French pop music was created in France during the 1960s; the creation of American rock and roll in the 1950s is what led France to create pop music called the Anglo-American style. In those early beginnings of French pop music, they combined Chanson and French music, this type of style is now played in French pop music today.
Josephine Baker, an American dancer, singer, and actress, started her career in France where her adoptive family came from. Baker was the first African American female to star in a major motion picture, to integrate an American concert hall, and to become a world-famous entertainer.
Charles Aznavour, is a man with many talents. Not only is he one of the best Armenian-French singers in the world, he writes music, acts and is a public activist as well as a diplomat.
Hugues Aufray is a French singer who coincidentally began his career singing in Spanish. In 1959, at the encouragement of some friends, he signed up for an amateur competition, won and, shortly thereafter, signed a contract with Barclay records. His first hit came in 1961 with “Santiano.” He is also known for the many covers he does of Bob Dylan songs that he adapts into French and for being a specialist of skiffle, a type of music with jazz, blues and folk roots typically played with homemade instruments.
Daniel Balavoine was a French singer and songwriter who was very popular in places such as France and Canada with the French-speaking communities.
Axel Bauer is a French singer who became popular with the release of “Cargo de Nuit” in 1983. The video was the first to be televised in 1984 on the French version of MTV. Bauer made another first when he signed a contract with EMI, becoming the first French artist to be boarded in London by the record label. After meek success with his first album, Bauer fell off the music scene until 1991 when his single “Turn Off The Light” went gold.
Michel Berger was a very prominent French singer, songwriter and producer. He was a pioneer of French pop in the 1970s and 80s and worked with artists such as his wife France Gall, Francoise Hardy and Johnny Hallyday. On top of his musical endeavors, he also avidly participated in humanitarian acts.
French pop music’s target audience may be France and the francophone market, but many artists have overcome language barriers and reached success across the globe. Celine Dion, being a primary example, sings in both French and English and has become an international success. Some international artists even specifically target the French market such as Tina Arena from Australia with her 2006 French album, Un Autre Univers.
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