Julia: S.E.X.T.O.

A debut single by French teenage singer Julia, a graduate of The Voice Kids TV show, written by Mylène Farmer and her collaborator Laurent Boutonnat.

Farmer and Boutonnat were impressed by performances the youngster had posted on YouTube and decided to work with her, writing her debut single and overseeing the launch of her career.

Of course, the song's theme is meant to be a bit edgy and controversial for a 16-year-old female artist. All the more likely to get some attention. Maybe it's an echo of a modus operandi established by Serge Gainsbourg in the 60s although if you ask me old Serge had a bit more subtlety, wit and humour about his work.

If it all seems a bit familiar, maybe it is. Julia follows Alizée as a younger representative representative of Mylène Farmer and Laurent Boutonnat. Alizée also featured in a French TV show for kids - Graines de Star - in 1999 before releasing the similarly "edgy" single Moi...Lolita single in 2000.

It was a massive success, as was her debut album Gourmandises which sold over four million copies.
Farmer and Boutonnat wrote the songs on that dabut album and its follow up, overseeing the early years of her career until she was an established name in France and beyond.

Alizée's career continues, with her most recent album being 2014's Blonde. She's also a major star in France due to her appearances on France's Danse avec les stars TV show.

Given the immense popularity of the Farmer and Boutonnat brand in France, and their previous success with Alizée, they've not strayed too far from a successful formula.

As it coincides with the return of Mylène, Julia's debut release has emerged at just the right time to attract a huge amount of attention. Farmer and Boutonnat certainly know what they're doing.

Tal and Corneille: Cheek to Cheek

A new clip by Tal, one of France's most visible pop stars in recent years,  performing a duet with
Corneille on the track Cheek to Cheek, a hit originally from the 1930s.

The song originally featured on the film Top Hot, which featured Fred Astair and Ginger Rogers, from the golden era of Hollywood cinema.

The new version  comes from the collection Forever Gentlemen 2, which sees this track alongside work by the likes of Ben L'Oncle Soul and Michael Bublé.

The collection, which  was released in October, includes songs in French and English that were originally performed by SInatra, Charles Trenet, Yves Montand and Dean Martin.

The first volume featured singers like M. Pokora, Garou and Paul Anka performing hits of the 1950s. It reached number two in the French charts.

The clip for the song is an appropriately old school cinematic affair, with the pair's  experience on Danse avec les stars no doubt proving useful. Tal featured on the programme last year, with Corneille featuring in this year's competition

Tal's two studio collections Le droit de rêver and  À l'infini have each been triple platinum sellers in France, and her live collection  À l'infini tour was released in November 2014.

 

M Pokora: On Danse

A new single from M Pokora, pop star veteran of the Popstars TV reality show in 2003 and jury
member of current series of TV show Danse avec les stars.

The track On Danse comes ahead of Pokora's sixth album R.E. D., which comes as the latest release in a long solo career that's included a number one single in 2008 with the song Dangerous.

He's had many hits since, the track Envole-moi, his duet with Tal from the Génération Goldman collection reaching the top five.

In 2013 Pokora took on the role of Robin Hood in the stage musical  Robin des Bois, his performances of the songs Le jour qui se rêve and À nous from the soundtrack being released as singles.

Pokora's got an arena tour scheduled next year, and the new album is expected around February.

Tal: Pas Toi

A new clip for Tal with the song Pas Toi, which looks likely to give her another hit before 2013 is over.

The song features on the Génération Goldman volume 2 CD, released in August this year. It is the third single to be released from the collection.

The original featured on Goldman's 1985 Non Homologué collection.

The previous Génération Goldman collection, released in 2012, was a massive commercial success in France, with the song Envole-moi, a duet between Tal and M Pokora a hit single

Tal's recent album A l'infini which originally came out in September has just been re-issued, it reached number three in the French charts and will probably sell a few more copies following the release of this single too.

 Her profile's been particularly high in France this year, with an appearance as a contestant in season 4 of reality show Danse avec les Stars which was eventually won by Alizée in November.

Meanwhile, she also won the prize for best female Francophone artist of the year at the 15th NRJ Awards, having won the Francophone breakthrough award last year.