Camille: A Playful French Songstress

If you’re a fan of French music, you should get to know the music of the talented French singer Camille Dalmais (who performs as just “Camille”). She’s got a soulful, playful, and eclectic style, prompting some to call her France’s answer to Bjork.

Camille was born and raised in Paris, and is fully fluent in English, thanks to having an English teacher for a mother.

She’s one of France’s so-called “Nouvelle Chanson” singers, the crop of serious, intellectual, traditional musicians that emerged in the early 2000’s as an antidote to reality show singers and trendy Pop stars.

Having attained higher education in the Humanities and a degree from the prestigious Sciences Po in Paris, she was branded part of this select group, along with Benjamin Biolay, Olivia Ruiz, and others.

Debut

Le Sac des Filles

The singer’s debut album Le Sac des Filles — literally “girls’ bag” (aka “purse” or “pocketbook”) — was praised by critics and is truly a modern classic. It’s an easily accessible album that features lots of songs that are fun to sing along with. Her vocal delivery is a bit childlike. If you like Sia, then you’ll like the vocals on this album.

There’s Pop, Folk, piano ballads and everything else, all performed in her signature, playful style. The title track is kind of jazzy, while “1, 2, 3” (sung “un, deux, trois”) is sort of an homage to French Cabaret style.

Here’s the video for her bittersweet ode to her hometown, “Paris,” filmed while floating down the Seine.

To Download: This album is a classic (and was recorded before she got all experimental), so I’d strongly recommend the whole thing. Some of my personal favorites are “1, 2, 3”, “Mon Petit Vieux”, “La demeure d’un ciel,” “Ruby.”

Camille was also one of the female vocalists featured on Nouvelle Vague’s first album. (That was her singing on “In a Manner of Speaking,” among other tracks.)

Le Fil

Often compared to Bjork’s Medulla, Camille’s sophomore album Le Fil is an avant-garde masterpiece. There were very few instruments used on the album, with the singer creating most the sounds and instrumentation using only the sound of her voice. All the songs on the album are built upon on the humming of a single note — the thread (“le fil” in French) — which runs through all the songs in the background and can be heard more clearly in between the songs on the record.

This album won her a Victoire (French Grammy) for Best New Album AND the Prix Constantin, which is the French equivalent of Britain’s Mercury Prize.

SNL

In 2011, a song from the album was featured on the Emma Stone episode of Saturday Night Live. The song featured in the “Les Jeunes de Paris” SNL French skit is called “Ta Douleur,” from the album Le Fil, above.
Check out the video, with its cool stop-motion effects:

More Music

Ilo Veyou

Camille’s latest project is a half-French, half-English album called Ilo Veyou (read: I Love You), full of whimsical and bare songs reminiscent of the sparse sound she used on Le Fil. Definitely, definitely check it out if you’re looking for some new French music, or just some good Indie Pop.

Similar Artists: Jeanne Cherhal, Anais, Emily Loizeau, Sia, Bjork

So, what do you think of Camille? Leave a comment and let me know which song you liked the best.