Ten Rising French Artists for 2023 (6–10)

French artists Vicky R and Piedbois
French artists to watch in 2023. (Left to right) Vicky R (Photo: Samir Matanda), Piedbois (Photo: Justin Personnaz / Studio Shapes)

WHAT A TUNE presents ten French power players set to make a splash in 2023. Read part one HERE.

In part two, WAT spotlights a dazzling disco act, a plucky pop duo and the talented Parisian putting his stamp on chanson française. Don’t forget to listen to the full list (plus a few extras) on the Spotify playlist at the end.

Oete

French pop’s next breakout star, OETE fuses glittering electronic productions, shimmering guitar riffs and powerful lyrics reminiscent of the likes of Clara Luciani. Born Thibaut Blond, he used to tutor disadvantaged young people in the Parisian suburbs, but when the Covid pandemic hit and he suffered burnout, he shifted to making music full time.

Pas Sages

Pas Sages are French duo Virgile and Pablo who have known each other since school. Their carefree pop tunes and effortless style and charisma already count Petit Biscuit among their fans. Between releases, their videos on TikTok, where they cover popular songs translated into French, have proved wildly successful.

Piedbois

Piedbois is best known for his 2019 viral track La Nuit (The Night), a slice of quintessential chanson française perfection. He’s been teasing the release of a new EP for several months now – his first since 2020. To keep us going until then, he more recently released the Chanson du dimanche (Sunday songs) series – short compositions released on his social channels inspired by follower suggestions, such as Paris in the rain and a love letter to his district, Belleville.

VICKY R

“J’connais mon école, toutes ses classes, donc me raconte pas tes salades” (“I know my school, all its classes, so don’t chat shit”), Vicky R announces on F*CK LE RAP FÉMININ, a big middle finger up to those still pigeonholing female rappers as inferior to their male counterparts. The Gabon-born, Paris-based artist featured on Deezer’s ones-to-watch mixtape La Relève in October 2019 and signed a record deal with Believe the following year.

Zaoui

Zaoui’s knack for writing addictive hooks that propelled the runaway success of his former group Therapie TAXI is unabated as he launches his new solo project. Laisse aller ton corps (Let your body go), from last year’s debut EP MAUVAIS DÉMOS (BAD DEMOS), is an irresistible feel-good pop banger you didn’t know you needed.

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