French Music Seen From Abroad July 2006

Summer sounds

Paris 

05/07/2006 - 

The "Fête de la Musique" - an original French invention now exported to the four corners of the world as "Music Day" - celebrated its 25th anniversary this year. As "Music Day" signalled the start of summer and the approach of the holiday season, the only question is: who will be playing on your I-pod as you lie on the beach? Camille, Laurent Voulzy or hip French pop-rock foursome Phoenix?

An increasing number of countries around the world have jumped on the "Fête de la Musique" bandwagon, marking the summer solstice with musical celebrations of every imaginable kind. "The French concept, launched in 1982, as an initiative of the former French culture minister Jack Lang celebrated its quarter-century this year in 250 towns in 120 different countries," reported the Chilean newspaper El Mercurio (20/6). "This year, a number of new cities joined in the 'Fête' including the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires, the Chilean city of Chillan, Sydney, Australia and Coimbra in Portugal." The "Fête de la Musique" gave amateur musicians around the world the chance to grab instruments, head out into the street and reappropriate an art which is all too often hogged by stars and celebrities.

A flurry of independent projects were organised across all five continents, uniting the talent of amateurs and professionals – and, in many countries, the Fête branched out into other artistic spheres, too. "Botswana hosted the French festival 'La Fête de la Musique for another year running," reported the Daily News (23/6), "The event, organised by the Alliance Française, aims to democratise access to artistic and cultural projects, supporting local talents in all cultural domains" -  including theatre and the visual arts!

The "Fête de la Musique" also plays an instrumental role in promoting French music worldwide. In Kenya, the local Alliance Française organised their own music contest which ended with a final which "attracted 15 participants interpreting hits of various French artists much to the enjoyment of the audience of French speakers and students," reported the Kenyan newspaper Coast Week (23-29/6). Meanwhile, over in Vietnam, while "French Music Day opened in Hanoi (Nhân Dân, 22/6), "HCM City theater staged "Bonjour Paris" to reminisce about outstanding singers and composers who have contributed to French music" (Tuoi Tre, 15/6). Audiences swayed happily along to French 'chanson' classics such as La Mer, Les Feuilles mortes, Quand on a que l’amour and Comme d’habitude. 

French pop in the U.K. and the U.S.

Canada, it seems, has been a little less welcoming of French sounds of late. "65% of music played on French-language stations must be in French," (reports CTV, 26/5) but "commercial radio stations in Quebec want to play more English-language songs, saying they're losing listeners who want to hear the latest American hits."  Fortunately, for French exports, other countries have been lapping up French sounds and enjoying every minute of it. Take Phoenix, the Versailles band set up by Thomas Mars, boyfriend of American film director Sofia Coppola. Hot off a plane from Mexico City, Mars held court in "a hotel near London's King’s Cross" where he presented Phoenix's third album It’s Never Been Like That (Virgin) to the British press, with fellow band member Christian Mazzalai. Mars, who has never hidden his passion for British rock, told a journalist from Scotland On Sunday (25/6) that "Our first two albums were soft rock; the new one is extensively punky." The band, he claimed, are not afraid of "radical detours!"

Punk guitars are not the only guarantee of success abroad. Camille has also been making waves in North America with her own unique brand of quirky Gallic pop. The singer recently embarked upon her first U.S. tour and earned a glowing review from The Star-Ledger, the self-proclaimed "voice of New Jersey" (14/6). "Camille Dalmais seems to have been one of those kids who always dreamt of running away with the circus. At least now with her vocal acrobatics, the French singer has found a way of letting the turbulent child within run wild."

Comebacks from Garou and Voulzy

Meanwhile, French Canadian star Garou is back in the spotlight with his latest album, Garou, currently riding high at no.1 in the French album charts. The husky-voiced Quebecois brought the house down when he performed at the Fête Nationale in Montreal recently. And, according to Quebec's daily newspaper La Presse (21/6), the singer is now set for "a whole string of festival appearances before he kicks off a major world tour. Fans will get a foretaste of this when Garou performs at the Olympia in Paris mid-November."

Laurent Voulzy also looks set to ride a wave of renewed success with his new album La Septième vague (The Seventh Wave, released on Sony BMG). On it, the popular French star covers songs by everyone from Yves Montand to Sade, Simon & Garfunkel, Cliff Richard, The Carpenters and The Korgis. The album has already scored a big hit with a journalist from the Belgian daily Le Soir (26/6) who applauds its "nostalgia and its recovery of blasts from the past… Voulzy scored a coup at the start of his career with Rockcollection, but his first hit single was a medley of extracts from past hits where he tried to stick as closely to the original as possible. This time round, he sings them his own way." Perfect summer listening beachside, poolside or for impromptu sing-along trips in the car!

Gilles  Rio

Translation : Julie  Street