Editorial: March 2014

Another month passes at Chateau Vive Le Roq, but February 2014 was certainly an interesting one for
several reasons.

Primarily because it saw Daft Punk's overwhelming victory at the Grammy Awards in the USA. It's hard to think of a time when French music making a bigger impact internationally, and I'd like to think that the consequences of the impact made by Daft Punk will continue to be felt for quite some time to come.

Of course, there's more to French music than Daft Punk, and that fact was made clear also this month. The Grammys also saw the work of Cédric Gervais recogised with an award for Best Remixed Recording, Non Classical for his re-working of Lana Del Rey's Summertime Sadness and Kanye West's Yeezus album getting two nominations,  best rap album and best rap song,  the album featuring contributions by Daft Punk  as well as by Gesaffelstein, one of France's most celebrated young artists.

Meanwhile, the Victoires de la Musique awards in France saw awards going to artist that even the most anglocentric listeners would have heard of - the likes of Stromae, Phoenix, Vanessa Paradis and Johnny Hallyday emerging with new decorations for their trophy cabinets.

But the show also showcased  some of the emerging talent France has on offer, with the likes of Cats on Trees, Christine and the Queens and Zaz taking the stage,  suggesting that while previous generations of French music may have bagged the trophies, there's a huge amount of talented acts waiting in the wings. Hopefully 2014 will be the year some of these acts get the widespread recognition they deserve.

Incidentally, February  2014 saw this site experience it's biggest traffic ever. If you were one of those who came, merci. Hope you liked it and you come again.

All in all, not a bad start for 2014, considering January and February are traditionally one of the quieter periods  of the year for music-related issues.

As always, I can be contacted on johnkilbrideAThotmailDOTcom, with the appropriate punctuation where you'd expect it to be.

We're also on Twitter as @viveleroq or you can find me at @karnag

Thanks again to the French Music Office in London and to the Institut francais in London for their help and encouragement  and also to the various record companies and promoters who have helped.

Merci et à bientôt

John K