Belgium’s Angèle is one of Europe’s biggest pop stars, having released two multi-platinum albums, a number of multi-platinum singles, and taken home over two dozen music awards. The French-language singer can sell 70,000 tickets to a pair of Paris gigs, but in the US, her biggest solo accomplishment has been selling out three nights at the 3,000 capacity Terminal 5 in New York City to cap her first-ever North American tour.
Either that, or playing Coachella 2023. She may not be at the same level of fame as, say, fellow Belgian Stromae or transatlantic superstar Rosalía, but the path there isn’t hard to see. Her success in the EU has been swift (her debut, Brol, isn’t even five years old yet), and with performances like she put on at T5, it wouldn’t be surprising if her US fanbase quickly expanded.
Angèle is something of a classic pop star, inspired by the ’90s era of singer/dancers (as evident by her Britney Spears intro music and piano cover of “…Baby One More Time”). Even if you don’t speak her language, you can feel the sincerity in her emotive, dynamic songs — and whether they were native French speakers or not, the audience at the final Terminal 5 show (May 6th) returned that energy with their singalongs. (And yes, even the young kids their with their parents were singing along to the Spears cover; the kids know their classics.)
With her dance troupe showing off a range of styles and creating intriguing stage shapes around and with her, plus a backing band that engaged in the fun even from their stationary platforms, Angèle’s show was engrossing. The language barrier in music has been crumbling over the last few years, and with concerts like this, Angèle has proven herself worthy of being the latest act to cross that divide.
Check out a photo gallery from Angèle’s May 6th concert at New York City’s Terminal 5 below, along with a complete setlist. You can also get tickets to her upcoming European and UK tour dates here.
Setlist:
Plus de sens
Tu me regardes
Pensées positives
Oui ou non
Tout oublier
Profite
Promets-moi
Ta reine
Perdus
Les matins
Je veux tes yeux
Amour, Haine & Danger
Le temps fera les choses
…Baby One More Time (Britney Spears piano cover)
Taxi
Solo
Tempête
Mauvais rêves
Libre
Flou
Fever (Dua Lipa duet via video)
Balance ton quoi
Encore:
Démons
Bruxelles je t’aime
