Christine and the Queens with Thee Diane - Ah Ya

A return from Christine and the Queens, this time firmly under the Christine and the Queens name rather than Rahim Redcar.

It even tells you in big letters at the end that it's by Christine and the Queens, in case there's any doubt. He's recently clarified that Christine and the Queens is the artistic project, while his name remains Rahim Redcar. 

Christine and the Queens was an identity he used in the past, but it is not his personal identity which remains as Rahim Redcar. He's comfortable with the older assumed name as it's part of his artistic legacy, but the difference between that name and his personal identity allows him to remain in the identity he is comfortable with.

It's only actually difficult to get your head around if you choose to make it complicated.  

I'm not sure if I really got into the Redcar les adorables etoiles/ Paranoia Angels, True Love work and Hopecore kind of passed me by, but Ah Ya is an interesting piece

Thee Diane, who appears on the cover of Redcar les adorables etoiles, released her debut single Bonjour in November 2024 and perhaps inspired mich of the musical direction of the new piece, but as Rahim comments: "Ah ya is the collaboration of two rebels", hopefully we'll see more rebellious creation on the horizon.

Gesaffelstein at the 2026 Grammy Awards

A significant French music presence at the Grammy Awards at the weekend with Gesaffelstein picking up the trophy for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical for his work on the track Abracadabra by Lady Gaga.

Gesaffelstein worked with her on the 2025 album Mayhem, co-writing four tracks and co-producing three, and also featuring on the track Killah.

Abracadabra was released as a single in February 2025 and reached the UK top five, and achieved platinum status in France

The song incorporates elements of the Siouxsie And The Banshees song Spellbound, the members of the band at the time getting co-writing credits on Abracadabra.

It was a lowkey winner's speech from Gesaffelstein - he didn't speak a word - but it was a memorable appearance on the winner's podium. It took me a while to figure out what was going on when I saw the initial photos of him, but it's a lot clearer in the video.

French acts have done well in this category at the Grammy Awards before, with David Guetta, Cedric Gervais, and Justice amongst the previous winners.

Lady Gaga had also been nominated for Album Of The Year, and Record Of The Year for Abracadabra, as well as Best Pop Solo Performance for Disease 

She won the Best Pop Vocal Award for the album Mayhem and Best Dance-Pop Recording for Abracadabra.

Lady Gaga put on a performance of the track in her own unique style during the show.

Serge Gainsbourg - La Nostalgie Camarade

A farewell to Sly Dunbar, half of one of the finest reggae rhythm sections. Sly and Robbie - Dunbar and Shakespeare - were a vital force in the work they did, whether with international stars like Grace Jones, Bob Dylan, or as the musicians at Studio One playing with Black Uhuru and countless others. But it's the work they did with Serge Gainsbourg that brings them to the attention of this blog.

Gainsbourg wasn't the first white Western artist to play reggae by any means, there was something of a trend among by-then established artists to embrace the style. Often with limited success or with what seemed to be little more than opportunistic appropriation.

Gainsbourg was different in his approach. he went at it not like a new trend or the adoption of a passing dance craze, he sought out the best musicians: Sly and Robbie, the I Threes and others and he recorded in Jamaica. Although many of the songs on his first reggae album was material he had previously recorded, it was in a radically different style, opening up new possibilities in his work, and his version of the French national anthem, re-titled Aux armes et cætera caused a genuine culture shock in France on its release.

There were two studio albums, 1979's Aux armes et cætera,and 1981's Mauvaises Nouvelles des Etoiles as well as a live album, Enregistrement public au Théâtre Le Palace in 1980. All have been re-issued, re-mixed, extended, dub versioned and gainsbourg's reggae work rightly celebrated.

Gainsbourg didn't just do reggae. He did the best reggae and Sly and Robbie were it's backbone.

Alain Bashung: Immortel

 I make no promises, but this blog might be in danger of becoming an Alain Bashung stan blog. 

I recently got a hold of Bashung's Immortel complete studio recordings collection (24 discs!) at a ridiculous price (under £20!) online. Perhaps one of the few advantages of French artists being almost unknown in the UK is the occasional opportunity to pick up items like this at giveaway prices. It's always worth holding on to any vouchers you get at Christmas and checking regularly.

But I digress. I was familiar with some of Bashung's work, and a huge fan of it - albums like Fantaisie Militaire, Bleu Petrole and Play Blessures. Bleu Petrole, in particular, I considered a work of a major artist. But the complete works box gave me a deeper dive, and let me listen to material I was unfamiliar with - as well as material I already knew - in its more complete context.

The box has all his studio albums, including Cantique des Cantiques with his wife Choe Mons. The posthumous collections L'Homme A Tete de Choux and En Amant, two discs of instruments, four of duos and rarities, and a disc each for bonus material from Osez Josephine and Fantaisie Militaire. There's a lot to listen to, and I've still not reached the end of it yet.

Immediate follow-up? I picked up the Bashung Live 1985-2009 at an equally bargain price. 

I may be here some time.

Sébastien Tellier - Parfum Diamant | A COLORS SHOW

 A preview of the forthcoming Sébastien Tellier album, with the track Parfum Diamant in A COLORS SHOW. All capitals, of course, because that's the brand and to be honest, I'm happy to associate an upper case artist like Sébastien Tellier with a show that absolutely shouts out its name.

COLORS has a nice formula for presenting artists. Uncomplicated, no gimmicks, and the focus squarely on the artist who is front and centre of the event. But the visual style is unmistakable. Hats off to them, it's always a pleasure to watch their output.

Speaking of hats, Tellier is giving a vibe that could straight from Jodorowsky's The Holy Mountain, a mystic poet hidden by a hat, shades, and a beard. Walking a fine line between dandy and holy man, high fashion or just a bearded guy in a black suit, whispering words that could be platitudes or pearls of wisdom. 

Maybe he's best known for performing at Eurovision when he arrived on stage in a golf cart, but there's always been more going on with Tellier. Even a fairly minimal piece like Parfum Diamant sticks in your head with a single listen. 

Tellier's Kiss The Beast album, with contributions from Nile Rodgers, Kid Cudi, and Slayyyter, is released on January 30. I'm already excited about this one, the first album I've really been looking forward to so far this year, so well worth getting a pre-download to catch it when it drops, I reckon.

Victoires de la Musique 2026 - the shortlist

The shortlist for this year's Victoires de la Musique awards has been released, and as always, it's an interesting read. It's the 41st time the event which celebrates Francophone music and artists has been held.

Sitting with five nominations is Theodora, with breakthrough female artist, live artist, album, single and audiovisual creation, so she'll probably be going home with something to decorate her mantlepiece.

Meanwhile, there are four significant nominations for Star Academy graduate Helena, best female breakthrough artist, live breakthrough artist, and best album and single, 

But not all the focus is on modern Francophone pop, it's nice to see Feu! Chatterton make the shortlist with what was - for this blog at least - the French album of the year as well as a nomination for best male artist.

The awards take place on Friday February 13 at the Seine Musicale arena, and long with the awards there will be some memorable performances showcasing the musical talent of France and beyond, televised on France 2.

Male artist

Disiz
Feu! Chatterton
Pierre Garnier
Orelsan

Female artist

Charlotte Cardin
Aya Nakamura
Vanessa Paradis
Santa

Male breakthrough

Ino Casablanca
L2B
Sam Sauvage

Female breakthrough

Helena
Miki
Theodora

Live breakthrough

Helena
Miki
Theodora

Album 

Hélé - Helena
Labyrinthe - Feu! Chatterton
La fuite en avant - Orelsan
Méga BBL - Theodora
On s'en rappellera pas - Disiz

Song 

Fashion Designa - Theodora
Les filles les meufs - Marguerite
Mauvais garçon - Helena
Soleil Bleu - Luiza & Bleu Soleil
Tant pis pour elle - Charlotte Cardin

Concert

DJ Snake
Justice Live - Justice
Santa
Zouzou Tour - Philippe Katerine

Audiovisual creation

Fashion Designa - Theodora
Je t'accuse - Suzane
Tant pis pour elle - Charlotte Cardin

Heroes Never Die: Tribute to Bowie on Arte

On the tenth anniversary of the passing of David Bowie there have been a raft of tributes, written, on the radio and on TV. The date was marked in France as elsewhere, and one of the most interesting was a special on  ARTE with some of Bowie's best-know songs being reinterpreted by other acts.

The Molotovs, The Horrors, La Roux, Carl Barat and Pete Doherty, Anna Calvi and The Divine Comedy all feature. Jeanne Added provides some much-needed French input while Yasmine Hamdan brings the show to its end with The Man Who Sold the World.

The documentary by Thierry Gautier and Sylvain Leduc, which runs just under an hour, includes a bit of background from each artist on their chosen cover. All sensitively and atmospherically shot.

You can cast questions endlessly about which acts deserved to be included here: Why The Horrors and not Suede? Perhaps it's a bit old school indie. Similar questions can be asked about the songs covered. Why aren's some of my favourites included? No matter. What's actually there is more interesting than what isn't and what could have been there. All the acts bring something different, from the reverential (Anna Calvi) to the more spontaneous and energetic (The Molotovs and Barat/Doherty).

There's some great stuff here. You might not like everything, but like those 'tribute' albums of the '80s and '90s that featured a raft of artists covering the work by a particular artist, it both throws up some unexpected gems and encourages a different interpretation of material you're probably familiar with.