GDW strives to spread news of fresh French-Canadian music, and I must confess that I took great pleasure in seeking out tunes for our annual Francophone February video feature last month. But as we have learned on many occasions, if you prod those algorithms a little too hard, they’ll come back to bite you. In a good way, naturally…
With my loosely defined parameters, for every Canadian music hit that I clicked on, many more materialized in my feed from across the ocean. In hindsight, I should have resisted temptation to check some of them out, but it’s too late – the damage has been done, and fabulous new French pop music of the European variety now dominates my feeds.
As another advocate for Francophone music, GDW’s Lesley took this opportunity to remind me that given our frequent Commonwealth Connections coverage, why not offer a French Connections featurette too. Seeds were quickly planted – and once I dismissed any thoughts of the similarly named 1971 Gene Hackman movie (one of the best Hollywood car chases that still holds up today) – a return visit to those feeds led to some fabulous discoveries. Here are four fresh-hot clips from France selected just for you – and all originate from a common source.
Jeanne, “Respire fort”
In similar fashion to many of their emerging Québecois counterparts, we are discovering many French artists thanks to their participation in televised talent shows. Jeanne appeared in “Star Academy (2025),” releasing this tune to critical acclaim last summer.
Maureen Valet, “1er Janvier”
Another contestant from French talent show “Star Academy (2024),” like many next-generation artists, Maureen has a minimal online footprint, sharing her music largely on Instagram and TikTok. This debut single is a fabulous toe-tapper of a pop tune.
Marine, “Escroc”
No, we’re not surprised to learn of yet another “Star Academy” contestant! This piano-led song is imbued with modern pop flair, making it easy to see just why Marine (Marine Delplace) was crowned the winner of season 12 in 2024. We can’t wait to hear more…
Franck Lenar, “Morpheús”
Another fabulous emerging artist, and one that helps complete our unintentional grand slam of “Star Academy” contestants. Rabbit holes – they take you down deep, but the findings have been amazing. “Morpheús” shares messages of transition and awakening.
The British guy that crossed the ocean and crash landed in central Pennsylvania (to quote Greg Keelor, “And I wonder what am I doing here?”). As the youngest of four siblings, exposure to music from a very early age nurtured my passion and appreciation for many musical genres. Continuing to discover some amazingly diverse and talented musicians based in Canada, I gravitate to live music experiences and remain devoted to spreading the word about such a vibrant music scene.
