No worries, you're right. What I was getting at was "French" artists as in the language but "French-speaking" is a better translation. I'm nowhere near fluent and sometimes the most difficult thing is finding an English equivalent of a French word, if you know what I mean. As in - you know what the French word means as such, but can't find a way of expressing it in English. For "francophone", "French-speaking" is more accurate than just "French". In fact, Mylène herself is from Quebec. :p

:)

Although “francophone” does exist in English, it is rarely used, I find. I therefore tend to translate it to “French-speaking”.

Oh yes, knowing the meaning of the word in French and not finding the exact equivalent in English, or vice-versa, happens to me all the time. Sometimes, there is just no true equivalent. What is worse for me are words that are the same in English and French, but don’t quite mean the same thing. Arrrrrrgggghhh! Or sound replacement when I write in English (to = too, then = than...). I have to concentrate like crazy, end even than...

For a decade or so, but a long time after MF had left Québec, I actually lived a few streets away from where she was born. She is from Québec, but she got French nationality through her parents, if I remember well.

Exactly!! For example I still couldn't tell you an exact translation for the French expression "une pièce phare" even though in my head I know what it means. So frustrating sometimes! :blink:

I have the same problem in French, especially when differentiating between verb endings... sort of like how "j'ai" and "j'aie" sound pretty identical when said aloud but are used in very different circumstances.

Yes, I think Mylène and her parents moved to France when she was 8 years old.

Right. Her parents were both originally from France.

That is a good one! If it can appease your frustration ;), although not quite perfect, I found this:
"une pièce phare: a style-defining item / an item to build around / a must have trendy item"

Hahaha yeah in order to get the meaning across in English you have to use an awkward expression with lots of words just like those. As far as I know there's no succinct equivalent in English. :confused:

Yes, I know...
Ok, here is my own attempt then: delineative, guiding or beacon piece. The last one being my favorite. Not really sure how it sounds to a native Anglophone though: “The hat is really the beacon piece of his style”... Hmm... :confused:

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/5839/alizmyl.jpg

A video with Alizee and Mylène.... :p

Ooh leggings vs latex :p