Lambert Linguist: Indila (Artist Spotlight)

Diversité à La Musique Française

SungMin Park, Staff Writer|January 22, 2016

Though she has only released one album so far, she has already become a French sensation. Her top single not only made platinum in France but it has topped the charts of other countries. For example, her single remained first in Greece for seven weeks, until it was knocked to second by Pharrell Williams' "Happy".

Drawn by Kathryn Raynor, Resident Artist

Though she has only released one album so far, she has already become a French sensation. Her top single not only made platinum in France but it has topped the charts of other countries. For example, her single remained first in Greece for seven weeks, until it was knocked to second by Pharrell Williams’ “Happy”.

Artist: Indila

Language: French

Location: Paris, France

Indila_à_Roissy

Adila Sedraïa was born in Paris, France, but she also rises from a mix of Egyptian, Algerian, Indian, and Cambodian heritage. Naming herself as a “child of the world,” she is the face of diversity in France’s music scene. Her first and only album so far, Mini World, reflects her variety as it showcases oriental, pop, and French sounds.

Her most popular single, “Dernière Danse”, has over 250 million views on YouTube, but beyond the statistics, her potency is more impressive. Depending on how one interprets her music video, she is reflecting on unrequitted love (from a lover), her yearning for her family, or the racism she faces while in Paris. According to the lyrics, at first, the pain renders her into a meaningless existence. Yet, despite the pain, she conjures the strength to react. She stirs the day, night, and sky. Her soul sways with the wind and rain while under drops of honey and love. She dances, dances, dances…

And that’s only the first half of the chorus.

 

Hello. I am the Lambert Linguist. I am terribly monolingual (my Korean suffers and my Spanish is subpar) but I have an obsession with languages and music. In order to lunge after both, I have wedded the two together into this column.

I will begin with profiles and playlists from various artists of other languages and nationalities. Indila is my first and I hope she inspires you as much as she has for me. Please browse through her playlists and discover the artistry in her songs. If you’re ambitious, I would encourage you to Google search for the translations as well.

Her lyrics to the song “Dernière Danse” will be posted soon – with my commentary. I hope to compare different English translations and perhaps uncover how it has captivated so many French and international listeners.