French-language songs are enjoying unprecedented success in non-francophone countries thanks to artists like Stromae, Aya Nakamura, Celine Dion and Edith Piaf. What makes people who don’t speak the language want to listen to them and what do they tell of France and its language? The new International Centre of the French Language outside Paris asks that intriguing question in its opening exhibition.
The Paris Olympics didn’t just showcase sporting prowess and monuments, they also gave huge exposure to songs in French.
