5 Songs I Love w/ Vaast

Following the release of his new single “Remember These Days”, Flex caught up with French artist Vaast to explore the influences shaping his cinematic blend of electronic pop and melodic storytelling. Drawing inspiration from the legacy of French dance music and the emotional depth of classic pop songwriting, Vaast is carving out a sound that feels both nostalgic and forward-thinking. If you enjoy Vaast’s picks, be sure to check out “Remember These Days” at the end of the article.

1. Gilbert Becaud - Et Maintenant

In 2004, I discovered this song during the final of the fourth season of France’s Star Academy. It was performed in an orchestral version by the eventual winner, a performance that is particularly hard to forget. The fact that he suffered from an illness that took his life only a few years later, at the age of 23, makes the moment even more poignant. The day after his victory, as I was humming the melody, my grandmother even sang it with me, because she obviously already knew the original by Gilbert Bécaud! Since his passing in 2016, I’ve been mourning him by listening to it.

2. Christophe - Les mots bleus

In 2003, I discovered this song during the first season of the French TV show Nouvelle Star. It was performed by one of the show’s finalists and later released as a single on his debut album. In hindsight, I don’t think that version was extraordinary, and I much prefer the original, written and composed by Jean-Michel Jarre in the 1970s. However, I still associate it with a certain innocence that I appreciate, even though the boldness and melancholy of Christophe’s version suits me much better today.

3. Jean Jacques Goldman - Envole Moi

Jean-Jacques Goldman is certainly the greatest living French composer. What he has done for so many French-speaking artists is incredible, both in terms of lyrics and composition. But “Envole-moi” perhaps affects me more personally than other songs, because it so accurately expresses a deep need to escape fatalism, submission, fear, and abandonment, feelings I often experienced in my hometown.

4. Céline Dion - My Heart Will Go On

The greatest film soundtrack ever written. I’ve listened to it thousands of times. Titanic sits very high in my personal cinematic pantheon because it embodies everything I expect from a film. I judge everything I watch through its lens. Everything that makes it up, including its soundtrack, contributes to making it a complete, major work that makes me dream and cry in equal measure. Céline Dion is obviously a huge part of that, but James Horner undeniably crafted the perfect setting for it, fully aligned with its time and subject.

5. Natasha St Pier - Mourir Demain

I’ve always been fascinated by Québécois artists. Luc Plamondon, Garou, Daniel Lavoie, and Bruno Pelletier impressed me with Notre-Dame de Paris. Céline Dion, through her many international successes, and others like Isabelle Boulay, Cœur de Pirate, and Charlotte Cardin have accompanied me at different moments in my life. Alongside Pascal Obispo, Natasha St-Pier embodied a very unique vision of 2000s France. “Mourir Demain” is exactly the kind of song I used to listen to before I started composing myself. It says everything in a simple, absolute, and modern way. That was the pop of the time, music that didn’t yet make me want to write because I wouldn’t have had anything better to offer.

Enjoyed these picks? Make sure you listen to "Remember These Days"!