The hall at L’Olympia in central Paris was sold out last month when the 25-year-old French pop singer Zaho de Sagazan interrupted her set to give a short speech about feelings.
“I used to think being overemotional was a weakness,” she said, standing onstage in black cycling shorts and unkempt blonde hair. “But increasingly, I see it as a strength — and I think you should, too.”
It was a kind of mission statement for the singer, whose oeuvre consists of breathlessly cool songs about not playing it cool. To the cheers of the crowd, a broad mix of younger and older Parisians, she then launched into the title track from her 2023 album, “La Symphonie des Éclairs” — a blend of traditional French chanson and electronic beats that she largely wrote as a teenager.
In the past two years, de Sagazan has become the shooting star of contemporary French pop music by reimagining an old-fashioned genre associated with singers like Édith Piaf and Jacques Brel for a younger, more dance-oriented audience. The approach has won her five Victoires, the French equivalent of the Grammys, including this year’s award for female artist of the year.
After a long run of sold-out shows across Europe, her audience is likely to expand further this fall. She released a new, orchestral version of her album last week, and is touring around some huge European venues, including the Philharmonie in Berlin and the Grand Palais in Paris.
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The post She’s Like Édith Piaf (but With Techno and Teen Angst) appeared first on New York Times.
