Francis Cabrel

A celebrated figure across the French-speaking world, singer-songwriter Francis Cabrel has sold an estimated 25 million records. ∙ Cabrel taught himself to play guitar as a teenager and learned English by translating songs by Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, and Bob Dylan. ∙ In 1974, he took first prize in a Sud Radio songwriting contest with his “Petite Marie,” besting 400 other contestants and scoring a record deal with CBS. ∙ His first No. 1 hit was 1979’s “Je l’aime à mourir,” which inspired countless covers in multiple languages and topped the charts again in 2011 when Shakira recorded a version. ∙ Beginning with 1989’s Diamond-selling Sarbacane, he kicked off his current run of seven straight No. 1 albums in France. ∙ He is a devoted fan of Bob Dylan, and his 2012 album, Vise le ciel, consisted entirely of Dylan covers, sung in French. ∙ The Académie française awarded Cabrel the prestigious Grande médaille de la chanson française in 2010 for his contributions to music.