Françoise Hardy

From the release of her very first single, "Tous les Garçons et les Filles" (1962), teenage singer Françoise Hardy became the face of yé-yé, the uniquely French answer to rock and roll. An iconic figure of Paris in the 1960s, Hardy's striking looks and diffident, slightly melancholy air became as important to her fellow teens as her music. Where most of her contemporaries were resigned to the cabaret circuit as the hits dried up, Hardy continued to be a vital force in French pop.