WHAT’S UP
IN FRANCE ? Bilal Hassani, A « king » made of confidence
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Karin Clercq, The comeback of a poet
He’s only 19 and he’s taking the country by storm. With his androgynous looks, colorful wig and his outspokenness, Bilal Hassani is slowly but surely making his way into stardom, seducing a whole new generation of fans with his soulful voice and positive outlook on life. Originally, the young boy made sensation among a dozen of contestants on the show «The Voice Kids» with his fierce and incredible confidence for such a young age. Working his way to the top, his talent is now recognized by some of the greatest artists of all time such as Janet Jackson herself. Lately, Bilal released «Roi» a song built on the hateful messages he received following his coming out. Written with Madame Monsieur, who represented France at the previous Eurovision contest, the song works like a self-portrait, putting upfront his courage and need to never back down : «I am the same since childhood, despite the looks, opinion, I cry, I go out and laugh (…). I don’t fit in and it bothers a lot».
At time pop, at times rock, Karin Clercq is exactly what the French-speaking music needed. Through her strong texts and lyrics, the lady gives a voice to the women, celebrating everything that revolves around this soft subject: Feminism, sexuality, intimacy… With her eclectic universe, the Belgian singer manages to surprise us by showcasing different vibes and inspiration such as Alfred Musset on “On ne badine pas avec l’amour” or the tragic life and destiny of “Antigone”. Obviously, she also pays homage to one of the greatest French artists, Alain Bashung, by reinventing and rearranging one of his classic, “Madame Rêve”. Nine years after her third album “La vie buissonnière”, she’s finally ready to put out some new content and share her thoughts and creativity with us. In 2015, a secret session (where a bunch of artists have two hours to create a song from lyrics to music) motivates her to create again and go back to the studio to give birth to a new track “J’avance” who then evolved to become a song about the migration crisis. “La boite de Pandore” was released on November 16th. Don’t waste any more time and go check it out!
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Carrying a strong message, this might be the song that helps France win the next edition of the European song contest - taking place in Tel-Aviv (Israel) this year, following the footstep of Amir who earned the 6th place in 2016.
