The French music stars 5 minutes of French

Hello everyone I'm so happy to see you again for another episode of 5 Minutes of French Today I'm with Sébastien Hi Sébastien how's it going today Hi Émilie hi everyone I'm feeling a bit down but it'll pass quickly since today we're talking about the stars of French music Yes we're going on a real little musical journey But first as usual I'm giving you a little riddle And to you who are following along Go on I'm listening Who was the first French singer to sell over 100 million records worldwide A Johnny Hallyday B Charles Aznavour C Claude François Oh that's a tough one I'd say Johnny Hallyday He has an enormous career but I'm not sure Suspense As usual you'll see it at the end of the episode So let's begin with a brief trip back into the past French music is a blend of songwriting variety pop rock rap and electronic In short there's something for every taste Exactly And if we go back a bit Edith Piaf immediately comes to mind The voice behind "La vie en rose" and "Non je ne regrette rien" remains famous worldwide Yes and in the same style there's Charles Trenet with songs like "La mer" or Georges Brassens known for his poetic and socially committed lyrics And don't forget Jacques Brel who despite being Belgian left an incredible mark on French song Then come the 60s and 70s featuring stars like Claude François aka Clo-Clo who made all of France dance with "Alexandrie " "Alexandra " or "Cette année-là " And of course Johnny Hallyday the idol of his generation who brought rock to France and filled stadiums for decades There were also more subdued artists like François Zardy Serge Gainsbourg and Michel Polnareff each with their own distinct world Gainsbourg precisely is a major figure He shocked captivated and above all left a lasting mark on history with hits like "Je t'aime moi non plus" and "Aux armes " among others In the 1980s and 1990s the pop genre began to emerge featuring artists such as Mylène Farmer Jean-Jacques Goldman and Francis Cabrel popular songwriters and composers even today On the French rock side one thinks of Téléphone Les Rita Mitsouko or Indochine who consistently fill the largest venues Then there's French rap which began truly exploding in the 1990s with artists like IAM NTM or MC Solaar who have become cult figures over time Today rap is one of the most-listened-to genres Yes French rap has become extremely influential Artists like Orelsan Booba PNL and Vald fill festivals across the world and are listened to everywhere even beyond France And let’s not forget the electro Daft Punk for example is a globally renowned French duo The same goes for David Guetta or more recently Madeon and Gesaffelstein On the more recent pop side there are artists like Christine and the Queens Angèle a Belgian francophone artist Juliette Armanet Clara Luciani Vianney And another Belgian Stromae who truly redefined the codes of Francophone music Yes Stromae with his profound lyrics meticulously crafted music videos and distinctive style has become an indispensable artist Papa Outai formidable the hellhound—everyone knows him And even internationally some French artists are huge hits I'm thinking of Zaz Indila and Aya Nakamura Did you know her song Dja reached number one in the Netherlands and Romania Yes incredible French music often seen as local is increasingly being exported Thanks to platforms like YouTube Spotify and TikTok Even with so many different styles there's still something very French about French music Often great importance is placed on lyrics poetry and messages That's true What we call songwriting A tradition dating back to Léo Ferré Barbara or Renaud and still alive today Well it's time to get back to my question Do you remember your answer Yes I said Johnny Hallyday So am I right No I'm sorry The first French singer to sell over 100 million records worldwide is Charles Aznavour Yes Aznavour sang in multiple languages and toured worldwide So it's not all that surprising after all A true legend Now before we part ways let's explain three words and expressions we used today And we begin with the expression that Sébastien used right at the start of the episode Feeling down It means feeling a bit depressed melancholic or sad I assure you I'm doing just fine I simply wanted to share this expression with you I also used the term "cult" to refer to certain artists A cult work is a highly admired piece often becoming legendary over time Then it was said that an artist was a big success That means it achieves massive success often in terms of sales or popularity And you what kind of French music do you listen to What are your favorite artists and standout songs Let us know in the comments And as always you can download the PDF sheet containing the transcript and vocabulary It's in the description or on our website francaisavecpierre com Thank you all see you very soon Hi everyone