17 Most Famous French Singers Whose Songs You Have to Listen To

Are you looking for some of the best French musicians to listen to? This article will show you the most famous French singers whose music has transcended time.

While France is mostly known for producing the best poets, painters, and writers, musicians and singers are also not so far behind.

From classic singers, cabaret, and pop, to even rock singers, France has produced a number of artists over time who have not only captured the hearts of the French but have also risen on the international scene.

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From legends like Johnny Hallyday and Édith Piaf to newer musicians like Julien Doré, here is a list of the 17 most famous French singers of all time who popularized French songs in their country, across Europe, and all around the world. These musicians shaped the French music industry with their cult songs.

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17 Famous French Singers

Whether you are a francophone who wants to expand your French music collection or you want to learn the French language by listening to some French songs, this guide will help you find great French singers whose music transcended their time.

I’ve also included some interesting facts about them, so I hope you enjoy reading those too!

1. Édith Piaf

We have all heard La Vie En Rose at some point, right? If you haven’t, you should listen to it at least once.

It is widely regarded as one of the best French love songs of all time and the most famous song sung by France’s national chanteuse, Édith Giovanna Gassion or Édith Piaf as commonly known.

She has also sung great songs like Non je ne regrette rien, Padam Padam, Milord, and Hymne à l’amour.

Édith gained fame across France by performing on the streets until a club owner made her a regular singer but she gained international fame only after WWII.

Being a cabaret singer, Édith’s genres were love ballads, torch songs, and chansons, and today, she is probably the most famous French singer of all time.

Her great talent and soothing voice not only bagged her the nickname of The Little sparrow but also a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1998 for her hit song La Vie En Rose.

Today, she is one of the most famous French women who still impacts the music industry.

2. Johnny Hallyday

Johnny Hallyday, whose real name was Jean-Philippe Léo Smet, is one of the most famous singers in France.

He earned the moniker French Elvis Presley for being a heartthrob and popularizing Rock n’ Roll in France. Johnny had an extensive career spanning nearly 6 decades and 100 million+ records sold.

His most famous songs include Que Je T’aime, Retiens La Nuit, Noir C’est Noir, and the French rendition of Let’s Twist Again, which became popular and topped the charts across Europe.

He recorded 79 albums, of which 22 are Platinum, 5 are Diamond, and 40 are Gold records.

That’s not all, he has also won 10 Victoires de la Musique awards, Chevalier of the Legion of Honour (1997), and Officer of the Order of the Crown (2001) proving that he is truly one of the best French singers the country has ever had.

Johnny, as was commonly called by fans at the time, saw success like no other French musician.

He was considered one of the best-selling artists in the world, especially in French-speaking countries, and was almost treated as a national monument in the country.

3. Josephine Baker

Freda Josephine McDonald, better known as Josephine Baker, was an American-born French dancer, singer, and actress.

She released her most successful song in 1931, called J’ai Deux amours, which later became her anthem. She also sang hits like De Temps En Temps, Pretty Little Baby, and Comme un Banque (I’m Feelin’ like a million).

Besides singing and later acting, Baker was also involved in social issues including participating in the French resistance during WWII and was part of the civil rights movement.

Due to her work, she was awarded some of France’s highest military honors, the Croix de Guerre and the Legion of Honour with the rosette of the Resistance.

She was also interred at the Pantheon, (a popular Parisian landmark) and became the first black woman to receive such a high honor in France.

Additionally, Baker also became the first Black woman to star in a big motion picture movie, the silent film Siren of the Tropics in 1927. After this, she starred in 3 more movies.

4. Zaz

Isabelle Geffroy, known by her stage name Zaz, is one of the most famous singers from France to gain international fame. Her single Je veux from her self-titled debut album got her instant recognition in 2010.

Following this, she even won the EBBA award in 2011 and the album went on to become a double-platinum record.

She also went on to create and release 4 other albums with popular songs like On ira, Qué vendrá, and Demain C’est Toi.

Though she started her singing carrier in a band, she broke out and became a recognized solo artist. Her style of music is influenced by jazz, alternative indie, soul, and acoustic.

Besides being naturally gifted with great vocals, she studied music, where she learned choral singing.

5. Vanessa Paradis

One of the most popular French singers, Vanessa Paradis, tasted success very early in life.

In 1987, when she was only 14 years old, she released her single, Joe le taxi, which became an instant hit across the country and internationally.

The genres she sings in are R&B, pop, and rock and her other famous songs include Il y a, Pourtant, and Marilyn & John.

Vanessa was the youngest recipient (aged 18) of the prestigious Prix Romy Scheider in 1990, which is awarded to young and upcoming actresses.

In the same year, she also won the Cesar Award for Most Promising Actress for her debut role in Noce Blanche.

She has also been awarded the Chevalier in the Ordre national de la Légion d’Honneur in 2015.

While she had already made a name for herself, her fame grew even more when she dated the famous Hollywood actor, Johnny Depp.

Besides singing, Paradis is a household name in the acting and modeling world and has appeared on more than 300 magazine covers.

6. Soprano

Saïd M’Roumbaba, or Soprano as he is popularly known, is a French rapper and singer.

He used to sing in the hip-hop/rap group Psy 4 de la Rime, with whom he recorded and released 2 albums that went on to become gold records.

His achievements continued even after he left the group to make his solo debut. His debut album, Puisqu’il Faut Vivre (2007), found a place in Billboard’s European Top 100 and the French music charts.

He then released 7 other albums, including a dual-concept album(s), La Colombe (2010) and Le Corbeau (2011), which were released in two parts.

He has sung songs like Le Coach, La Vida, En Feu, and Roule. He also has a wax statue at Musée Grévin which is one of the best museums in Paris.

7. Cali

Bruno Caliciuri, who took on the stage name Cali, has been one of the French popular singers since the early 2000s.

Cali dreamt of being a professional Rugby player until he attended a U2 concert in 1984 and decided to enter the music industry.

His initial exposure to the punk music genre in Ireland influenced the style of his 1^st band, after which he was a part of several other bands.

He made pop-rock his genre and used different instruments to create music to accompany this style, like the guitar, sax, violin, drums, bass, trumpet, and trombone.

His debut single, “C’est Quand le Bonheur?”, is a song about post-adolescent disillusionment and is considered an anthem for the same.

His other popular songs include Elle m’a dit and Je ne vivrai pas sans toi.

8. Jean-Jacques Goldman

Jean-Jacques Goldman donned many musical hats. He was a French singer, songwriter, and music producer who could play the guitar, piano, and violin.

He sang songs like Je te donne, Comme Toi, Là-bas and Il suffira d’un signe. He even wrote an entire album for Canadian-French singer Céline Dion, along with 3 songs on her 1997 Falling Into You album for which he won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.

Goldman also composed songs for Johnny Hallyday, whom he overtook as the highest-grossing French pop-rock artist after Hallyday’s demise.

Though he is currently retired, he is considered one of the best French musicians to date.

9. Julien Doré

The winner of the 5th season of Nouvelle Star in 2007, Julien Doré, is a singer, songwriter, and French actor. He also plays the guitar and ukulele.

He founded the band Dig up Elvis. In fact, his initial intention to enter Nouvelle Star was to gain free publicity for his band, but he rose to eventually win it.

Some of the songs he is known for include Le Lac, Coco Câline, Sublime & silence, and La Fièvre.

Besides being talented as a musician, he is a beauty mogul considering that his looks got him voted to the top of Elle magazine’s “15 S*xiest Men” poll.

Recently, he was a part of Call My Agent!, which is one of the best French TV shows on Netflix, where he played himself.

10. Carla Bruni

Carla Bruni has donned many hats over the years. From being an international model to a popular French singer to a French actress and even the former First Lady of France.

Her modeling career spanned a decade from 1987 to 1997, after which she made her singing debut with her 1^st album in 2003.

The title track Quelqu’un m’a dit became an instant hit and has been used in 2 Hollywood movies.

Apart from this, her other famous songs include Raphaël, Little French Song, The Winner Takes It All, and L’Amoureuse.

Though her marriage to then-French President Nicholas Sarkozy in 2008 earned her the title of First Lady of France, she continued making music with her latest album released in 2017.

11. Dalida

Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti, known by her stage name Dalida, is a multilingual French singer and actress whose singing career spanned 3 decades.

She sold millions of records across France, Europe, and other parts of the world and is considered one of the best French singers of her time.

Some of her hits included Bambino, Itsi Bitsi Petit Bikini, Les enfants du Pirée, Le temps des fleurs, Paroles, paroles, and Il venait d’avoir dix-huit ans, which was inspired by her personal life.

Her songs were of pop and yé-yé but also ventured into disco every now and then. Did you know that she sang in 11 languages? Quite impressive, right?

While she lived a glamorous life, she had a troubling personal life and also suffered from depression after her partner took his own life in 1967. She also (unsuccessfully) tried to take her own life a month later.

Fast forward 20 years later, Dalida took her own life too, and to honor her, French sculptor Aslan created a life-sized statue that can be found in Montmartre, one of the neighborhoods of Paris.

12. Claude François

Claude François, full name Claude Antoine Marie François, or Cloclo as he was sometimes called, was an Egyptian-born French singer, songwriter, record producer, and composer.

He also played drums and was a good dancer, later earning the moniker king of French disco. His songs included Comme d’habitude, Belles, Belles, Belles, Le Téléphone Pleure and Le lundi au soleil.

His French adaptations of American rock and roll hits caught on and made him famous. His songs even made it to the UK charts.

Elvis Presley even covered one of his songs, Parce Que Je T’aime, mon enfant, titled My Boy.

Though he lived a short life dying at just 39 years old, he had great success selling over 35 million records and even Former French President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing compared him to being the French equivalent of The Beatles which meant that he considered him the best French musician of all time.

13. Barbara

Barbara, whose real name is Monique Andrée Serf, was a French cabaret singer.

Barbara was one of the most famous French singers, so much so that tributes poured in when she passed away, which included words from then-President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Lionel Jospin.

A Paris metro station was even named in her honor next to where she was buried.

She sung songs like Dis, quand reviendras-tu?, Nantes, Ma plus belle histoire d’amour c’est vous, and L’Aigle noir which sold over 1 million copies just 12 hours after its release.

Her songs more often than not had a melancholic theme to them and are ones you’d want to listen to over and over.

14. Mélanie Pain

Mélanie Pain is a French indie-pop singer with 3 albums to her credit – My Name, Bye Bye Manchester, and Parachute.

Having studied political science, Pain never planned to become a singer but it wasn’t until when Nouvelle Vague, a popular French cover band received a demo she had recorded for a friend that she finally decided to take a shot at music.

Though she initially refused the offer to sing for Nouvelle Vague, she later accepted and covered English songs alongside Olivier Libaux and Marc Collin, eventually contributing to their eponymous album. She even collaborated with the French electronic band, Villeneuve.

She caught people’s attention, even more, when she was a vocalist for a couple of songs on M83 albums called Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts.

She even collaborated with Julien Doré on her 1^st solo album, My name, in 2009. Her famous songs include La Cigarette, Bye Bye Manchester, Ignore Moi, and Helsinki.

From being a designer to singing cover songs to recording fan-favorite songs of her own, Mélanie Pain has proved that she is truly one of the famous French musicians to look out for.

15. Serge Gainsbourg

Serge Gainsbourg, born Lucien Ginsburg, was a multi-faceted and celebrated César winning (1996) artist.

Although he is considered one of the most influential and famous French musicians, many touted his music as controversial and provocative by nature.

Apart from being a singer-songwriter, Serge also played the piano, wrote poems, and was a producer and filmmaker.

His most popular songs were Je t’aime…moi non plus with Jane Birkin, Bonnie and Clyde with Brigitte Bardot, La Chanson de Prévert and Le poinçonneur des Lilas.

He has sung nearly 500+ songs and made music in almost every genre; be it pop, chanson, jazz, rock, reggae, and even yéyé. Apart from this, he also wrote songs for other artists.

16. Georges Brassens

Georges Brassens is considered one of the most famous French singers of his time. A celebrated and accomplished postwar poet and songwriter, Georges has 14 albums to his credit.

Some popular French songs that he recorded include Les copains d’abord, Jeanne, Chanson pour l’Auvergnat and Mourir pour des idées. His songs were about dark humor, religion and class enveloped in peppy rhythms.

He was part of a trio where he played the acoustic guitar. He even taught himself how to play the piano.

17. Daft Punk

French dance-electronic duo Daft Punk comprises school buddies Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo.

They had formed a guitar trio along with guitarist-drummer Laurent Brancowitz called Darlin’, which disbanded pretty soon. After this, they became Daft Punk in 1993.

Apart from their music, the mysterious suit and helmet attire that they performed in gained people’s attention.

Their music combines techno, house, funk, and hip-hop elements and they have won 6 Grammy awards over their nearly 3-decade-long career.

Their greatest hits include Da Funk, Around the World, One More Time, Digital Love, Robot Rock, Technologic, and Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.

They have also collaborated with multiple artists, including Pharrell Williams for Get Lucky and Lose Yourself to Dance and The Weeknd for Starboy and I Feel It Coming. They even composed the background score for the film Tron: Legacy in 2010.

Sadly, this world-loved band recently split up in 2021 but their legacy as the famous singers of France will live on forever.

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Final Thoughts on the Best French Singers

Every French person’s playlist will feature some of the songs of these famous French singers, and I hope that you found at least a couple of them interesting enough to add to yours.

While I could not possibly cover all the greats across generations since this list only contains 17 famous French singers, I tried my best to include musicians across different genres and eras. Let me know if I’ve missed out on your favorite and I’ll add them.

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