bolamix

Hi!
Just putting my 0.02 €... I wouldn't say Patricia Kaas is very popular in France. People know her name still because she had two smash-hits (Mademoiselle chante le blues and Les Hommes qui passent) but she dropped out of hearing a while ago... I think she went straight from "smash-hit on heavy radio rotation" to "oldie but goldie"... now you can hear her songs only on "oldies" radio stations and tv shows (e.g. "Radio Nostalgie"). But I keep hearing about her making it big in other countries, so good for her
As for other French (or French-speaking) singers or bands, I can name a few...
The "old guard" (and the dead ones -- r.i.p.): Boris Vian, Georges Brassens, Jacques Brel, Barbara, Yves Montand, Eddy Mitchell, Charles Aznavour, Bernard Lavilliers, Renaud, Jacques Higelin
Rock: Jean-Louis Aubert (former singer of the band "Téléphone" -- now defunct), Noir Désir, Weeper's Circus, Les Négresses Vertes, De Rien, Louise Attaque...
"Singers/songwriters": Jeanne Cherhal, Brigitte Fontaine, Thiéfaine, Arno, Miossec, Les Têtes Raides, Yann Tiersen
Heavy/Fusion: Trust, Assassins
Rap / R'n'B: IAM, MC Solaar

This is by no means a full list, but you have a good few names to start with

Yau

Merci tout de votre information!

FD, I'm sure you will let me discover a new world for the jazz but .....I'm just buried by Bolamix's great list of the french singers. Learning paroles francais is great fun to me, and I've learnt many new vocab in such a quick way.

Hmm, accidentally what I'm hearing is La Marseillaise--- (solo by Piaf).
The parole of french anthem and the chinese one (People Republic of China) are very similar. They all talk about liberation, ask their people to marchon, combat la tyrannie, et le jour gloire est arrive. The difference may be how to use the blood. While French anthem insists qu'un sang impur abreuve nos sillons, chinese one says to use our own blood to build the new Great Wall. The resemblance may explain why La Marseillaise has been widely discussed in chinese internet forums.