David Guetta is a French songwriter, record producer, and DJ. Over the years, Guetta has been one of the most popular DJs in the world; in 2011 and 2020, he was voted the best DJ in a poll conducted by DJ Magazine. Referred to as the grandfather of EDM, Guetta has several prestigious awards under his belt, including two Grammys.
Claude Debussy was a French composer whose career spanned over 30 years. Regarded as one of the most influential composers of his generation, Claude Debussy's works have influenced several other composers, such as Bill Evans, George Benjamin, Olivier Messiaen, and Béla Bartók. Claude Debussy is also regarded as the first Impressionist composer, though he rejected the term.
![Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/guy-manuel-de-homem-christo-1.jpg)
French musician, singer-songwriter, record-producer, DJ, and film director Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo is one former half of the French electronic music duo Daft Punk that he formed with Thomas Bangalter. The duo achieved both critical and commercial success with albums like Discovery and RandomAccess Memories. Homem-Christo has also spawned works through the record label Crydamoure which he co-owns with Eric Chedeville.
DJ Snake is a French record producer and DJ. He is best known for his English-Spanish song Taki Taki, which won several awards, including BMI Latin Awards. Over the years, Snake has won many prestigious awards, such as Billboard Music Awards and an MTV Video Music Award. In 2019, he was ranked 16th on DJ Magazine's Top 100 DJs list.
Erik Satie was a French pianist and composer. An influential artist during his time, Satie's works served as a predecessor to later artistic movements like repetitive music, minimalism, and the Theatre of the Absurd. Apart from being a musician, Erik Satie was also a prolific writer, who contributed to publications, such as Vanity Fair and 391.
Hector Berlioz was a French Romantic conductor and composer who was highly regarded in places like Russia, Britain, and Germany. Although he did not achieve fame as a composer, Berlioz became renowned internationally for his skills as a conductor. He also wrote musical journalism, which includes his influential work, Treatise on Instrumentation.
Georges Bizet was a French composer whose career was cut short by his untimely demise at the age of 36. Since his death in 1875, Bizet's final work Carmen has become one of the most frequently performed works in the opera repertoire. Although he couldn’t achieve success during his lifetime, Bizet's death is considered a loss to French musical theatre.
French composer and organist Olivier Messiaen is credited with creating melodically innovative scores, using what he called "modes of limited transposition." An ornithologist, too, he added bird songs into his compositions such as La fauvette des jardins and Catalogue d'oiseaux. His Messiaen: Concert A Quatre won a Grammy.
One of the greatest composers of all time, French pianist and organist Gabriel Fauré is best remembered for his masterpieces such as Requiem. His music career began at 9, when he was sent to Paris to become a choirmaster. At 75, he was awarded the Grand-Croix of the Légion d'honneur.
![Indila Indila](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/indila-1.jpg)
Adila Sedraïa, or Indila, began her career as a composer and even wrote songs for artists such as Axel Tony and Admiral T. She earned a label deal after collaborating with Youssoupha on the song Dreamin’ and reached No. 2 on the French charts with her debut track Dernière danse.
Phoenix lead vocalist Thomas Mars once spoke about how he had cut off everything that could distract him from making a potential career in music during college. He met Sofia Coppola while composing for one of her films, and the duo got married, leading to more collaborations.
![Pierre Boulez Pierre Boulez](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/pierre-boulez-8611-1.jpg)
![Thomas Bangalter Thomas Bangalter](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/thomas-bangalter-12548-1.jpg)
French musician Thomas Bangalter had been part of the six-time Grammy-winning electronic music duo Daft Punk for 28 years, before it split. Known for wearing their signature helmets while performing, he and his partner, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, released iconic hits such as Da Funk and Get Lucky.
![Khatia Buniatishvili Khatia Buniatishvili](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/khatia-buniatishvili-52805-1.jpg)
Khatia Buniatishvili is a Georgian-French pianist. Buniatishvili has been playing since the age of three and gave her first concert when she was just six years old. She then went on to play at an international stage at the age of 10. Buniatishvili is known for her association with Sony Classical, which has produced many of her solo piano albums.
![Jacques Offenbach Jacques Offenbach](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/jacques-offenbach-1.jpg)
![Alexandre Desplat Alexandre Desplat](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/alexandre-desplat-1.jpg)
![Manu Chao Manu Chao](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/manu-chao-1.jpg)
Born to Spanish parents in Paris, Latin Grammy-winning artist Manu Chao is one of the pioneers of Latin alternative rock. His French rock band Mano Negra has delivered hits in English, Spanish, and Arabic. His solo career has seen him release international hits such as Clandestino and Me Gustas Tu.
French composer Francis Poulenc was most self-taught, as he was not encouraged to join a music school by his pharmaceutical manufacturer father. Part of the legendary “Les Six” of French music, Poulenc was also a skilled pianist. He is also remembered for the opera Les dialogues des Carmélites.
![Maurice Jarre Maurice Jarre](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/maurice-jarre-10182-1.jpg)
Rick Dufay is a French-American guitarist known for his association with the popular band Aerosmith. He played for the band from 1980 to 1984, during which regular guitarist Brad Whitford had left the band. Dufay left the band upon Whitford's return in 1984 and was praised for his selfless gesture. Thus, Dufay is credited with keeping the band from disbanding.
![Chevalier de Saint-Georges Chevalier de Saint-Georges](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/chevalier-de-saint-georges-13294-1.jpg)
One of the greatest French opera composers and music theorists of all time, Jean-Philippe Rameau enriched the late Baroque period with his harpsichord pieces. His organist father wanted him to pursue law, but Rameau wasn’t academically bright and had poor grammar, which made Rameau travel to Italy to study music.
Born to a music instructor father, French composer and conductor Nadia Boulanger was no stranger to music as a kid. The first woman to conduct prime orchestras, she had the who’s who of the music industry, such as Elliott Carter, Roy Harris, and Quincy Jones, on her list of students.
Born to Italian parents, Jean-Baptiste Lully grew up to be a legendary composer who ruled the French courts. He started his journey as a violinist in Louis XIV’s band and later came to be known for his tragic operas. He had also apparently invented the French overture.
![Madeon Madeon](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/madeon-1.jpg)
![Kavinsky Kavinsky](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/kavinsky-14468-1.jpg)
French electro house artist, musician, DJ, actor and producer Kavinsky started off as an actor before making his mark in the French music-scene. He gained greater mainstream recognition after his song Nightcall was used in title sequence for the blockbuster hit 2011 American neo-noir action, drama and crime film Drive. The song was later included on his debut studio-album, OutRun.
![Jules Massenet Jules Massenet](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/jules-massenet-1.jpg)
Josquin des Prez was one of the most influential Renaissance composers. Known for his motets, masses, and chansons, he is revered as the main figure of the Franco-Flemish School. Details of his early days are vague, and he was, for a long time, mistaken as another singer, Josquin de Kessalia.
![Yann Tiersen Yann Tiersen](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/yann-tiersen-1.jpg)
Yann Tiersen is a French composer and musician. He often composes film soundtracks and is renowned for his contribution to French cinema. The 2001 romantic comedy film Amélie houses tracks from Tiersen's first three studio albums. Apart from making music, Yann Tiersen also dedicates his time to charity work. He mainly supports the international humanitarian organization, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
Charles Gounod was a French composer. Prolific in his career, he wrote 12 operas and a large number of songs and church music pieces including his Ave Maria and Funeral March of a Marionette. During the Franco-Prussian War, he fled to England, disrupting his career. He later returned to France and regained his position as a respected musical figure.
![Lorin Maazel Lorin Maazel](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/lorin-maazel-55242-1.jpg)
![Jain Jain](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/jain-92816-1.jpg)
Composer Christoph Willibald Gluck left home when his father went against his passion for music and pushed him into forestry. He then reached Milan, where he learned Italian instrumental music and later fused Italian and French opera music. His best-known works include Orfeo ed Euridice and La rencontre imprévue.
![Tina S Tina S](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/tina-s-1.jpg)
![Michel Legrand Michel Legrand](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/michel-legrand-8895-1.jpg)
Michel Legrand was a French musician, conductor, composer, arranger, and jazz pianist. A prolific composer, Legrand wrote more than 200 television and film scores, apart from several songs. Over the course of his illustrious career, which spanned more than seven decades, Michel Legrand won several prestigious awards including three Academy Awards, five Grammy Awards, and a Golden Globe Award.
![Willy William Willy William](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/willy-william-23269-1.jpg)
![Bob Sinclar Bob Sinclar](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/bob-sinclar-12919-1.jpg)
![Alfred Cortot Alfred Cortot](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/alfred-cortot-68190-1.jpg)
French pianist Alfred Cortot is remembered for his renditions of popular Romantic composers, such as Chopin and Schumann. The Paris Conservatory alumnus later established the Paris Orchestre Philharmonique and the École Normale de Musique. He also formed a trio with cellist Pablo Casals and violinist Jacques Thibaud.
![Martin Solveig Martin Solveig](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/martin-solveig-10612-1.jpg)
![Richard Clayderman Richard Clayderman](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/richard-clayderman-10509-1.jpg)
Richard Clayderman is a French pianist who has recorded more than 1,300 melodies so far in his illustrious career. Having sold over 70 million copies worldwide, which includes 70 platinum and 267 gold albums, Clayderman is the world's most successful pianist, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
![Jean-Luc Ponty Jean-Luc Ponty](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/jean-luc-ponty-11163-1.jpg)
![Iannis Xenakis Iannis Xenakis](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/iannis-xenakis-1.jpg)
Born to Greek parents in Romania, Iannis Xenakis was inspired to take up music by his parents, especially his pianist mother. He lost an eye in the Greek resistance during World War II but later excelled as an architect, musician, and mathematician in France, merging music and math through his musique stochastique.
![George Enescu George Enescu](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/george-enescu-39005-1.jpg)
![Darius Milhaud Darius Milhaud](http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/darius-milhaud-16563-1.jpg)
Darius Milhaud was a French composer, teacher, and conductor. One of the 20th century's most prolific composers, Milhaud was part of a famous group known as The Group of Six. He also contributed greatly to the French film industry, composing music for films like Madame Bovary and The Beloved Vagabond. Milhaud is often counted among the most important modernist composers.