Zazi is a French singer husband and daughter. French singers and singers known all over the world

ZAZ (real Isabelle Geffroy) is a French singer, originally from the city of Tours. She sings in small cafes and clubs in Paris.
ZAZ's style is a mixture of soul music, jazz, French chanson - "a little bit of everything", as she herself says. In January 2009, ZAZ won the competition for young talents (analogous to our "Star Factory") in Paris. On May 10, 2010, the singer's first album, "Zaz", was released, which became "gold" in less than a month.

Isabelle Geffroy was born in Tours on May 1, 1980. Her mother was a French teacher and her father worked for an energy company. In 1985 Isabelle, her brother and sister entered the Tours Conservatory. She studies there from the age of five to eleven, studying mainly solfeggio, violin, piano, guitar, choral singing. In 1994, Geffroy moved to Bordeaux. In 1995, she attends singing courses and also goes in for sports: during the year in Bordeaux she studies kung fu with a professional trainer. In 2000, she received a scholarship from the regional council, which allowed her to enter the school of modern music - the Center for Information and Musical Activities of Bordeaux (Centre d'information et d'activités musicales, CIAM). Among her musical influences, she mentions Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, French chanson, Enrico Macias, Bobby McFerrin, Richard Bon, Latin, African and Cuban rhythms... In 2006 Isabelle Geffroy comes to Paris.

In 2001, Isabelle Geffroy began performing as a singer in the blues group Fifty Fingers. He sings in orchestras in Angouleme, more often in a jazz quintet. In Tarno, she becomes one of the four singers of the Basque variety orchestra, consisting of sixteen people; toured with him for two years, mainly in the Midi-Pyrenees and the Basque Country. In 2002, Geffroy replaced the lead singer of the Latin rock band Don Diego. She signs a contract with Don Diego with the letter Z, which means ZAZ, and thus this nickname becomes a stage name. This group mixes French and Spanish music, taking inspiration from African, Arabic and Latin American music as well. As part of the group, the aspiring artist takes part in the Angouleme Music Festival of various genres.

In 2006, ZAZ goes to Paris. Sings in clubs and bars. For a year and a half, she performs every evening at the Three Hammers Club (French Aux Trois Mailletz), where she sings without a microphone. Then, in search of more free and creative work, she leaves to play outside. She sings on the streets of Montmartre, on the pavement of the Hill Square.
“Our record,” she recalls, “is 450 euros per hour. As a rule, everyone earned 20-30 euros per hour.” Together with the rap group Le 4P, he releases the clips "L'Aveyron" and "Rugby Amateur".

In 2007, Geffroy responds to an Internet ad from producer and composer Querradin Soltani, who was looking for a new artist with a husky voice. For her, he writes "Je veux" and finds a record company and publisher. But she continues to look for work. In August 2008 she takes part in the competition Le Tremplin Génération France Bleu/Réservoir. Meanwhile, ZAZ joins the group Sweet Air. On November 21, 2008, ZAZ and Sweet Air record a live album, which remains unreleased, immediately preceding the singer's rise alongside Kerradine Soltani. In December 2008, with the support of Alliance Française - Vladivostok, she sings in Russia, in the Far East. She gives 13 concerts in 15 days with pianist Julien Lifzik.

In January 2009, ZAZ won the final of the third edition of the Le Tremplin Génération France Bleu/Réservoir competition, which was held in Paris at the Olympia concert hall. It was noted that after such success, “ZAZ saw how the studio doors opened for her to record her first album” and the winner “will receive 5 thousand euros for promotion, as well as the opportunity to shoot a video for MTV and record her album.” However, ZAZ had to wait another 14 months before her first album was released. In April 2009, she again tours in Russia: this time from Vladivostok through Siberia to Nizhny Novgorod.
In Russia, ZAZ performs songs by Piaf, Brel, Aznavour, Gainsbourg, Mathieu, Dassin, Kaas, as well as songs from her upcoming album: "Je veux", "Les passants", "Prends garde à ta langue". Then she makes a tour to Egypt, accompanied by a dancer. For a month, she plays Spanish and French music with a Latin American group in Casablanca, at the Parrot restaurant. In addition, in the summer of 2009, ZAZ takes part in the Fuji Rock Festival in Japan. She then continues to sing in the streets of Montmartre.

Finally, on May 10, 2010, ZAZ releases her debut album, which she called her stage name. Half of the album consists of songs written by herself ("Trop sensible", "Les Passants", "Le Long de la route", "Prends garde à ta langue", "J'aime à nouveau"). Querradine Soltani released this album on the Play On label and wrote the lyrics and music for the jazz-manouche songs "Je veux" and "Ni oui ni non" (the music for the second was co-written with pianist Vivian Rust). ZAZ also meets pop singer Rafael, who writes three songs for her ("Éblouie par la nuit", "Port Coton" and "La Fée").
In 2010, she signed with tour organizer Caramba and publisher Sony ATV. She was invited to several radio and TV programs, which allowed the general public to get to know her. Her single "Je veux", whose lyrics express contempt for the consumer society, was chosen by TF1 as a major summer hit, and the video aired during the summer of 2010 on TF1 and other music channels. The album "ZAZ" rises to the first place and receives the status of gold in June 2010. Then ZAZ goes on tour in France (Paris, La Rochelle, festivals in Montauban, Saint-Ouen, Chateauroux, Landerno, Fécamp), sings at the Francofolies festival in Montreal (Canada), in Monte (Switzerland), in Berlin. In autumn, ZAZ leads the charts in Belgium, Switzerland and Austria.

cool french young singer who became famous after the song Je Veu.

They write about her that she sings in small cafes and clubs in Paris. She does not have a special musical education, but this does not prevent her from writing her own songs, which have a good response from the audience. In addition to the songs of his own composition, well-known songs of French singers and singers sound great in the performance of ZAZ, which, thanks to the unique style of ZAZ, acquire a new, interesting sound.

Ruslan Pavlenko , 27 November 2010 at 03:55

Striking French singer ZAZ or Isabelle Geffroy (Isabelle Geffroy) and her song Je veux ("I want"). Opening of the year. Video. Lyrics.

Isabelle Geffroy's street performance video is more popular on YouTube than her official clips. Despite her popularity and success, according to legend, she continues to perform on the streets of Paris with groovy and fervent songs. Her road to success was not short. Only this year the 30-year-old singer was recognized in France as the performer of the best dance composition of summer 2010. Prior to that, in January 2009, there was a victory in the well-known folk song TB-competition in France, which made her immediately famous.

Isabelle Geffroy has an unusual husky voice, characteristic of traditional French chansonniers, mastery of it and a love of music. But, in addition, and this is the true reason for her success, strength of character, inner independence and optimism. Isabelle Geffroy often toured Russia, especially in the Far East.

Below I give a video of the song Je veux ("I want"), and the translation of the words. I also attach her autobiography from Wikipedia and a few interviews. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been listening to it non-stop for a week now, and it’s better to start the morning with it!

Isabelle Geffroy (fr. Isabelle Geffroy, born May 1, 1980) is a French singer, known under the pseudonym ZAZ. She is best known for her song Je veux ("I want"). In his work he combines chanson, jazz, folk. Her atypical voice is reminiscent of Freel and Piaf.

Biography

Career

In 2006, ZAZ goes to Paris. Sings in clubs and bars. For a year and a half, she performs every evening at the Three Hammers Club (French Aux Trois Mailletz), where she sings without a microphone. Then, in search of more free and creative work, she leaves to play outside. She sings on the streets of Montmartre, on the pavement of the Hill Square. (“Our record,” she recalls, “is 450 euros per hour. As a rule, everyone earned 20-30 euros per hour.”). Together with the rap group Le 4P, he releases the clips "L'Aveyron" and "Rugby Amateur".

In January 2009, ZAZ won the final of the third edition of the Le Tremplin Génération France Bleu/Réservoir competition, which took place in Paris at the Olympia concert hall. It was noted that after such success, “ZAZ saw how the doors of the studios opened for her to record her first album” and the winner “will receive 5 thousand euros for promotion, as well as the opportunity to shoot a video for MTV and record her album.” However, ZAZ had to wait another 14 months before her first album was released. In April 2009, she again tours in Russia: this time from Vladivostok through Siberia to Nizhny Novgorod. In Russia, ZAZ performs songs by Piaf, Brel, Aznavour, Gainsbourg, Mathieu, Dassin, Kaas, as well as songs from her upcoming album: "Je veux", "Les passants", "Prends garde à ta langue". Then she makes a tour to Egypt, accompanied by a dancer. For a month, she plays Spanish and French music with a Latin American group in Casablanca, at the Parrot restaurant. In addition, in the summer of 2009, ZAZ takes part in the Fuji Rock Festival in Japan. She then continues to sing in the streets of Montmartre.

Finally, on May 10, 2010, ZAZ releases her debut album, which she called her stage name. Half of the album consists of songs written by herself ("Trop sensible", "Les Passants", "Le Long de la route", "Prends garde à ta langue", "J'aime à nouveau"). Querradine Soltani released this album on the Play On label and wrote the lyrics and music for the jazz-manouche songs "Je veux" and "Ni oui ni non" (the music for the second was co-written with pianist Vivian Rust). ZAZ also meets pop singer Rafael, who writes three songs for her ("Éblouie par la nuit", "Port Coton" and "La Fée"). In 2010, she signed with tour organizer Caramba and publisher Sony ATV. She was invited to several radio and TV programs, which allowed the general public to get to know her. Her single "Je veux", whose lyrics express contempt for the consumer society, was chosen by TF1 as a major summer hit, and the video aired during the summer of 2010 on TF1 and other music channels. The album "ZAZ" rises to the first place and receives the status of gold in June 2010. Then ZAZ goes on tour in France (Paris, La Rochelle, festivals in Montauban, Saint-Ouen, Chateauroux, Landerno, Fécamp), sings at the Francofolies festival in Montreal (Canada), in Monte (Switzerland), in Berlin… In autumn ZAZ tops the charts in Belgium, Switzerland and Austria.

Je Veux (original Zaz)

Donnez moi un suite au Ritz, je n "en veux pas!

Des bijoux de chez CHANEL, je n "en veux pas!

Donnez moi une limousine, j "en ferais quoi? Papalapapapala

Offrez my du personnel, j "en ferais quoi?

Un manoir a Neuchâtel, ce n "est pas pour moi.

Offrez moi la Tour Eiffel, j "en ferais quoi? Papalapapapala

Bienvenue dans ma realite.

J "en ai marre d" vos bonne manière, c "est trop pour moi!

Moi je mange avec les mains et j "suis comme ça!

J "parle fort et je suis franche, excusez moi!

Fini l "hypocrisie moi j" me casse de la!

J "en ai marre des langues de bois!

Regardez moi, toute maniere j "vous en veux pas

Et j "suis comme çaaaaaaa (j" suis comme çaaa) papalapapapala

Je veux d "l" amour, d "la joie, de la bonne humeur,

Ce n "est pas votre argent qui f" ra mon bonheur,

Moi j "veux crever la main sur le coeur papalapapapala

Allons ensemble, découvrir ma liberté,

Oubliez donc tous vos cliches,

Bienvenue dans ma realite.

I want (translation)

Give me an apartment at the Ritz - I don't need it!

Chanel jewelry - I don't need them!

Give me a limousine - what should I do with it? Papalapapala!

Offer me a personal staff - what should I do with it?

The castle in Neuchatel* is not for me.

Offer me the Eiffel Tower - what should I do with it? Papalapapala!

I'm sick of your mannerisms - this is too much for me!

I, I eat with my hands - I am!

I speak loudly and am not ashamed of it, sorry!

Enough hypocrisy! I'm leaving this.

I'm already sick of formulaic speech!

Look at me, I don't need you with your pretentiousness

I'm so (I'm so) Papalapapala!

[Chorus 3x:]

I want love, fun, good mood!

Your money will not bring me joy.

I, I want to stop the hand squeezing my heart. Papalapapala!

Let's open the way to my freedom together!

So forget all your stereotypes

Welcome to my reality!

Talk about ZAZ

When you see Isabelle Geffroy, you remember acquaintances who hitchhike, appear in various funny parties, surprise with childish spontaneity and simplicity in life. Zaz (Zaz) - that's her name, this is a new trend of modern French chanson, rather even jazz chanson. Although it is safe to say about the musical direction of the singer, whose sexually husky voice can be heard today in Vladivostok with a jazz band playing swing, tomorrow in Morocco with a Chilean group. Isabelle Geffroy herself says to herself: "I go where the wind calls. I will play in all styles and in all ways that come to mind. As soon as I don't feel like I'm in the right place, I leave."

Despite her image of a street musician, a traveling singer, her musical path began from the conservatory (solfeggio, violin, piano).

Just recently, her talent was recognized. Released on May 10, the album "No. 1" counted 140,000 copies sold in 6 weeks. And her discs diverge in more than 20 countries. In the single "I want" ("Je veux") we can find a live sound of Afro-Cuban, Arab-Andalusian and Latin American themes. Her warm, generous voice, with a slight mockery, pulls us to the streets of Montmartre. Zez has something to say after Piaf and Gainsburg.

Project ZAZ - recognized as the breakthrough of the year in France

This year will be remembered by European listeners as the year in which the debut of singer ZAZ, the French vocalist, who, according to the media, set Europe on the ears last summer with her incendiary single "Je Veux", took place.

The debut disc of ZAZ became a sensation in general - only in France its circulation immediately after certification was recognized as triple platinum!

The single composition "Je Veux" stunned both critics and the public. Melodic, provocative and tightly written in the head, the song is performed in a style that has not appeared on the charts for a long time - ethnic, gypsy motifs using jazz notes. So, at one time, the legendary Gypsy Kings sounded, but the singer ZAZ, as if by magic, was able to return this style to the list of world charts. Now the YouTube service is literally packed with homemade cover versions of this song, which are performed by young fans of ZAZ, which if not this is a real sign of a real cult.

Almost all of today's stars started the same way - completely ignoring modern fashion and established authorities, they did what no one could expect from them. This year the singer ZAZ was nominated for the most prestigious French music awards EBBA and Constantin, and her record is moving higher and higher in the charts of Europe.

French singer Zaz will write a song about Russia

She sings about love. Great songs of great French women. Merey Mathieu, Patricia Kaas - what is not an example to follow. Only Isabelle, better known in creative circles as Zaz, has her own page in this love story. At 28, Isabelle is sure that music is this grandiose feeling.

At home, in Paris, Isabelle is waiting for her husband. And she's on the road again. The trip to Russia is the first such a long one. A few hours of flight, and here it is - the Far East. Zaz knows almost nothing about him. Through the windows of the car, I was surprised at the strange wooden houses. And to these unusual Russian women: “In my mind, Russian women are strong in character and know exactly what they want. And they have very high heels."

Like any Frenchwoman, Isabelle follows fashion. She just got used to dressing the way she felt comfortable. True, an evening dress is waiting for its finest hour in a suitcase. Isabelle will put it on for a concert dedicated to the French film festival in Vladivostok.

Isabelle and her partner Julien are the first musicians to arrive at the new French centre. They began their tour from Ussuriysk, then in the tour schedule of the site of Khabarovsk, Blagoveshchensk and Birobidzhan.

Sideric Gras, Director of the French Center Alliance Française: “On March 17, we opened the first French center in the Far East. The nearest French center is in Irkutsk. So can you imagine how far?

On this trip, Isabelle decided to write a song. About Russia. So distant and unusual that you can't even believe it.

Verified by Russia. Boris Barabanov about Zaz's debut album

The debut album of the French singer Zaz (real name - Isabelle Geffroy) was released in France in May, and in the rest of Europe - in June. But in Russia it was finally "saw through", it seems, only in the fall. In any case, it was now that her song "Je Veux" began to be regularly broadcast on the radio. At home, the album "Zaz" climbed to the top of the charts a month and a half after the release and remained in the top ten for a long time. French friends reported to the Weekend columnist on social networks: "It can be said that they put it in all the stalls."

Zaz hails from the city of Tours. She is thirty years old. She studied music since childhood (violin, piano and guitar). She sang in the choir. In parallel with vocals, she mastered kung fu. Paris became her permanent residence in 2006. Zaz began performing in small bars. In 2007, "Je Veux" appeared, a song her biographers refer to as a "freedom anthem". It is sung there in general terms that money does not bring joy to a girl, and that she prefers the freedom to have fun, talk loudly and eat with her hands to all secular conventions.

A recent "real" video for the song "Je Veux" has amassed more than two million views on YouTube, but footage taken during her street performance seems much more informative. A more familiar atmosphere for Zaz is a restaurant, but after videos appeared, shot in the open air with acoustic accompaniment of a typical chanson ensemble, she began to be called a "street singer" much more often. There is, for example, a great "street" video Zaz with the song Edith Piaf "Dans Ma Rue". Zaz is generally often called the new Edith Piaf, and she, of course, is the number one contender for this role. Nothing so close to Piaf's talent appeared in France for a couple of decades. Another "prototype" of Zaz is Freel, a star of the beginning of the last century, a lady of tragic fate. Comparisons with Piaf and Freel are already a great honor. But in the life of Zaz there was also quite a formal recognition of merit. In 2009, she made it to the finals of an authoritative competition for young performers and won a grant for the promotional campaign of the album and airs on MTV.

In the biography of Zaz there is a connection with Russia that is absolutely sensational in fact. At the same time, when the young singer stormed various important instances of the show industry in her homeland, she could be listened to quite calmly in cities such as Blagoveshchensk or Birobidzhan. Zaz traveled around the Russian Far East along the Alliance Française line and performed at the evenings of French culture a gentleman's set of evergreen French hits understandable to the average international listener - Joe Dassin, Charles Aznavour, Mireille Mathieu, Patricia Kaas, Serge Gainsbourg and Edith Piaf. In 2009, Zaz traveled with concerts from Vladivostok to Nizhny Novgorod (in that direction). Then Zaz got to Egypt, Japan and Morocco. And she filled short breaks in Paris with performances on the streets of Montmartre.

Despite the fact that the Wikipedia article on Zaz has not even been translated into English yet, there is every confidence that in a short time Ms. Geffroy will become a major French musical export. Her debut album reveals an almost perfect combination of ingredients that the public outside of France is accustomed to lumping together under the label "French chanson". A voice with a hoarseness, belonging to a person much younger than you can imagine just listening to the songs. Acoustic guitar with a gypsy accent by Django Reinhardt. Frivolous melodies, inciting to non-committal intrigues, and next - wide epic ballads, where there is room for vocals to unfold. And all this is perfected either on Parisian passers-by, or on the public, which has never been to France and probably never will.

Zaz "Zaz" (Play On)

The winner of the Parisian “Star Factory” earned money for an apartment in Novosibirsk clubs

A real chanson was brought to Novosibirsk. To listen to the young singer ZAZ from France, a complete cabaret cafe "Stray Dog" and the art club "NII KuDA" crowded. Both the familiar melodies of Edith Piaf, Mireille Mathieu, Patricia Kaas and other French pop singers, as well as the own songs of the young winner of the Parisian analogue of our Star Factory, sounded from the stage.

Reference: ZAZ (Isabelle Geffroy) is a French singer, originally from the city of Tours. Sings in small cafes and clubs in Paris. In January 2009, ZAZ won the competition for young talents in Paris (analogous to our "Star Factory"). In Russia, ZAZ performs with theater actor and pianist Julien Lifzik, who graduated from the Paris Conservatoire in piano.

Novosibirsk was visited for the first time by the French singer ZAZ, who performs songs in the style of soul, jazz and French chanson. Isabelle Geffroy, the winner of the Parisian version of the Star Factory, was brought to the cabaret-cafe "Stray Dog" and the art club "NII KuDA" as part of the project of the French center "Alliance Française". By the way, for the first time ZAZ visited Russia not so long ago - at the end of last year, having traveled around the cities of the Far East with performances: Ussuriysk, Vladivostok, Blagoveshchensk, Khabarovsk, Komsomolsk-on-Amur, etc.

The 28-year-old singer (by the way, Isabelle has no special musical education) performs with a program consisting of songs by Mireille Mathieu, Patricia Kaas and other French pop hits so dearly loved by the Russian public. ZAZ also performs his songs in a style that we usually call "French chanson".

French chanson, as people who know the musical culture of this country well, exists only in the Russian sense. As, in fact, Russian chanson. Their "chanson" is just a song. Usually about love. We have a certain genre. Usually about prison.

ZAZ commented to NGS.RELAX correspondent: “We don't have such a concept. We don't have prison romance. We can have separate songs about prison, about love, about robberies ... But there is no such concept of “chanson”, as you have it, in France ... But whatever it is about - be it the world of crime, a thieves' environment, the main thing is - not this: a person chooses his own life. And if what the author says in his song reaches the heart of another person, if it touches him, then this already has the right to exist. There is no standard framework and some kind of norm for me.”

Not enduring the framework imposed by society - “Well, why can’t I scratch my ear when it itches? Or blow your nose in front of people? Because someone thinks that it is impossible? ”, - Isabelle Geffroy remains a real Frenchwoman.

A hoarse sexy voice, a cigarette, love, by her own admission, for beautiful underwear, which she did not hesitate to straighten on stage ... And plus amazing, although in most cases familiar from movies, old records and Soviet television concerts, bewitching the audience of French pop songs.

In Russia, ZAZ performs with French actor and musician Julien Lifzik“I had the impression that Siberia is specifically dressed Eskimos. Siberia is a place with few inhabitants. What I really didn't like about you was the gray, cold, rectangular buildings. But in general, the impression of the city is that it is in full swing. It boils at a high degree ... And I did not expect that Russian men are so gallant. One gets the impression that a Russian man exists in order to serve a woman,” the French singer told NGS.RELAX correspondent.

Having traveled through the cities of Russia for the second time (most of the concerts again took place in the cities of the Far East), the singer ZAZ, who is in constant search of herself and believes in the materialization of thoughts, returned to the suburbs of Paris to continue working on her first author's disc.

“I am not a materialist. Although I love money. As a kind of substance that can be transformed into what I do ...

The fees that I will receive after this trip will be materially embodied in the payment for an apartment that I did not pay for two or three months. Money is for spending. I don’t know how to save,” Isabelle laughs.

Sting and Mylene Farmer at the 2015 NRJ Music Awards in Cannes REUTERS

What will 2015 be remembered for in French music? The brightest names and styles, the return of idols and new stars - in the French hit parade of the past year, with its fashion for flamenco rhythms, young blondes and freak pop, vociferous rappers and electronic remixes, as well as Internet impostors and the old good rock and roll.

Podcast page for this episode of French Music Podcast for RSS export and download -

The results of the musical year in France, the best performers and the most popular hits in the RFI program. The "Magnificent Eight" of French musicians shared victories in the usual and traditional, as well as arbitrary nominations.

French Gypsy Girl of the Year by Kenji

For a year and a half, the winner of the French TV show "Voice-2014", a young gypsy (Kendji Girac) has become a real star. Glory fell on him along with coming of age: a self-taught guitarist from the gypsy camp of the French Dordogne won the third season of the contest "The Voice, la plus belle voix" at the age of 17, in May 2014. Having celebrated his 18th birthday on July 3, by September the singer released his debut album “Kendji Girac”, which revived the fashion for incendiary gypsy and flamenco style in France. The French sold out half a million discs by the end of the year.

“Kenjimania” continued throughout 2015: the final circulation of the album exceeded 1 million, while the hits of the young gypsy “Color Gitano”, “Andalouse”, “Mi Amor” or “Conmigo” sounded non-stop on the French air.
In Cannes, at the 2014 NRJ Music Awards, Kenji received two awards at once: he was named the musical “discovery of the year” in French music, and his hit “Color Gitano” was recognized as “song of the year” in France. Last November, at the NRJ Music Awards-2015, no one managed to snatch the victory from the 19-year-old singer in the nomination "song of the year": this award went to the hit "Conmigo".

Kenji - music video for "Me quemo" (2015)

On October 30, 2015, Kenji's second studio album "Ensemble" (together) was released in France. Since the end of August, the first single of this disc has been on the air - the “incendiary” song “Me quemo” in every sense: “I burn myself and burn you, you yourself are like a fire, and I warm you up with my music.” In less than two months, the disc sold 350,000 copies.

Discovery of the year: Luan - "French Lolita Kabaeva"

Following Kenji in the past year, fame smiled at another member of the French "Voice" - (Louane Emera). Luan (real name - Anne Pecher) celebrated her 18th birthday on November 26 as a famous singer and film actress. It took only a few months for the young native of the northern town of Henin-Beaumont, Pas de Calais, to become a star. First, in early 2015, Luan received France's main film award - Cesar - in the nomination "Best Young Actress" for her role in the film "The Linen Family" by Eric Lartigo.

In March, she released her debut album Chambre 12 (room 12). The hits of this year on French radio and television were Luan's songs "Jour 1" (day number one), "Avenir" (future) and "Jeune" (young). In November, at the Cannes NRJ Music Awards, the young blonde was named the "discovery of the year" in French music.

By December, Chambre 12 had sold 700,000 copies in France, and in the summer, Luan released her album in neighboring Germany. More than 15 million viewers watched the film "The Linen Family" with her participation in the world.

Far-right nationalists saw in the blonde from the Pas-de-Calais a symbol of the good old "tender France". In one of the publications of the National Front, Luan was even dubbed "the native Lolita" ("lolita de souche" - by analogy with the expression Français de souche, "the native Frenchman"). And the French audience may well fall in love with the Russian audience with a striking external resemblance (especially in festival photographs) with former champion gymnast Alina Kabaeva.

In November, Luan released a reissue of her debut album, including new tracks, including the song "Nos secrets" (our secrets), which was written for the young singer by the famous musician Gaetan Roussel, the lead singer of a rock band that thundered in France in the 1990s Louis attack.

"Album of the Year" by singing rapper Mater Gims

The French rapper (Maître Gims) turned pop star released his second solo album in 2015. A new studio compilation, released on August 28, the musician called a little sentimental "Mon cœur avait raison".
The former lead singer of the rap group Sexion d'Assaut made the album “My Heart Was Not Wrong” two-part and two-faced: pop songs on one disc, merciless rap on the other. Matry Gims (real name Gandhi Juna) called the first disc “ blue pill" for the general public, the second - "red pill" for hip-hop fans.

According to the "modest" opinion of the author, his new solo album should become - no more, no less - the "album of the year" in France. Two years ago Maitre Giems' first disc "Subliminal" became one of the most successful on the French music market, selling more than 800,000 copies.

By the end of December, the sold-out circulation of the album “My Heart Was Not Wrong” exceeded 340 thousand, and the musician, a native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is hatching Napoleonic plans to work in the USA as a composer and music producer of world stars - Rihanna, Katy Perry, Shakira or Beyoncé. The French rapper considers the career of DJ David Guetta to be very tempting and "possible". In anticipation of world fame, Maitre Gims is left to be content with the popularity in France of the track "Est-ce que tu m "aimes?" (do you love me) - the first single of the album "My heart was not mistaken".

DJ of the Year: The Groom from Nice The Avener

2015 has become a year in French electronic music. In January, the Nice musician released his debut album, The Wanderings Of The Avener, which spent five months in the top ten of the French charts.

A new "miracle" of electronic music was born in Nice on January 23, 1987 under the name Tristan Casara. At the age of five, Tristan - of his own free will! - Started taking piano lessons. The future DJ received a classical musical education, and as a teenager he discovered the DJ world, into which he plunged headlong. In the nightclubs of Nice and Paris, Tristan Casara turned into The Avener (English groom).

The French DJ thoroughly prepared his success-2015: the whole previous year, the radio airplay lived in the rhythm of his remix composition “Fade Out Lines”. The track became one of the European hits of the year.

The musician's recipe is simple: The Avener is the remix specialist. “I arrange tracks that have gone unnoticed to give them a bit of modernity,” the musician modestly explains. The DJ proved that the case of Daft Punk and David Guetta is in safe hands, and a masterful remix can make a hit that is hardly noticed by anyone. Last fall, The Avener released a reissue of their debut "Wanderings" with new tracks. Among them is the composition "You" re My Window To The Sky", a remix of a song by Australian folk singer Kim Churchill. This remix immediately became the soundtrack of the cult evening TV show "Grand Journal" on the French channel Canal +.

Duo of the Year: Parisian Love Mylene Farmer and Stinga

Fans have been waiting for new songs by Mylene Farmer for three years. Last fall, the red-haired French star broke the protracted silence by releasing her tenth studio album, Interstellaires, on November 6. By the end of the year, the disc, written without the faithful co-author of the singer's best hits, composer Laurent Boutonnat, sold over 230,000 copies.

For the first time in her 30-year career, Mylene Farmer released an album simultaneously in France and the United States, gave the American edition of Rolling Stone the right to the first interview before the release of the disc, and also became the guest of a popular American television show for the first time in her life, visiting Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show on NBC .

Mylene Farmer returned to the stage in the company of Sting, with whom she recorded the album's lead single - , which became a sensation of the autumn musical season in France. The song "Stolen Car" was written by the famous Briton back in 2003 and has been waiting for its finest hour for more than 10 years. According to Sting, the composition lacked the female part, for which the voice of Mylene Farmer was ideally suited. The singer added French words to the English text, the new arrangement was made by DJ The Avener, and the sensual video of the composition, released in October, was filmed in iconic places in Paris.

"American of the Year": a new career for Christine and the Queens

The French singer and author, who the French discovered in 2014, began her career in the United States a year later. Overseas, she released the American version of her debut album Chaleur humaine (human warmth), which has sold half a million copies in France since June 2014.

Christine and the Queens, in the world - Héloïse Letissier, born June 1, 1988 in Nantes, studied in Lyon, at the local Ecole Normal, majoring in theater arts, and in 2010 found herself in music.
A fan of David Bowie and Michael Jackson, the author and singer calls her music "freak-pop", prefers "borderline" characters and an androgynous stage image.

For the American edition of her album and the US tour, Christine and the Queens wrote several new tracks specially. One of them - "Intranquillité" (restlessness) - was included in the mini-album released in France last autumn.

Impostors of the Year: Parisian suburban girl trio L.E.J

The musical sensation of last summer in France was a girl's (pronounce in the English manner - elijay) from the Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis. A potpourri of summer hits - a cappella, to the stingy sound of the cello - made a splash on the net and in the media, and the fame of French women flew to the United States.

In a matter of weeks in August, the abbreviation L.E.J. became known to the French. These are the first letters of the names of the members of the trio - Lucy, Eliza and Juliette. On the banal Youtube, the girls modestly posted a 3-minute recording of a potpourri of hot hits - world and French. Strictly, without frills - vocals, cello and drums. But the miracle was not long in coming - the video quickly gained 7 million views, and by the end of the year the counter approached 36 million!

Lucy, Eliza and Juliette are peers, they are 21 years old. The girls were born and raised in the suburban department of Paris, Seine-Saint-Denis, north of the capital. It is famous for its history (the tomb of the French kings is located there), and today it is better known as a troubled, dysfunctional and “hot” suburb. In this urban "jungle" the girls from the trio L.E.J received an education not quite usual for this landscape - a music school and the famous choir of the Parisian House of Radio - Maîtrise de Radio France.

French trio L.E.J - SUMMER 2015

In the wake of their unexpected popularity, the girls signed a contract with Universal Music France, which plans to release their debut album of original compositions in 2016. A big concert tour of the group in France is also planned for next year. In the meantime, by the end of the year, the trio released all their cover versions on one disc called "En attendant l "album" (waiting for the album). In just two weeks, the 75,000th edition of the collection was sold out. Among the ten tracks is the girl's version of the composition "Get Lucky", a worldwide hit by French electronic duo Daft Punk, from the album "Random Access Memories" (2013).

Johnny of the Year in France: Halliday and his 50th album

In the midst of another concert tour with the symbolic name "Rester vivant" (stay alive), French national rocker Johnny Hallyday released another solo album. It is not difficult to remember his serial number in the career of a musician - 50. The name sounds like a declaration of love - "De l" amour. "The album came as a complete surprise to fans of the rocker, was recorded in just 10 days in a Los Angeles studio, and became its music producer one of the most original and interesting French musicians Yodelice.

The album was released on November 13 - the day of the Paris attacks. In the anniversary solo album, Johnny Hallyday included a lot of topical compositions in the tradition of the "biased" song. The rocker dedicated the song "Valise ou cercueil" (suitcase or coffin) to the mass death of migrants in the Mediterranean Sea. The song "Dans la peau de Mike Brown" was written in the wake of the drama in Ferguson, USA, where in August 2014, 18-year-old black Michael Brown was shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson. The French weekly Charlie-Hebdo dedicated the song "Un dimanche de janvier" (one Sunday in January) to the attack.

Throughout the end of the year, Halliday's album "De l "amour" remained in the top three of the French rating, having sold 300,000 copies.

French music is distinguished by its unique melody and exquisite charm. It is simple and understandable for the listener. World-famous French performers not only sang great, they created

the history of their culture, making a huge contribution to the development of the art of their country.

Charles Aznavour

This famous writer, actor and origin was born in 1924 to an immigrant family. From the age of nine, the future popular musician has already been performing on stage. In 1936 he made his film debut. At first, Aznavour performed on the stage in a duet with P. Roche. In 1946, they were noticed by the brilliant E. Piaf and invited to take part in her tour of the United States and France. This moment can be considered the beginning of Aznavour's professional career. He performs at the famous Olympia Concert Hall, New York's Carnegie Hall and the Ambassador Hotel. Some time later, in the studio of F. Sinatra, he recorded his first, then still American, album. Aznavour is the author of many hits that many French performers are happy to include in their repertoire. Among his famous songs are "Mom", "La Boheme", "Ave Maria", "Eternal Love", "Youth", "Because", etc.

Edith Piaf

This famous singer had a difficult fate. Her mother was a little-known actress, her father was a street acrobat.

Little Edith was raised by her grandparents. The conditions in which the future "star" lived were bad. At the age of sixteen, Piaf met Louis Dupont, the owner of a local shop. A year later, her daughter, Marcel, was born. Soon, young Edith was noticed by L. Leple, the owner of the Zhernis cabaret, a place where many French performers performed in those days. He invited the young singer to perform in his show. This was Edith Piaf's first step to world fame. After some time, she meets Raymond Asso. This man ensured that Edith performed in the most famous music hall in Paris, ABC. Since then, the popularity of the singer is only gaining momentum. True dramatic talent, an extraordinary voice, stubbornness and hard work quickly led Edith to the pinnacle of success. Among the most popular songs of Piaf, I would like to note "Bal dans ma rue", "C'est l'amour", "Boulevard du crime", "Browning" and others.

Patricia Kaas

The music of French performers has always attracted to itself with its unique style and color.

A striking example of this is the work of a pop singer who combined pop music and jazz. She took her first steps in art at the age of thirteen. It was at this age that she signed a contract with the Rumpelkammer club. At 19, Patricia found her producer. The actor became famous in France and abroad. It was he who financed her first single "Jealous", which, unfortunately, turned out to be a failure. The new song “Mademoiselle Sings the Blues”, authored by D. Barbelivien, brought great popularity to the singer. A year later, the second hit is released - "From Germany". Since that time, the popularity of the singer has been growing at an incredible rate. She tours to this day. Over the entire period, Patricia Kaas recorded 13 studio albums. The most popular songs: "Une fille de l'Est", "Quand j'ai peur de tout", "Ain't No Sunshine", "Et s`il fallait le faire", etc.

Lara Fabian

Many French contemporary performers are very popular not only in their own country. A vivid example of this is Lara Fabian. She was born to a Sicilian mother and a Fleming.

Since childhood, the future singer dreamed of becoming famous. She studied at dance and music schools, and then at the Brussels Conservatory. From the age of 14, she has been participating in many European song contests, winning prizes. In 1988, Lara Fabian performs at Eurovision from Luxembourg. She gets fourth place. In 1990, the young singer met the composer Allison Rick. Fascinated by her performance of "The Girl From Ipanema", the musician offers to help record the first album. So in 1991, the disk "Lara Fabian" was released. This album brought the singer a huge success. Just four years later, a new collection of songs called "Carpe Diem" appears. And in 1996, the Pure album was presented to the world community. He finally consolidated the success of the singer. Creativity L. Fabian once again proved that French songs are loved all over the world. Lara's most popular hits are: "Je vivrai", "Je t "aime", "Alléluia", "Il venait d" avoir 18 ans".

Mireille Mathieu

She was born into a poor family of a bricklayer. Since childhood, Mireille loved music very much.

She sang in the church choir, performed duets with her father, a magnificent tenor. At the age of sixteen, the future singer took part in a vocal competition, where she took second place. In 1965, Mireille moved to Paris to take part in a popular TV show called The Game of Fortune. The first song that Mathieu performed on the blue screen was the song "Jezebel". The performance of a young, unknown singer caused a sensation. From this moment begins Mireille Mathieu. In 1966, she took part in the Christmas concert on the stage of the Olympia, where many famous French performers performed at that time. Over the entire period of creativity, more than one hundred million records with recordings of Mathieu's songs were sold. Her repertoire included about 1000 singles in different languages. It was Mireille Mathieu who was the first Western performer who gave a concert in China at that time.

She sings about love in the language of love. A simple girl who managed to make the world sing along to her in French. Sweet, sincere, incredibly talented - she changed the subway transitions to the world's best scenes, but she did not change herself. Edith Piaf of our time and the first French-speaking "Artist of the week" on the site - Zaz.

Isabelle Geffroy (real name of the performer) was born in a poor area of the city of Tours, France. Her mother was a Spanish teacher, her father was a simple hard worker. At the age of 5, Isabelle begins attending the Turkish Conservatory, where during her studies she masters such musical instruments as piano, guitar, and violin. But she really reveals her talent in choral singing classes. Teachers are amazed at how young Geffroy manages to put so much pain into her singing, not at all realizing that the troubles in her parents' marriage are a source of bitter inspiration. At the age of 14, Zaz moved to Bordeaux, where he took up his voice closely, attending local singing courses. In addition, Isabelle gives an outlet for excess energy in martial arts. Surrounding people note the versatile talents of the growing Zaz. However, Isabelle herself is aware of the fact that talent alone is not enough, and considerable funds are required to continue professional vocal training. And it seems that fate itself went to meet the young talent. In 2000, 20-year-old Zaz received a scholarship from the regional council. The appeared source of income allows Geoffroy to enter the prestigious school of contemporary music “CIAM”. Subsequently, Isabelle recalls that the main inspiration for her at that time were: classical music and American soul singer Ella Fitzgerald.

Since 2001, Zaz has begun an active creative career, performing as a soloist-multi-instrumentalist in several groups at once. After several years of such experiments, Isabelle becomes crowded in Bordeaux, and she moves to the capital of France. In search of a permanent job, Isabelle comes to the Three Hammers club, where she is hired as a singer. Chip Zaz becomes a performance without a microphone. Having faithfully worked in the “hammers” for a year and a half, Geffroy leaves the institution without saving up for a decent life. Street performances become the only way to get money. Over time, it even starts to bring in a good income: “My personal record is 450 euros per hour! Such days were rare, of course, but we consistently received 20-30 euros for 60 minutes of live performance,” recalls Zaz.

In 2007, Isabelle accidentally stumbles upon an online ad for music producer Kerradin Soltani. In it, he indicated that he was looking for a girl with a hoarse voice to record musical material. It was Kerridin who would later help Zaz write her biggest hit "Je Voux". But while this is still far away, Isabelle meets an admirer from Russia, who organizes 13 concerts in various cities of our country. In January 2009, Zaz won the final of the "Le Tremplin Generation France" competition (the French equivalent of the "New Wave"). As a prize, the winner got 5,000 euros, the opportunity to record a solo album, as well as to shoot a video that will be broadcast on the French “MTV”. For more than a year, Isabelle did not leave the studio, recording more and more new songs. During a short break, Geffroy arranges a mini-tour of Russia, this time visiting the cities of Siberia and the Far East. The performer's touring set list includes the main hits of such performers as Edith Piaf, Mireille Mathieu, Joe Dosena, Patricia Kaas.

On May 10, 2010, the long-awaited disk of the performer is released. The very first single “Je Voux” (“I want”) becomes platinum in several countries at once.

In this song Isabelle makes fun of all the values of modern society (money, expensive cars, resorts). Many music critics predicted the success of this composition, but no one expected the reaction that followed with its release. Even in "pirate" Russia, the single goes gold, and people fall in love with the husky Frenchwoman, buying up her album. Now it’s hard to say what is the reason for such a deafening popularity of Isabelle. But as the singer's fans themselves say, her music does not require translation, as it comes from the heart. No autotune, no computer processing, just Zaz's hysterical voice. Fortunately, the debut work did not turn out to be a one-hit record: in the same 2010, we heard songs such as “Eblouie Par La Nuit”, “Ni Oui Ni Non”, “Les Passant” and “J’Aime A Nouveau”.

Eblouie Par La Nuit

“Ni Oui Ni Non”

"Les Passants"

J'Aime A Nouveau

In a literal sense, we heard them everywhere: on the radio, on television, and even as ringtones for random passers-by. But I would like to pay special attention to two compositions that were not released as singles and did not receive wide publicity - these are “Dans Ma Rue” and “La Pluie”.

Dans Ma Rue

A song that migrated to the Zaz album from the repertoire of the great Edith Piaf. In it, Zaz threw out all the pain that had accumulated in her since early childhood. I would not like to compare these two singers, but it is worth noting that Isabelle's version turned out to be very worthy.

The second composition that touched the strings of my soul was the measured “La Pluie” (“Rain”).

The monotonous, lulling melody and Geoffrey's hoarse vocals leave a deep imprint in the memory, plunging the listener into a state of light sadness.

Zaz is an amazing singer, first of all, captivating with her sincerity. This is an absolutely non-commercial project in the best traditions of French chanson (do not confuse classic French chanson with Russian blatnyak). Listening to Zaz songs you want to cry, laugh, think. One way or another, this music makes its listener feel, live without looking back at the past, breathe deeply and, if not for a long time, but forget about everyday difficulties. Zaz's music is timeless. She is alive. For me personally, it is a weighty argument to start learning French.