Fabien Cahen

Fabien Cahen came up in Rouen, where he grew up around music. He listened to Ray Charles, Otis Redding, and Marvin Gaye, and you can hear that in the way he sings. His first real break came in 2005 with 'Le Premier Pas,' a ballad that got some attention on French radio. That song, along with others like 'Après Tout' and 'C'est Beau La Vie,' helped define his sound, straightforward, soul-influenced French pop with an emphasis on melody and feeling.

He put out a few albums in the years that followed, including 'Le Début' in 2005 and 'Les Chemins du Cœur' in 2008. The records didn't reinvent anything, but they were consistent: Cahen's voice at the center, backed by a band that included guitarist Jean-Baptiste Julien and bassist Thomas Dutroncy. The songs tended to be ballads, built around themes of love and longing, like 'Frôlé L'amour' and 'Love Song.'

There was a legal issue around 2010 over the rights to some of his music, which he eventually sorted out. He kept recording after that, releasing 'L'Amour est un Jeu' in 2012. His music found an audience in France, people who responded to the directness of his delivery and the uncomplicated emotional pull of songs like 'La Passion' and 'Marchands De Loups.'