Why listen to music to learn a language?
Listening to music is a great way to learn a language. Music is an art form that can be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of their age or background. And it doesn’t matter what kind of music you listen to, as long as it’s in the language you want to learn.
Listening to music has been shown to stimulate the brain and help with memory retention. In addition, music often talks about the culture and lifestyle of a place, helping you to immerse yourself even more in the universe of that language.
We’ve selected 10 Québécois artists to help you choose what to listen to when practicing French – or just to add new songs to your playlists!
- CÉLINE DION
Perhaps the best-known artist on our list, she is always remembered for My heart will go on, the theme from the movie Titanic, but did you know that she also sings in French? Her best-known French song is probably Pour que tu m’aimes encore (something like “For you to love me again”, in free translation). Watch the official clip:
- LOUIS-JEAN CORMIER
Changing style a little to Indie Rock. Louis-Jean Cormier is a Québécois singer originally known as a member of the band Karkwa. He has been a judge on the show “La Voix” (the French version of The Voice in Quebec) and a winner of the JUNO, a Canadian music award.
- ÉRIC LAPOINTE
One of French Canada’s most successful singers, Éric Lapointe is the lead singer of the band of the same name, with characteristics of punk, heavy metal, pop, grunge and hard rock. With a career spanning almost 30 years, there is a wide range of music to get to know and be interested in. Check out a song from their debut album, Obsession:
Playlist
- ARIANE MOFFAT
Ariane Moffatt is a singer known for working with many different genres of music. His music has elements of pop, jazz, folk and electronica. His debut album Aquanaute received several award nominations and won three Felix awards. She is well known in Quebec for one of her songs from this album, “La barricade”, which you can check out below:
- MARIE-MAI
With a varied musical style with traces of pop, rock and jazz, Marie-Mai first became known as one of the finalists on the reality TV show Star Académie. He sang at the closing ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and recorded the French parts of the song Jet Lag with the band Simple Plan.
- PIRATE'S HEART
The stage name of Béatrice Martin, Coeur de pirate is a Canadian singer, writer and pianist. Their style is described as Indie Pop and Folk Pop, and they have a style of music that is very pleasant to listen to.
- MARC DUPRÉ
We’ve already mentioned the program “La Voix” and the singer Céline Dion. It wouldn’t be fair not to include singer Marc Dupré on this list. As well as having been a judge on almost every season of the show, his debut album “Refaire le monde” features a duet with Céline Dion, “Tout près du bonheur”. His style includes French pop and pop rock.
- CORNEILLE
Finishing off our list is Corneille. Born in Germany, he spent most of his childhood in Rwanda and then emigrated to Quebec. Inspired by Marvin Gaye, Prince and Stevie Wonder, his style includes RB, Soul and French Pop.
Just a small sample
There are many other Canadian artists who sing in French. The purpose of this list is just to introduce you to a few and give you that initial push to get to know new songs, artists and musical styles, as well as to inspire you a little to learn this beautiful language that is French. And although immersing yourself in the language with songs is very good for learning to speak a new language, having teachers and a good teaching method is essential.
A École Québec offers French classes with a focus on Québécois Québécoiswhich will help you understand more about the music of these artists and open up a huge range of possibilities and opportunities in your life.