I love music and finding new artists that soon become my new favorite. Although, sometimes I can get stuck on the same song and forget that there are literally millions of other songs out there.
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| I was so excited to see two artists that I knew in the library's collection: Fela & Dobet Ghanoret |
During one of my walks around the city, I stopped in the public library and happened to find the music collection. There were so many artists that I didn’t know like Lura, a Portuguese artist. I saw some artists that I have heard of before: Cesaria Evora (shout out to Stromae!) and some that I am familiar with like Dobet Gnahore.
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| I found new artists that I can listen to! It's also a plus that I can practice my French |
I probably spent an hour just looking over one section of musicians that I have never heard of from the Ivory Coast, Cape Verde, Mali, Morocco, Belgium, and several other countries. It’s so common to hear songs from the U.S. in France and all over Europe for that matter, but it’s even more fun seeing what else is out there.
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| Two of Cesaria Evora's album's that I found in the public library. I still need to listen to the full album! |
There are several French artists that I now listen to on a regular basis. Stromae is obviously a creative giant who often writes about serious issues but his songs also have a groove to it. One of my personal favorites is Papaoutai. Maitre Gims is also very well known around France and the world. I’ve heard his Afrobeat songs blasted in the streets on my way to the market many times. Afrobeats is a relatively newer genre of music that mixes traditional African music with pop influences. My personal favorite is Sapé Comme Jamais. Although one of his newer songs, Loin, is competing for my attention.You'll probably catch me at his concert in December!
MHD is an artist who I very recently learned about just by scrolling through Youtube. His music also has an Afrobeat sound. Right now I'm stuck on his song, A Kele Nta. Another group that I found that I really love is called Impact. This is a Contemporary Christian group whose songs not have a great melody, but are really inspiring and full of hope. I love the song, Tu est Notre Dieu. Next time I'm in Paris I will be checking this church!
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| One of the many music festivals in the Aix region. |
In short, another great way to learn French is through music. So my next task: learn the lyrics to these song so I’m not just humming through it or making up lyrics of my own. It might take a while, but what fun this should be! Ciao!
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Me trying to see how much French I actually
understand in one of Stromae's songs. |
Eberechi O. is the Fall 2016 CEA MOJO in Aix-en-Provence, France. She is currently a senior studying International Studies at University of Michigan.
