Top 10 Francophone Music Hits to Learn French, Smile and Dance

Angèle, “Tout Oublier” feat. Roméo Elvis

Never heard of Angèle? Trust us, you will. In 2018, this Belgian singer did many music festivals like Les Vieilles Charrues in France, and Les Ardentes in Belgium. You’re not convinced she’s big enough? Well, she broke Stromae’s record and stayed for weeks at the top of the Belgian singles charts with her 2018 single “Tout Oublier”, which she sings with her brother, the rapper Roméo Elvis.

With Angèle’s lyrics, you’ll learn beautiful and complex words, as well as French slang. She mixes it up in beautiful and heady music. If she’s on tour near your place, give her a chance!

Here are some of the lyrics from the song “Tout Oublier”:

Tout, il faudrait tout oublier
Pour y croire, il faudrait tout oublier
On joue, mais là, j’ai trop joué
Ce bonheur, si je le veux, je l’aurai

N’existe pas sans son contraire, une jeunesse pleine de sentiments
L’ennui est inconditionnel, je peux ressentir le malaise des gens qui dansent
Essaie d’oublier que tu es seul, vieux souvenir comme l’ADSL
Et si tout l’monde t’a délaissé, ça s’est passé après les soldes

Bonus song – “Balance ton quoi”

Angèle is also known for her conscious lyrics and engaged words. The feminist singer released a video clip for her song “Balance ton quoi”, in which you can watch French actor Pierre Niney ask dumb questions or the feminist and body positive blogger Metaux Lourds.

Here are some of the engaged lyrics from “Balance ton quoi” :

Ils parlent tous comme des animaux
De toutes les chattes ça parle mal
2018 j’sais pas c’qui t’faut
Mais je suis plus qu’un animal
J’ai vu qu’le rap est à la mode
Et qu’il marche mieux quand il est sale
Bah faudrait p’t’être casser les codes
Une fille qui l’ouvre ça serait normal

Matthieu Chedid, “Superchérie”

Matthieu Chedid, also known as M, doesn’t need any introduction. He’s been singing since 1997 and released plenty of hits like “Machistador”, “Je dis aime”, “Onde sensuelle”, or “La Seine”. He’s well known for his high level of proficiency in the French language. Matthieu Chedid plays with words and will easily trick your ears…

Be sure to read the lyrics of your favorite songs, maybe you’ll realise you understood something wrong!

Here are some of the lyrics from the song “Superchérie”:

Ma muse m’aimante
M’amuse et me hante
Elle est toujours elle-même c’est bien pour ça que j’l’aime
Superchérie, superchérie superchérie

Tellement addict
Que je suis accro
Accroché à ses ailes
J’suis pas beau

Therapie Taxi, “Hit Sale”

Therapie Taxi is a French group composed of three members : Adélaïde Chabannes de Balsac (singer), Raphaël Faget-Zaoui (singer) and Renaud Bizart Vincent. In 2012, Adélaïde posted an ad saying she was looking for another musician to start a band, and Raphaël answered.

The first single that the group released as Therapie Taxi was “Salop(e)”. With this title, you might have guessed it: they don’t care about being polite… Some music critics are saying that these salacious lyrics are their trademark. If you’re not afraid of that, you will enjoy their various hits like “Hit sale”, “Cri des loups” and “Avec ta zouz”. By the way, “une zouz” is French slang for girl or girlfriend!

Here are some of the lyrics of “Hit sale”, featuring Roméo Elvis:

Y a les phrases que tu dis, les phrases de mec facile
Les phrases que j’oublie, bourrée dans la nuit
Et ton corps qui se tord seulement pour me plaire
Mais tu sais moi je mords tes rêves imaginaires

Y a des bugs dans ma tête
Des rêves imaginaires
Y a des bugs dans ma tête
Quand j’écrase ma cigarette

Féfé, “On est là”

Féfé is not the new kid on the block, the one to watch as he gains in popularity. No, Féfé is a French singer and rapper, who began his career in 1996. You might know him from his time in the hip hop collective Saïan Supa Crew. But he truly started his solo career in 2009, when he released his first album, “Jeune à la retraite”.

In 2017, he released his third album, as well as the video clip of the single “On est là”. If you like rap music, you should listen to his songs and read all the lyrics.

Here are part of the lyrics from “On est là”:

Je me présente ici Féfé de Noisy L.E.S.E.C
Tu veux mon CV, vas-y tape deux S et C
Ancien mais nouveau, jamais dans le sens du vent
Te fais pas du mal en voulant me classer j’ai pas de rivaux
J’ai dû avaler un rhino tellement j’insiste et j’essaie
Tout seul au milieu des rappeurs UGC
Aucune haine, que du love, c’est mon thème et vu le terrain
J’ai du boulot jusqu’à ce que l’on m’enterre

LOUD, “Toutes Les Femmes Savent Danser”

LOUD, or Loud Mouth as he called himself from 2008 to 2012, is a Canadian rapper from Montréal. He released his first album, “une année record”, in 2017 and collaborated with Coeur de Pirate on her song “Dans la nuit”. He won 3 awards during the ADISQ 2018, including album of the year !

Listen to his first songs before he releases his next album, “Tout ça pour ça”, in May 2019. You might like it, you might love it, and you might even decide to see him on tour…

Here are some lyrics from “Toutes les femmes savent danser”, in which he proves that francophone music hits can be bilingual…

Elle sourit pour les miroirs et les lentilles
Quand elle m’envoie des photos elle est sans filtre
J’me fais tirer les ficelles
Par des filles superficielles sur leur sans fil
Impeccable, comment t’agences ta robe à tes talons
As-tu déjà pensé à agencer ta parole à tes actions
I’m just sayin’
C’est pas toi, I’m just sayin’
J’tombe toujours pour le même truc
Ah, les magiciennes

Bigflo & Oli, “Dommage”

At only 26 and 23 years old, Bigflo & Oli already have a nice musical career in rap. The two brothers, originated from Toulouse, grew up in a family where music was celebrated and therefore played instruments from a very young age. Oli, the younger brother, even started writing lyrics at 6 years old! After posting a few songs on Youtube, the brothers decided to compete in various rap battles. They were spotted by big names of the French rap scene and were invited to sing as the opening act for Sexion d’Assaut.

Their first studio album, “La Cour des Grands”, was released in 2015 and was quickly certified gold. At this time, Bigflo & Oli were only 22 and 19 years old and became the youngest rappers to receive this price. They released a second album in 2017 and a third one, “La Vie de rêve”, in 2018. Their rap style is quite different from the ones you can hear today, and the two brothers admit they’re trying to do “old-school” rap.

Here are some lyrics of “Dommage”, one of their most famous hits:

Yasmine a une belle voix, elle sait qu’elle est douée
Dans la tempête de sa vie, la musique est sa bouée
Face à sa mélodie, le monde est à ses pieds
Mais son père lui répétait: “trouve-toi un vrai métier”
Parfois elle s’imagine sous la lumière des projecteurs
Sur la scène à recevoir les compliments et les jets de fleurs
Mais Yasmine est rouillée, coincée dans la routine
Ça lui arrive de chanter quand elle travaille à l’usine

Vendredi sur mer, “La Femme a la peau bleue”

Some people might say that this Swiss artist began a singing career by accident. We would rather say that her very creative life led her to photography, then to songwriting, and finally to become an indie singer. Vendredi sur mer (aka Charline Mignot) writes about girls and collaborated with Lewis OfMan on her first album to offer retro synthesizer beats and an electro-pop vibe.

Here are some lyrics of her song “La Femme a la peau bleue”:

Il était minuit, minuit passé
C’était pas de l’ennui
J’étais un peu fatiguée
J’ai pris un dernier verre
Et puis une cigarette
Les lumières dansaient
Elles éclairaient ses yeux
C’était les reflets
D’une femme à la peau bleue
D’une femme à la peau
Bleue

Gringe, “Pièces Détachées”

In France, Gringe is firstly known as one half of the hip-hop duo Casseurs Flowteurs, that he formed with the rapper Orelsan. You might have seen him in the TV program “Bloqués” or in the movie “Comment c’est loin”. With his first solo album, “Enfant lune”, Gringe reveals a new side of himself.

Here are some of the lyrics of his song “Pièces Détachées”:

L’absence me laisse des traces, des traces que tu effaces
Comment j’peux vivre en paix si ton amour est néfaste?
J’ai pas besoin de ça, j’ai pas besoin de toi
Et nos souvenirs me hantent
Un jour, tu m’donnes la vie, puis l’autre, tu m’abandonnes
Si je cherche ton fantôme, comment devenir un homme?
J’ai pas besoin de ça, j’ai pas besoin de toi
Mais tes conseils me manquent

Aöme – “Le Bien Le Mal”

Music can be a family business and these three sisters easily prove it. Lynn, Jade and Léana are between 15 and 20 years old, and just like BigFlo & Oli, come from Toulouse. After Lynn tried “The Voice Kids” talent show, they decided to sing together and released some covers on Youtube.

Since these covers were well received, they took their career to the next step. Now they’re writing their own songs (their first single is called “Mille Couronnes”) and were chosen to be part of the New Talents chosen by Spotify France. In 2019, these sisters will tour for the first time!

Here are some lyrics from the song “Le Bien Le Mal”:

Il se glisse tout en douceur et sans effort
M’envahit, m’incendie le cœur et le corps
Il n’existe que s’il me ronge, me dévore
Subtil et froid, reptile en moi
Je n’ai pas encore trouvé où il se cache
Il se perd, il disparaît chaque fois qu’je m’en détache
Il est mon courage quand l’autre n’est qu’un lâche
Brûlent et droit, brasier en moi
De qui écouter la voix?

Jérôme 50, “La Hiérarchill”

If you’re looking for songs to chill out, we have the perfect album for you : “La Hiérarchill”. It’s even in the title, “hiérachie” + “chill”! Jérôme 50 is a Canadian singer and songwriter from L’Ancienne-Lorette, a city in Québec. With folk rock songs, Jérôme 50 criticizes the actual system where young people go to college in order to have a diploma, without thinking about what they really want.

If you want to learn some French Canadian slang, go listen to his first album.

Here are some lyrics from “La Hiérarchill”, in which you will find some Quebec expressions:

Faut pas travailler trop trop fort pour monter dans la hiérarchill

Mes chums capotent, en fait y trouvent ça drôle
De nous voir courir après une carotte
« Miam… ça doit goûter les clés de vos propres menottes
Mais nous, on n’a pas les yeux plus grands qu’la panse
La méritocratie nous fait tomber sans connaissance
Car l’ascension n’est pas sans souffrance
Lorsqu’on s’élève dans le non-sens »

If you want to listen to more songs from emergent artists in Québec, you can check this playlist from M Webzine on Stingray.

Do you listen to other francophone music hits? Which band or singer would you recommend? If you’re in the mood for more music, here are a list of singers you didn’t know were French! And if you’re more into 90s music, here is an article about 13 French songs from the 1990s.