French music recommendation: Soleil Bleu by Luiza

While male rappers, including the wildly popular Gims and Jul, largely dominated the 2025 streaming charts in France, there was one standout female voice that really captured the French public’s attention over the summer.

Released in April 2025, by the end of August Soleil Bleu by Luiza (full name Luiza Fernandes Viana) had racked up a whopping 25 million streams on Spotify, a figure more than tripled by the time we went to press.

The song featured on the debut EP by electronic duo Bleu Soleil.

The vocal is said to have been recorded by the Breton chanteuse in her bedroom using a microphone that cost just €20.

Luiza was raised in Rennes and her father, a Brazilian jazz double bass player, introduced her to the harp, piano, and guitar. She also took opera singing lessons until she was 15. 

She cites Manu Chao as a key influence and Soleil Bleu has a world music feel, with a reggae beat and uplifting lyrics inspiring freedom and independence (“Let me live how I want...”. 

Sonically it harks back to Leftfield, so is nothing especially new or innovative, but catchy is catchy. 

Instagram: luizamusic