrick Bruel
- Carla Bruni
- Bertrand Burgalat
- Cali
- Calogero
- Francis Cabrel
- Alain Chamfort
- Manu Chao
- Éric Charden
- Robert Charlebois
- Lorie
- Louis Chedid
- Matthieu Chedid
- Christophe
- Richard Clayderman
- Julien Clerc
- Riccardo Cocciante
- Annie Cordy
- Nicole Croisille
- Etienne Daho
- Dalida
- Joe Dassin
- Gérald De Palmas
- Vincent Delerm
- Michel Delpech
- Céline Dion
- Julien Doré
- Claude Dubois
- Jacques Dutronc
- Lara Fabian
- Mylène Farmer
- Jean-Pierre Ferland
- Jean Ferrat
- Nino Ferrer
- Thomas Fersen
- Patrick Fiori
- Liane Foly
- Maxime Le Forestier
- Claude François
- Élodie Frégé
- Michel Fugain
- Serge Gainsbourg
- France Gall
- Garou
- Grégoire
- Jean-Jacques Goldman
- Juliette Gréco
- Johnny Hallyday
- Françoise Hardy
- Harmonium
- Jacques Higelin
- Sophie Hunter
- Indila
- Les Innocents
- Jenifer
- Michel Jonasz
- Patrick Juvet
- Patricia Kaas
- Philippe Katerine
- Marie Laforêt
- Serge Lama
- Bernard Lavilliers
- Daniel Lavoie
- Marc Lavoine
- Maxime Le Forestier
- Grégory Lemarchal
- Lynda Lemay
- Gérard Lenorman
- Nolwenn Leroy
- Loane
- Louise Attaque
- M83
- Mano Solo
- Maurane
- Mel's[2]
- Eddy Mitchell
- Nana Mouskouri
- Georges Moustaki
- Claude Nougaro
- Offenbach
- Pascal Obispo
- Michel Pagliaro
- Florent Pagny
- Vanessa Paradis
- Kevin Parent
- Mario Pelchat
- Bruno Pelletier
- Phoenix
- Edith Piaf
- M. Pokora
- Michel Polnareff
- Quynh Anh
- Raphaël
- Axelle Red
- Red Cardell
- Serge Reggiani
- Renaud
- Ginette Reno
- Nicole Rieu
- Les Rita Mitsouko
- Dick Rivers
- Kate Ryan
- Henri Salvador
- Véronique Sanson
- Michel Sardou
- Hélène Ségara
- Sheila
- William Sheller
- Shy'm
- Mano Solo
- Natasha St-Pier
- Stromae
- Les Surfs
- Tahiti 80
- Tal
- Têtes Raides
- Téléphone
- Sébastien Tellier
- Tété
- Cœur de pirate
- Michèle Torr
- Charles Trenet
- Sylvie Vartan
- Roch Voisine
- Laurent Voulzy
- Andrée Watters
- Christophe Willem
- Nanette Workman
- Yelle
- Zazie
- Zebda
- Julie Zenatti
- Zoë (Austrian singer)
See also
- Music of Belgium
- Music of Canada
- Music of France
- Music of Switzerland
- Volume! The French journal of popular music studies
References
- David Looseley, Popular Music in Contemporary France: Authenticity, Politics, Debate, Berg Publishers, 2004 (ISBN 1-85973-636-X)
- Hugh Dauncey & Steve Cannon (editors), Popular Music in France from Chanson to Techno: Culture, Identity, and Society, Ashgate Publishing, 2003 (ISBN 0-7546-0849-2)
- Hugh Dauncey & Philippe Le Guern, Stéréo. Sociologie comparée des musiques populaires – France / Grande-Bretagne, Nantes, Éditions Mélanie Seteun, 2008 (ISBN 978-2-916668-13-0). Published in English: Stereo: Comparative Perspectives on the Sociological Study of Popular Music in France and Britain, Aldershot, Ashgate, 2010 (ISBN 978-1-4094-0568-9)
- Barbara Lebrun & Catherine Franc, "French Popular Music. Actes du Colloque de Manchester, juin 2003", Volume! La revue des musiques populaires, Nantes, Éditions Mélanie Seteun, 2003 (ISSN 1634-5495)
- Collectif (Auteur) Un Siècle de chansons françaises 1979-1989 (Partition de musique),Csdem, 2009 (ASIN B002AC5U92)