Titillating between aggressiveness and gentleness; violence and peace; roughness and elegance, Lous reveals herself with an open heart through the delicacy of her raw feelings. Without any filter, she expresses the duality of life and its nuances. How love is so close to hate, how joy can become pain in a second and how the loneliest moments can happen in the most crowded places. ‘Dilemme’ is the first track from Lous and The Yakuza’s forthcoming debut album, produced by El Guincho.

Founder of the Foufoune Palace collective, French based artist Luidji has shared his highly anticipated debut album titled ‘Tristesse Business: Saison 1’. Comprised of seventeen deep and introspective tracks which serve as the follow up to 2015’s ‘Mécanique des fluides’, the record is another insight into the artist’s groovy sounds that touch on love and difficult relationships. To mirror his evolution, the Parisian rapper imagines a character drowning into water and trying get his head out of it. As suggested by the siren lying by the rapper’s side on the album’s cover, an aquatic universe is hypnotising listeners’ ears from start to finish.

Loveni has dropped gem after gem in the past few months. After Ichon and Myth Syzer, it is the turn of the third “Bon Gamin” member to go solo with debut project ‘Une nuit avec un bon gamin’. The eight-track project encompasses a laissez-faire aesthetic with its vibrant and anthemic tunes. Once again Loveni hit the mark by keeping things simple and effective with an atmosphere that transports you into a cold and beautiful, sometimes romantic nocturnal mood.

French artist Zed Yun Pavorotti’s ‘Septembre’ tells the story of a child-adult or an adult-child. It’s a succession of images related to childhood, a confused speech that, by its confusion, tends to show the violence that falls free on a child when he must kill himself to renounce his innocence. Zed Yun Pavorotti delivers a number tinged with melancholy and depressive emotions with the abstract nature of his music adding to its mysticism. While trying to dive into the mind of the rapper from Saint-Etienne, the audience discovers the world of a big child, somewhere between reality and fiction, between concrete and stars.

The word “Mou”, means “nonchalant” in French. Nonchalant but not lazy, Mou redefines the codes of rap and French chanson. Putting his oar in, with the existing French wave, he navigates between genres with a touch of humour. With a wheedling and often hypnotic sound, Mou soothes and relaxes but never forgets to entertain using the clichés of rap to distort them and offers a well-needed dose of love, softness and altruism. This is ever present throughout his latest offering ‘Royal Calin’ which dropped last November; a six track project which features stand out singles such as ‘Cha-Cha’ and the groove-inflected ‘Croissants’.

French duo Terrenoire take their name from the Saint-Etienne district in which they grew up. On their debut EP, the duo bewitchingly tells the story of their odyssey to the capital, “the City” as they call it, alongside the irrepressible attraction that brings them back to their hometown. The two brothers Raphaël and Théo chase their utopian “Black Paradiso”, as they elegantly explore their childhood through surreal poesy and moving productions between electronic hip-hop and French chanson.

Not satisfied with producing one of France’s hardest trap projects of the year in 13 Block’s “Triple S”, Ikaz Boi returns with “Brutal”, a debut album of his own that welcomes the audience into his eclectic universe through a portal of diverse instrumentals, features, and interludes. The project counts Ateyaba (fka Joke) amongst its guests, a voice that has become increasingly scarce over the past few years; building on their past collaborations, the pair offer up ‘Pyramid Tokyo’, a vibrant performance that serves as a reminder of why the French scene misses the Montpellier rapper’s unique flow.

Stockholm’s Cherrie is back at it once again. After the viral success of last year’s anthem ‘163 För Evigt’, the Swedish-Somali singer returns to deliver another smooth dose of R&B. An empowering testament to feminine strength and a declaration of love to family and friends, Cherrie’s honeyed vocals are the track’s driving force, creating a sound reminiscent of the early 00’s golden era, yet with a slick modern sheen.