10 Best French Singers To Listen To

Are you looking for the most popular and best French singers to listen to?

Many say that you cannot understand France without hearing its music, and it is true whether you are learning the language or not.

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From Piaf to Gainsbourg to Paradis, a certain era, history, and cultural element is captured that non-French speakers will appreciate through their songs.

10 Best French Singers To Listen To

Based on a variety of genres, musicality, and popular acclaim, here are ten of the best French singers to listen to. 

1. Edith Piaf

Genre: chanson, torch ballads

Popular songs:  La Vie en Rose (Life in Pink), Non, je ne regrette rien (I Don’t Regret Anything), Hymne à l’amour (Humb to Love)

Awards: Grammy Hall of Fame Award  (for La Vie En Rose)

A true embodiment of her stage name Piaf, which translates to “sparrow,”, the power and emotion in Edith’s voice made her one of France’s most famous singers. 

To this day, she is still well-known in France and around the world for her love songs and probably, her most popular song up to this day – the La Vie en Rose. Her distinct voice is just half of what made her such an icon and one of the most popular French women up to this day. 

Miss Piaf may not have written her songs, but she chose songs penned by some of the greatest lyricists of her time to express her complex feelings. She was also known as the kind of singer who often entrusted her ideas to songwriters she trusted.

READ MORE: Interesting Facts About Edith Piaf

2. Jaques Brel

Genre: Chanson, French pop

Popular songs:  “Quand on n’a que l’amour” (“When You Only Have Love”), Amsterdam, Madeleine, La Chanson des vieux amants (Song of the old lovers), and “Les Vieux (The old folks)

Awards: Grand Prix du Disque from the Académie Charles Cros (1957)

Aside from being an accomplished singer, Jaques Brel was also a gifted actor and director. He was known for his passionate rendition of his songs.

Most of his songs were quite theatrical, which reflects his acting background. Jacques Brel songs were a consistent chart-topper in France during his time, and a lot of those remained to be among the most beloved French songs up to this day. 

3. Barbara

Genre: Nouvelle Chanson

Popular songs: Ma plus belle histoire d’amour c’est vous” (My Most Beautiful Love Story Is You),  L’aigle noir, Nantes, La solitude, and Une petite cantate.

Awards: Grand Prix du Disque (1982)

Born as Monique Andrée Serf, but better known by her stage name Barbara and born in Paris to a Jewish family, she was 10 during the Nazi occupation of France in World War II and had to go into hiding along with her family. Years after the war ended, she got herself a stage name and entered the music scene.

Along with Jaques Brel, her music influenced a soft pop style called the Nouvelle Chanson, a modern soft pop style that’s lyric-driven. This style became even more popular starting from the 90s and Barbra has been alluded to in the lyrics of the songs that came out since then. 

4. Charles Aznavour

Genre: Pop, Chanson

Popular songs: Après l’Amour, Yesterday, When I Was Young (Hier Encore), She (Tous Les Visages De L’amour), You’ve Let Yourself Go (Tu T’Laisses Aller)

Awards: Legion of Honour (1997, 2001, and 2004), Grand Medal from the French Academy (1995),  Edison Awards (three-time award winner)

Known as the French Frank Sinatra, Charles Aznavour was also a prolific songwriter who penned more than a thousand songs in several languages. 

The themes and melodies in these songs were also quite diverse. As a singer, Mr. Aznavour was known for his distinctive tenor voice. 

With all his work that involved multilingual work, it was no surprise that he became a diplomat later in his life. 

5. Serge Gainsbourg

Genre: Pop, Rock, Jazz

Popular songs: Bonnie and Clyde, Ford Mustang, Je t’aime… moi non plus (I Love You, Me Neither)

Awards: César Winner (1996)

Famous for his provocative lyrics, Gainsbourg was said to be the French counterpart of Mick Jagger, David Bowie, and Sting combined. He may not be that popular outside of France, but he has a legendary status in his country.

An accomplished musician, songwriter, producer, and arranger, he wrote songs for other artists and wrote scores for films.

Gainsbourg’s eclectic musical style and unique personality make him difficult to categorize, despite his well-established reputation.  

As a singer-songwriter, however, he was regarded as the most important figure in French pop when he was alive.

6. Johnny Hallyday

Genre: Rock, Pop

Popular songs: Retiens la nuit, Noir C’est Noir, Que Je T’aime, Pour Moi La Vie Va Commencer

Awards: Chevalier (Knight) of the Legion of Honour (1997) and Officer of the Order of the Crown (Belgium, 2001), Prix Jean Gabin (2003)

A true French superstar, Johnny Hallyday released 79 French albums and sold over 110 million records throughout his career that lasted 57 years.

Mr. Hallyday sang around 1,154 songs and performed 540 duets with 187 artists. He was known for his powerful voice and his spectacular shows.

During concerts, such as the ones at Stade de France where he performed 9 times,  he sometimes arrived by entering the stadium through the crowd or even by jumping from a helicopter. He was also credited for bringing rock and roll music to France. 

7. Françoise Hardy

Genre: yé-yé, pop ballad

Popular songs: Tous les garçons et les filles, Voilà, Le Temps De L’amour

Awards: Grand Prix du Disque from the Académie Charles Cros, Female Artist of the Year – Victoires de la Musique Awards (2005)

Francoise Hardy is known both as a fashion icon and a singer.

Along with her reputation as a fashion icon in the 1960s, Miss Hardy was also a pioneer of the yé-yé genre, with other French music luminaries such as Serge Gainsbourg and Jacques Dutronc, her husband. 

Hardy continues to be a popular figure in music and style to this day, with her critically acclaimed albums and distinct fashion sense. Over the recent years, she is also considered a gay icon. 

8. Patrick Bruel

Genre: Chanson, Pop

Popular Songs: Casser la voix, J’te l’dis quand même, Qui a le droit

Awards: World Music Awards (2003), NRJ Music Award of Honor (2013)

Singer-songwriter, a famous actor, and professional poker player Patrick Bruel is one of those lucky enough to be successful in his chosen careers.

He started as a teen idol in the 90s and was known to have led a return to traditional French chanson at the start of the new millennium.

He has put out several albums and all of them were French chart-toppers.  

9. Vanessa Paradis

Genre: R&B, Pop, Rock

Popular songs: Joe le taxi, Marilyn and John, Dis lui toi que je t’aime, 

Awards: Chevalier de legion d’honneur

Vanessa Paradis has been a big star in France for decades. She debuted at age 14 in 1991 with her hit song “Joe le taxi”, which also propelled her to international stardom.

Since then, her songs have been a staple on the French music charts.

Aside from being an accomplished singer, Miss Paradis is also an actress and has a chevalier de legion d’honneur from the Government of France. She is still very active in the music scene, and her latest album Les Sources was a chart topper.  

10. Zaz

Genre: Pop jazz

Popular songs: Je Veux,Cœur Volant, Eblouie Par La Nuit

Awards: Académie Charles Cros,  European Border Breakers Award, Echo award for best international female rock/pop artist (2015)

Isabelle Geffroy, better known by her stage name Zaz, is known for her easy-listening pop-jazz music.

The song “Je veux“, from her first album released in 2010, was her breakout hit. The singer-songwriter from the Loire Valley is known for injecting a jazzy twist to genres like pop, soul, and acoustic.