Whether you're in the country for a visit and want to see a show or you just want to explore a different music scene, the French culture has a wide variety of famous female singers who have risen to fame due to their talented vocal abilities and chart-topping hits.
Hélène Segara
Hélène Segara, born Hélène Rizzo to an Italian father and Armenian mother, left schooling and her family when she was 14 to pursue a singing career, performing in piano bars on the French Riviera. She released her first single, "Loin," in 1993, but it wasn't very popular. In 1996, she released her debut album, and the tracks "Je vous aime adieu" and "Vivo per lei" -- a duet with Andrea Bocelli -- started to raise her profile. In 2000, she released her second album, which topped the charts. Today, she continues to release albums and singles.
Alizée
Alizée Jacotey, typically referred to as just Alizée, is from Corsica and received vocal training as a child. She won the French version of "Star Search" later in her youth and recorded her first single, "Moi ... Lolita" in 2000 at the age of 16. The song was a big success and led to the creation of her first album, "Gourmandises." She has gone on to release a number of other chart-topping hits, such as "J'en ai marre!" in 2003.
Mylène Farmer
Mylène Farmer is one of the must successful French recording artists of all time, having sold 25 million records. She was born in France but her family moved to Canada in the late 1950s, returning to France when she was eight years old. She started taking acting lessons at age 17, which eventually turned into a singing career. Her most well-known songs include “Désenchantée,” "Libertine," "Sans contrefaçon" and “Rêver."
Patricia Kaas
Patricia Kaas grew up in Stiring-Wendel, near Forbach, the mining town where she was born. Her father was a miner, and her mother encouraged her singing abilities when she was very young, leading to her performing in piano bars at the age of eight. She released her first album in 1988, and since then has sold 16 million records. She has won numerous awards for her singing, including a 1995 World Music Award for best French female artist of the year, and a Goldene Europa award in 2002 for international female artist of the year.
Writer Bio
Based in the Washington, D.C., area, Dan Taylor has been a professional journalist since 2004. He has been published in the "Baltimore Sun" and "The Washington Times." He started as a reporter for a newspaper in southwest Virginia and now writes for "Inside the Navy." He holds a Bachelor of Arts in government with a journalism track from Patrick Henry College.
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