8 great chanson singers

Known for her song "Parlez-moi d'amour," the grande dame of French chanson has had an eventful life. During World War II her family joined the resistance and faced much hardship. She later joined existentialist circles and was supported by Jean-Paul Sartre. She never became as famous as Edith Piaf - perhaps because her songs were too political. Click through the gallery for more chanson greats.

"Non, je ne regrette rien" became an international hit. The "litte sparrow of Paris," as the petit Edith Piaf (1915-1963) was affectionately called ("piaf" is slang for "sparrow"), had a very big voice. The singer was already 44 years old when she achieved her breakthrough with the song that became the epitome of French chanson.

"Göttingen" - of all things. The small town in the German state of Hesse was honored in a chanson by the French singer in 1964 - an attempt to reconcile France and Germany. Barbara (1930-1997) sings of her memories, as well as her visit to the birthplace of the Brothers Grimm. After meeting musicians Jacques Brel and Georges Brassens in the 1950s, she sang their songs as well.

Love, pain, solitude - the major chansons themes were also touched on in the songs of Françoise Hardy (*1944). Her hit "Tous les garçons et les filles" shot her to fame when she was just 18 years old. In the late 1960s, she performed a song by German singer Udo Jürgens. From the 1970s onwards, she gave only a few performanes - due to her stage fright.

The chanson singer and actress damaged her reputation by joining the France's right-wing political scene. Brigitte Bardot (*1934) became successful as a singer in the 1960s after performing with Serge Gainsbourg. Her biggest hits were "Harley Davidson" and "Je t'aime... moi non plus." Bardot stopped performing and acting in 1973.

The singer from Lorraine can look back on a successful career. The late 1980s saw the release of Patricia Kaas' (*1966) debut album "Mademoiselle chante..." that sold more than 15 million copies. She was discovered by actor Gérard Depardieu, who produced her first single "Jalouse." Her album "Kaas chante Piaf" was released in 2012.

Italian-born Carla Bruni (*1967) became famous as a model and a singer. At age 19, she dropped out of her studies in art and architecture. To the surprise of many, her album "Quelqu'un m'a dit" turned out to be a huge success in 2002. Six years later, she married then French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Isabelle Geffroy (*1980), better known as Zaz, once started out as a street musician to become a superstar on Montmartre reviving French chansons. She achieved international fame with her song "Je veux," which is a protest against the bourgeoisie. Geffroy internationalized the "Nouvelle Chanson" movement, which marked the comeback of chansons in the 1990s.