French Pop Essentials

By adapting the captivating arrangements of ’60s American pop, the leaders of traditional French chanson broke away from yé-yé and revolutionised the French scene. These artists paved the way for a quintessentially French take on pop that oscillated between dance fever, quirky prose, eroticism and provocation. A wave of synth-pop refreshed the genre in the ’80s, incorporating electronic instruments and influences drawn from disco and krautrock. And the turn of the century saw the emergence of the French touch, with its filtered samples and catchy melodies that still impact the elegant atmospheres of the electropop scene.