Critique Musicale: Yelle

L’artiste de mon choix pour cette critique est Yelle de son patronyme Julie Budet. Elle est née le 17 janvier 1983, à Saint-Brieuc, en France. Quand elle était une étudiante, elle a suivi des cours en « Arts et Spectacle », mais elle préfèrait passer son temps libre à faire de la musique avec son compagnon.

Yelle est une chanteuse découverte grâce à MySpace. Son premier album, « Je veux te voir », a reçu plus de 125 000 cliques et écoutes. Son succès sur MySpace avec cet album a permis à Yelle de se faire découvrir par Michael Youn. Son deuxième album, « À Cause des garçons » devient vite très populaire. Ses chansons reposent sur les musiques de la Tecktonik, qui est un type de danse moderne très populaire en France. Le principal genre de la plupart de ses chansons est la musique club, la Tecktonik, la musique moderne et le pop. Les thèmes qui sont présents dans ses chansons sont le rapport entre les amoureux et sexe.


Personnellement, je ne suis pas d'accord avec les paroles de ses chansons. C’est très superficiel et sexuellement dégradant. Mais j’aime le rythme et aussi j’aime le fait qu’elle n’ait pas peur de chanter à propos de choses comme ça avec confiance.

Ce qui différencie Yelle des autres musiciens français, c’est le fait qu’elle est très libre et qu'elle parle librement à propos du sexe, du jogging, des garçons ou de sa meilleure amie. Elle est très confidente et crispée. Ce n'est pas typique des chanteuses français de son temps.

Pour conclure, j’aime beaucoup les chansons de Yelle à que j’ai commencé à écouter il y a onze mois. J’ai remarqué que beaucoup de clubs ici jouent ses chansons et son courage et sa personnalité sont bien représentés dans ses chansons.

Allez ici pour écouter à « Je veux te voir »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsrN3qxX2Yw

London in Twenty Snapshots

The first city I landed in was London. From Day 1 I walked around the city, visiting museums and parks since I only had a several days in this metropolitan city. Anyways here goes my first post about Europe!

The British Museum is the oldest public museum in the world. It was established in 1753 by Sir Hans Sloane and it contains collections from all over the world. Admission is free for everyone, as requested by the collector.

Cool ceiling design inside the British Museum.

Little fountain in Russell Square Park where I wrote my very first column for Imprint :)
(check it out http://imprint.uwaterloo.ca/2010/may/7/features/europe-101/)


A hotel right across the street from the hotel I stayed at. (Royal National Hotel)

It wouldn't be England without these red telephone booths

The British Library is the biggest library in London. It was almost like another museum: it contains the original manuscript of Jane Eyre, Tess of the D'urbevilles, Alice in Wonderland, and the Book of Sir Thomas Moore by Shakespeare.



There are so many theatres in London but unfortunately I was too rushed for time to watch a musical.

The National Gallery contains hundreds of paintings by famous artists like Botticelli, Ruben, Hogarth, Renoir, Van Gogh, Monet and Picasso.

Street signs to major attractiosn in London.

I randomly came across the Canadian Embassy as I was looking for souvenir shops.

This is the famous Big Bus Tour in London, also knwon as the "double-decker." For just 25 euros, you can get unlimited access to these buses as well as a live guided tour, river cruise, 3 walking tours, and discount tickets to many other attractions.

London Eye is the highest Ferris wheel in the world and it is located above the Thames river, showing the best view of the city.

Buckingham Palace is the Queen's official London home. Unfortunately, the royal family's private rooms are not oipen to the public but the palace tour takes visitors up the grand staircase and through the state rooms.

The second day I was in London, there was a huge group of people tented outside the Parliament building protesting against sending British troops to Afghanistan.

Big Ben is a clock tower dominating the seats of the government. It holds a 14-ton bell and its chimes are broadcasted daily on BBC radio.

This is the Parliament building in London. Houses of Parliament in England is divided into two: House of Commons and House of Lords, just like in Canada.

This is the top of the House of Parliament building in London. Notice the English flag is up: this means the Queen is in town. Downtown London was crazy this day because it was the Queen's first official speech since the new British government got elected.

This bird is called the Tower of London raven, according to my guide book. I saw it while I was sitting on a bench writing this article in front of the Parliament building.

This is the back entrance to Westminster Abbey. This church is where the coronation of Kings and Queens has been taking place for hundreds of years, including that of Queen Elizabeth the Second. I got a chance to go in for a Evening Song, which was a choir/prayer service and it was without a doubt London's oldest and most important church.

If you have been to London, you will have noticed that British cars are right hand drive. When I first landed in London I always looked the wrong way when crossing the streets. I would have for sure gotten hit by a car if it wasn't for this kindly written instruction on the road..

I wish I could have stayed in London for longer because there were places I still had yet to visit: the Tower of London, Jack the Ripper street (where the story of "Sweeney Todd" actually happened), and many more. But I will be back here for sure in the near future so no regrets :)

Exam crunch time!

This is just a short blog before my biological clock completely malfunctions. Pulling all nighters every day for the past week turned me into a living zombie and now I'm suffering from a condition I never thought I would suffer from: insomnia... I just can't seem to be able to go back to sleep after 5am!

Anyways, exams are really stressful and I really wish I had started studying months before the exam crunch began.

I came up with 3 tips to reduce stress during the exam time that I'm going to strictly abide by for the next 2 weeks.

1. Force yourself to take breaks.

Breaks are so important especially during cramming time. Your brain needs time to process the huge amount of information intake. So make sure you take at least 10 minute break after an hour of studying!

2. Know when to say NO!

It's really important to get your priorities straight during exam crunch time. Going out with friends might seem harmless at the moment but always remember the closer you are to the exam date the heavier the consequences will be. Remember, you want to get good GPA.

3. Be confident!

Always keep in mind that you are no less prepared than anybody else in your classroom. Trust that you have done the best you could and relax and smile going into that gymnasium :)

Cant wait till freedom!

clara xoxo