Chart: Nolwenn Leroy

Nolwenn Leroy won French TV show Star Academy show in 2002, the country's equivalent of the BBC's Fame Academy.

However, unlike the UK winners of Fame Academy, she's gone on to have a career that has endured, with her fourth album Bretonne released in December 2010.

She has already had a couple of Number one songs, her debut Cassé in 2003 and 2004's Nolwenn Ohwo!. Her debut album also got to number one, but with her fourth also reaching that position at the top of the French chart, she has certainly gone beyond her reality TV beginnings.

Hard to image Alex Parks or David Sneddon managing this.

Star Academy was, of course, huge in France, a much bigger deal in terms of popularity and artistic credibility than its UK equivalant. Probably this was something to do with the UK already having had the likes of Pop Stars and Pop Idol and their parade of talentless and fame-hungry chancers.

Great to hear some modern interpretations of Breton classics like Tri Martelot and La Jument de Michao. I have to admit it was strange at first to hear the songs performed by a woman, being so familiar with the work of Stivell and Tri Yann, but there's no mistaking her voice is extraordinary and the arrangements are great.

Much as I like Stivell, it's hard to deny that some of his early recordding do sound a bit dated. Not that there's anything wrong with 70s folk/prog/rock to these ears, but I can understand it's an aquired taste and something that radio stations and media folks might pass on.

I suppose many of the early generation of folk and rock artists that used traditional music were just taking the music that they liked and popularising it the style of their day. Nolwenn just continues that honourable tradition.

I've come across some negative comments, suggesting that her success is more down to marketing that talent, but I dont think that's the case.

Folk music does not need to only be performed by men with beards. The fact is that these songs are being heard by a new generation, and I'm sure the folk artists of previous generations would be pleased to hear the work they popularised being passed on, and the celtic culture or Brittany finding new audiences.

The fact that this is the number one album in France is a great reflection of the widespread appeal of Breton culture in France. It would be hard to imagine a collection in Gaelic making the same impression in the UK.

Now if we could just persuade her to sing something in Gaelic or Scots...