13 Upcoming Podcasts From Spotify France, Including the Country’s First Video Podcast
The fall season has arrived and at Spotify France, that means one thing: podcasts. Between this September and last, podcast listenership and consumption have both doubled in France, and the nationwide enthusiasm shows no signs of slowing. To help meet the growing appetite for audio entertainment, French creators have been hard at work in the studio developing more unique shows to love.
Listeners can say bonjour to 13 new releases in the coming months that run the gamut from history storytelling to wellness to investigative journalism. That includes more episodes of fan favorite La Poudre, a fresh concept from beloved Coming Out hosts Elise Goldfarb and Julia Layani, and a new show from former basketball star Tony Parker. Plus, Spotify France is launching its first video podcast (or vodcast), featuring influencers Bilal Hassani, Sulivan Gwed, Sundy Jules, Johann (aka SparkDise), and Wesley Krid. There’s also a historical fiction podcast that reckons with France’s colonial past and much more.
Here’s a look at the full slate of French-language podcasts debuting this fall through early next year, sorted into themes so you can easily find whatever you’re looking for.
DEBATING
La Poudre, returning with Season 6 this October
The journalist, author, and cofounder of the production studio Nouvelles Écoutes, Lauren Bastide, has become one of the leading voices on the French podcast scene and of France’s continuing feminism movement. Now, she joins Spotify France Studios as a creative partner to launch a rich and multifaceted collaboration. Her podcast, La Poudre, will now be available exclusively on Spotify, with a new season where she will interview artists, activists, and political figures.
“This collaboration with Spotify is a great pride and a big shift for me,” Lauren told For the Record. “When I launched La Poudre in 2016, I had no idea how big the show would get or how much the podcast world would evolve. By creating Season 6 with Spotify, I want to lead the way to new business models, new ways of making media, and of consuming it. The Spotify interface won me over as a listener. I’m also proud to be one of Spotify’s first creative partners in France, and I’m looking forward to many exciting projects in the future with the goal of continuing to broadcast and defend women’s freedom of thought, which will always remain at the heart of my work as a journalist.”
Meurice Recruiting (Meurice Recrute), premiering this November
In a parallel universe, humorist Guillaume Meurice is running for president in 2022. To find his future minister of economy (and environment, sexuality, etc.), the freshly elected president of the French Republic must interview members of his ideal government. You can follow along as a fly on the wall as Guillaume speaks with academics, politicians, artists, and activists. Each humorous conversation along Guillaume’s fictional presidency campaign gives the host and his guests a chance to share their positive visions of society, propose alternatives to today’s challenges, and stir things up.
“This podcast comes from a desire to discuss issues that are not the same as those tirelessly repeated in political speeches, in the company of personalities who bring new ideas without stopping us from having fun,” Guillaume said.
LEARNING
Oyez Oh Yeah, returning September 23
Oyez Oh Yeah is a history podcast like you’ve never heard before! Hosts historian Manon Bril and comedian Alex Ramirès bring humor to history as they revisit the past. Each episode, Manon and Alex interview experts about a specific time period or historical fact. Their offbeat approach makes academic knowledge accessible and interesting to all.
COMING TOGETHER
Brazza Report (Le Rapport Brazza), premiering this October
This podcast walks the line between documentary and fiction and focuses on an essential but taboo part of France’s collective memory: colonization. The show focuses on a fictional character named Johan, a young Franco-Gabonese man in search of his missing mother in 1930 who discovers the real and highly confidential “Brazza Report.” Its contents will change his life. The explosive document, written 20 years earlier by the explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza, denounces the ravages of colonization in equatorial Africa. Brazza Report features actor Gaël Kamilindi of the Comédie Française and Beninese singer-songwriter and activist Angélique Kidjo, as well as exclusive insights from author Lilian Thuram.
Sauce Algérienne, premiering early 2022
Family silences, unreadable clues, and questions about identity—39% of young French people have an enduring and complicated connection to colonization and the Algerian War. When podcast host Paul, a doctoral student in sociology, learns this by chance one day, he becomes curious to understand whether the new generation can redefine the way France lives its relationship with its Algerian memory. And so, he sets out to meet five young people whose history has been marked in one way or another by this common past. Sauce Algérienne is a documentary that lifts the veil on a fundamental social issue and marks the point where the personal and the political merge.
EXCHANGING
Tony Parker, premiering this November
He is the greatest French basketball player in history, a U.S. sports legend, a recognized businessman, and now a podcast host. Tony Parker, one of the most respected Frenchmen in the world and a model of success for several generations, welcomes athletes, artists, and leaders to join him in the recording studio. Together, Tony and his guests give listeners a front-row seat to their unfiltered conversations about success, commitment, and the common values that help them stay grounded.
Elise & Julia, premiering early 2022
After concluding their successful podcast Coming Out, hosts Elise Goldfarb and Julia Layani and the Spotify Studios team are continuing their collaboration on a new talk show project. The two outspoken entrepreneurs invite public figures, artists, and activists to discuss topics close to their hearts: fashion, ecology, politics, the LGBTQIA+ community, and even celebrities.
“Many brands and advertisers are unfortunately still shy when it comes to supporting the LGBTQIA+ cause,” explained Julia and Elise. “Spotify trusted us right away by producing Coming Out. We’re super excited to be working together again with this new project, an interview podcast where we’ll talk about all the topics we care about!”
INVESTIGATING
The Shadow (L’ombre – Contre-enquête sur l’affaire Estelle Mouzin), premiering this November
Eighteen years ago, nine-year-old Estelle Mouzin disappeared on her way home from school. In The Shadow, Chloé Triomphe, an investigative journalist from Europe 1 radio, leads a fresh investigation of the shocking case. Chloé speaks at length to Estelle’s father on the podcast and follows the trail of Michel Fourniret, a well-known serial killer. This unbiased counter-investigation brings new elements and a new light to the official investigation and tries to answer a terrible question: Could we have known the truth earlier?
In Dark Waters (En eaux troubles), premiering early 2022
Journalists Adèle Humbert and Emilie Denètre, known for their investigative podcast 1000 degrees (1000 Degrés) on the tragedy caused by a parcel bomb, explore a new, unsolved legal case: the sinking of the Breton trawler Bugaled Breizh in 2004 off the British coast. This documentary miniseries is the result of a year-and-a-half-long investigation. Together, the hosts unveil the mysteries behind the unsolved disaster and bring to light original testimonies on the inexplicable case.
“Our new series is the culmination of several months of fieldwork in France and abroad; it’s a very ambitious piece that we couldn’t have done without the support of Spotify,” added Adèle and Emilie.
Damien, premiering early 2022
Following the successful run of podcast Sex Club (Sexe Club), Samia Basille and Spotify Studios are collaborating again. This time, Samia is taking on a challenging narrative documentary project: the educational trajectory of a special needs child. She launched a year-long investigation to meet Damien, an engaging young fifth grader in a Parisian public school who is approaching a milestone in his young life as he enters sixth grade. Will he get the accommodations he needs to adapt to his new school? The podcast follows Damien’s journey as he navigates Paris’s educational system.
GROWING UP
Animalia, premiering this October
Animalia is Spotify France’s first podcast dedicated to children. Host Cyril Dion leads the playful miniseries, which focuses on endangered animals and bestows them with unique personalities, all while raising awareness about extinction. Actes Sud will also release illustrated albums this fall to accompany the show and bring the animals to life.
“Today, 38,543 species are threatened with extinction,” Cyril shared. “This is a huge number, but there is hope, provided that we all act together and rethink our way of being in the world. This is Animalia‘s ambition: to accompany children in their discovery of the animal world while giving them the knowledge and tools to become adults who respect living beings.”
The Fabulous (La Fabuleuse), premiering September 21, 2022
La Fabuleuse is the first video podcast, or vodcast, from Spotify Studios France! Each week, a new episode will be available exclusively on Spotify in both audio and video format. The show follows Bilal Hassani, Sulivan Gwed, Sundy Jules, Johann (aka SparkDise), and Wesley Krid, who together make up a team of influencers living under the same roof. The fivesome has been collectively nicknamed “The Fabulous.” But they are much more than that; they represent a free and modern next generation. Friendship, success, mental health, astrology, pop culture, sexual, and gender identity . . . With humor, lightness, and maturity, the group offers a glimpse at the issues that concern today’s youth.
RELAXING AND UNWINDING
Zen Zen, premiering at the end of the year
Meditation gets a musical refresh. Singer and influencer Chloé Stafler invites listeners to join her in soothing meditation sessions. Each session is led by a different artist from the French music scene and focuses on a theme that is dear to them.
Can’t wait to start listening? Kick off the new season of podcasts with the vodcast The Fabulous (La Fabuleuse), which premieres today. And stay tuned for plenty more releases to come!
