We live in an era where the traditional Anglo-American dominance of pop has been broken. Streaming gives listeners far more choice than ever before, and social media accounts now do the work of promotional departments, so charts are just as likely to feature music from Seoul or Lagos as from London or LA. Spurs’ 62,000-capacity stadium has recently hosted not just Jay-Z, Gorillaz and System of a Down, but also India’s Arijit Singh, South Korea’s BTS, BigBang and Stray Kids, and Puerto Rico’s Bad Bunny, who addressed the crowd almost entirely in Spanish.
Clearly, British audiences’ willingness to embrace non-English-speaking artists is encouraging. But there are limits: Francophone pop hasn’t received the same attention. The biggest French-speaking stars of recent years have either made dance music or agreed to record in English. Belgian rapper Stromae has drawn media interest and support from Kanye West and Lorde, yet he remains a cult figure in the UK.
Similarly, Angèle Van Laeken, who began her career in 2017, broke Stromae’s record for the most weeks at No 1 in Belgium with her 2018 single Tout Oublier, from a debut album that went seven times platinum in her home country, and has been a household name among Francophone audiences ever since. Her closest brush with British success was appearing on Dua Lipa’s 2020 single Fever, a minor hit.
You could argue that some of her music is quite geographically specific. Her second album, Nonante-Cinq, opened with Bruxelles Je T’Aime, a song praising her hometown, terrible weather and all (one lyric translates roughly, and rather wonderfully, as: “Tonight the sky will surely be covered by a storm / but after the storm people will party and get the beers in”). But it also worried about the possibility of Belgium being divided between French and Flemish speakers, a topic rarely hotly debated when the British get the beers in. Then again, Bad Bunny’s most recent album was partly concerned with whether Hawaii was a suitable model for Puerto Rican statehood, and that didn’t stop it reaching the UK Top 10.
You would struggle to call Angèle’s third album a concerted push for Anglo-American success, though there are more English lyrics than on Nonante-Cinq and some of the names involved might make ears prick up. Justice collaborate on What You Want, a fruitful collision of maximalist rave synths and glitterbeat stomp. Soulwax appear on Trop, which is impressively noisy, with sharp-edged electronics and a house pulse; it’s driven by vocals that alternately lean toward rap and are scrambled into incomprehensibility. Love Triangle, meanwhile, features Caroline Polachek and French dance producer SebastiAn, with a thrillingly discordant synthesiser arpeggio cutting through its killer chorus and sweaty small-hours mood.
Indeed, at least intermittently, Instinct makes the case that British audiences don’t know what they’re missing with Angèle, who has a habit of suddenly grabbing the steering wheel and driving a song off-road. On Verra starts out like a standard pop piano ballad — though with a hint of chanson in the melody — before it’s unexpectedly strafed with bursts of static and machine-gun-paced noise. You could initially imagine any number of pop stars attempting the sweet drift of Je Compte, but then it dramatically shifts gears, first into a four-to-the-floor rhythm topped with an assemblage of sampled gasps and warped vocals, then into a lo-fi piano ballad.
This all cShe has the appealing quality of someone doing pop music differently, though these moments are mixed with more conventional tracks. Some of it is excellent – the melody floating above the chugging synths on Tout Décider is a definite earworm – and some of it less so. The song F4ck 4ever is noticeably less entertaining than its title suggests; the cut-up samples and AutoTuned vocals that make up the hook on Dis-le land somewhere between unusual and irritatingly tinny.Trash hits! Why a wave of hedonistic, feral female pop stars are rejecting respectabilityRead moreIt’s an album that is alternately really exciting and slightly frustrating, made for picking out highlights for a playlist rather than listening to from start to finish. There’s enough here to catch the attention of anyone with a taste for left-field pop – you’d expect any Caroline Polachek fans drawn in by her appearance to be happy to stay – but not quite enough to suggest a broader shift in perceptions. One thing that unites all the disparate artists who have broken through pop’s language barrier is that they offer something you really can’t get at home; Angèle does too, but only sometimes.This week Alexis listened toCameron Winter – $0 (Live at Carnegie Hall)
A live version of the Heavy Metal highlight that alternately strips the song back – the string arrangement is gone – and somehow amplifies it: simpler, but more intense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs based on a review of Angles album Instinct and her career trajectory
Beginner Questions
Who is Angle
Angle is a Belgian singer and songwriter She is one of the most famous pop stars in the Frenchspeaking world
What is Instinct
Instinct is Angles second studio album It was released in 2021
What genre is the album
It is primarily pop music It features elements of electropop and chanson
What language does she sing in
She sings mostly in French She sometimes includes English phrases or songs
Is this album a followup to a previous one
Yes It follows her debut album Brol which was released in 2018
What is the main theme of the album
The album focuses on themes of fame anxiety love and staying true to yourself
Intermediate Questions
What does the title Instinct refer to
It refers to following your gut feelings The review suggests Angle is determined to trust her own instincts rather than industry expectations
How does this album differ from Brol
Brol was more acoustic and playful Instinct has a more polished electronic production and deals with heavier themes like mental health
What are some popular songs on the album
Popular tracks include Bruxelles je taime Démons and Libre
Why is Angle called Belgiums biggest star
She has achieved massive commercial success She sells out large arenas and has a huge fanbase in Belgium France and beyond
Does she collaborate with anyone on this album
Yes She collaborates with the French rapper Dinos on the track Démons
What is the pop her own way mentioned in the review
It means she makes pop music that is personal and authentic She does not just copy American or British pop trends She keeps her Belgian identity and artistic control
Advanced Questions
What are the common criticisms of the album
Some critics say the production is too polished Others feel the emotional depth is sometimes hidden behind upbeat melodies
How does Angle address mental health in Instinct
She sings openly about panic attacks and the pressure of fame
