2004 may be over for most of us, but feisty young rapper K-Maro is still surfing on the wave of success generated by his single Femme Like U, which proved to be one of the big hits of the year in France and Belgium. Femme Like U is currently extending its chart run to the rest of Europe, rocketing to no.4 in Germany, no.6 in Switzerland, no.9 in Flanders (where it was a recent no.1), no.18 in Austria, no.21 in the Netherlands and no.22 in the Czech Republic. Meanwhile, with just a few days to go before the release of K-Maro’s third single Sous l’oeil de l’ange (due out on 2 February), Crazy, the first single release from his album La Good Life, is still hanging on at no.20 in Switzerland, no.44 in Flanders and no.13 in Wallonia. Now that’s what we call a man firing on all cylinders!

French rock’n’pop outfit Kyo enjoyed a triumphant year in 2004, scooping no less than three trophies at the “Victoires de la Musique” Awards. The band, who have become veritable teen idols in France, are now back in the music news with 300 Lésions. This new album, Kyo’s third to date, got off to a lightning start, shooting straight to no.1 in the French album charts (where it has stayed for the past two weeks) and reaching no.2 in Switzerland and no.13 in Wallonia, the French-speaking part of Belgium.

Meanwhile, One-T & Cool-T’s cool electro single The Magic Key appears to be enjoying a new lease of life. The Magic Key was originally released two years ago, but the single recently made a surprise entry in the official airplay list in the Czech Republic, ranking at no.55. As for hip French DJ David Guetta, he’s currently causing a stir on dancefloors in Spain with Stay, currently placed at no.10 in the Spanish singles chart. French R&B duo Tragédie have also scored a hit with their latest single release, Gentleman, which reached no.24 in the Swiss charts and no.1 in Wallonia. And young singer Nâdya has been doing well, too, with her new single Si loin de vous, which has charted in Wallonia (no.4) and Switzerland (no.27), while her last hit Et c’est parti is still going strong in Belgium (no.1 in Flanders, no.10 in Wallonia).

Hungarian music fans appear to be eager for romance right now. The album of Gérard Presgurvic’s musical Roméo et Juliette is about to enjoy its eighth consecutive month in the country’s Top 40. While the single Les Rois du monde spent the festive period riding high at no.6 in Hungary’s national airplay chart, the album, which reached no.6 in the album charts at the beginning of January (and is still in the Top 10) earned a platinum disc for record sales. On the film soundtrack front, there’s one album that has dominated box-office records over the past few months and that is Les Choristes. After taking Germany by storm, the album is currently causing a stir in Canada where it has spent the last three weeks in the Top 100. Les Choristes currently stands at no.75 and is still rising.

As usual, French ‘chanson’ stars continue to appeal to a limited market which does not extend beyond French-speaking countries. But Michel Sardou has been doing very well within that market recently. Indeed, La Rivière de notre enfance – a duet the French ‘chanson’ veteran recorded with Garou – has proved to be his biggest hit in the last ten years. La Rivière de notre enfance reached no.1 in France, no.1 in Wallonia and no.14 in Switzerland. Meanwhile, sales of Monsieur Sardou’s latest album Du plaisir are fast approaching the million mark.

Talking of brilliant sales, Florent Pagny’s latest album Baryton (which currently holds the no.1 spot in Wallonia) recently went platinum in Belgium. French pop diva Zazie is also doing well with Rodéo, an album which recently shot straight to the no.2 spot in Wallonia and no.45 in Switzerland. And while fans await new material from Renaud and Patrick Bruel, both singers are relying on the strength of old favourites, putting out opportunistic ‘Greatest Hits’ albums. Renaud is enjoying success with Mon film à moi et mes chansons préférées de moi (which reached no.10 in Wallonia and no.29 in Switzerland) while Patrick Bruel is riding high in the charts with Puzzle (no.4 in Wallonia and no.42 in Switzerland).

Things have been decidedly quieter on the electro front of late with the “French Touch” running out of steam. But this could change with the release of Human After All, the eagerly-awaited new album from Daft Punk. (The French duo’s new album is not due for international release until 21 March, however). The only bright news on the electro export scene so far are singles hits from One-T & Cool-T and David Guetta and the fact that Air’s album Talkie Walkie recently climbed back up to no.13 in the American magazine Billboard’s electronic chart.

On the world music export front, two acts continue to dominate the scene: Les Gipsy Kings and Youssou N’Dour. Both have enjoyed recent success in Billboard’s world music chart in the U.S., the Gipsy guitarists reaching no.7 with their album Roots, and Youssou climbing to no.9 with his Sufi album Egypt. Last but not least, Era’s mix of world and electronica continues to find fans abroad, thanks to a recent compilation which reached no.13 in Switzerland and no.1 in Estonia.