After a debut solo album that failed to reach the Top 50 and an entire career with his former band The Charts, expectations weren’t high for Calogero 2002 album titled simply Calogero.
France best selling albums ever: Chante Les Années 80 by Star Academy 2 (2002)
If one start looking for the most widespread link between all French million selling albums of the last 20 years, his conclusion will definitely be a three-letter one: TF1. French Media environment has this particularity of being extremely dominated by the first TV channel. The only one available during many years in the past, the average 40+ music consumer of French variety has the habit of mixing “television” and “TF1”, there is no other channel for a large part of the country.
France best selling albums ever: Paradize by Indochine (2002)
French music scene has always been massively dominated by solo artists. We just ended to study million selling album Le Chemin by Kyo in 2003, but that is the exception rather than the standard. In fact, no band, local or international, sold a million copies of an album in France since that date. The country had in all its history a mere four truly big and cult bands, those are Téléphone, Noir Désir, Louise Attaque and Indochine.
France best selling albums ever: Pokhara by Yannick Noah (2003)
Being successful on his own way as always been the trademark of Yannick Noah. Pairing with successful author Robert Goldman, brother of French superstar Jean-Jacques Goldman, can’t hurt.
France best selling albums ever: Le Chemin by Kyo (2003)
Just like Raphael, Calogero or Benabar, French Pop / Rock band Kyo released a debut album in 2000 that got unnoticed. Just like them yet, success wasn’t very far yet and times of massive sales came in 2003 thanks to the huge hit album Le Chemin.
France best selling albums ever: Ailleurs Land by Florent Pagny (2003)
After a pair of million selling albums in mid-90s, authentic French start Florent Pagny lost some ground releasing three decent selling albums that failed to reach blockbuster status yet.
France best selling albums ever: Les Choristes OST by Bruno Coulais (2004)
A few years only after the huge worldwide success of Amélie Poulain soundtrack, another French soundtrack storm into the market in 2004. Composed by Bruno Coulais, Les Choristes OST became, among other achievements, the first French language album ever to reach #1 in Spain.
France best selling albums ever: 3 by Calogero (2004)
After five albums with his former band (Les Charts, 1989-1997) and one solo debut LP (Au Milieu Des Autres, 1999) with very moderate success, the strongly successful eponymous album from 2002 was a significant surprise. Getting close of a million sales when follow up 3 was released, the question was View More
France best selling albums ever: Du Plaisir by Michel Sardou (2004)
Controversial singer Michel Sardou, second to Johnny Hallyday among bestselling French act ever overall, had an immaculate career by 2004 when he released Du Plaisir. He had yet to receive an official Diamond award for 1 million sales. Signing a new contract with Universal and being the flagship sponsor of the Star Academy season changed the story, offering the artist the so much coveted award when he was 58.
France best selling albums ever: Caravane by Raphael (2005)
2005 stands as a truly bizarre year in French music industry. In a negative note, it saw only two million selling albums being released – Reprise Des Négociations by Bénabar and Caravane by Raphael, the first time in over a decade less than three albums made it. What stood as quite strange yet is that View More