French Female Musicians

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.

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.

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 a flute-player mother, chanson and folk-rock singer Claire Pommet, better known as Pomme, had mastered the cello by 8. The lesbian singer mostly deals with the theme of love and is most noted for her successful debut album, À peu près, and the songs De là-haut and Pauline.

Hélène Grimaud is a French pianist whose recordings have earned her numerous accolades, such as the Cannes Classical Recording of the Year, Grand Prix du disque, Midem Classic Award, and Echo Klassik Award. Apart from being a virtuoso pianist, Grimaud is also a passionate human rights activist, wildlife conservationist, and writer. She is credited with founding the Wolf Conservation Center.

Patricia Kaas is a French actress and singer who has sold more than 17 million records all over the world. Kaas took part in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2009 and finished eighth. Over the years, she has received several prestigious awards, such as World Music Awards and Golden Europa's Female Singer of the Year award.

Louane is a French actress and singer best known for appearing in the popular reality singing competition The Voice: la plus belle voix. She has released successful albums like Chambre 12 which peaked at number one on Swiss Hitparade. Louane is also renowned for her acting skills; she won the prestigious César Award for her performance in La Famille Bélier.

It is believed French composer Germaine Tailleferre had started composing at the tender age of 5. She later grew up to be the only woman in Henry Collet’s Les Six, or The French Six. Among her many accolades are the Medal of the City of Paris and the Prix Italia.

Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet De La Guerre was a French musician, harpsichordist, and composer. Born into a family of musicians and master instrument-makers, she received her initial musical training from her father. She worked as a musician in the court of Louis XIV, the Sun King. Following her marriage to organist Marin de La Guerre, she taught and composed music. 

Finnish-French singer-composer Olivia Merilahti, a student of classical music gradually shifted her artistic direction towards rock music and then jazz and electronic music. She formed the Finnish-French indie pop band The Dø with multi-instrumentalist Dan Levy. First studio album of the band titled A Mouthful topped the French charts becoming the first English-sung pop French record to achieve such feat.   

Uffie is an American-French rapper, singer, songwriter, DJ, and fashion designer. She is best known for her debut studio album Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans which peaked at number 18 in the UK Dance Albums Chart. Uffie's life and career inspired a documentary that was showcased at the 2019 FIPA film festival.

Catherine Ringer is a French singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, dancer, actress, and choreographer. She is credited with co-founding the popular pop-rock group Les Rita Mitsouko which was one of the most acclaimed French musical acts in the 1980s and 1990.