Learn French With Mentissa with these 11 Song Recommendations (Full Translations Included!)

Mentissa
LF Content Team | Updated on 2 February 2023
Learning French with Mentissa's music is fun, engaging, and includes a cultural aspect that is often missing from other language learning methods. It is also great way to supplement your learning and stay motivated to keep learning French!
Below are 11 song recommendations by Mentissa to get you started! Alongside each recommendation, you will find a snippet of the lyric translations with links to the full lyric translations and lessons for each of the songs!
CONTENTS SUMMARY
La Vie Qu'on Aime (The Life We Love)
Je le ferai quand même
Qu'importe mes peines
Pourquoi rester là
Je m'reconnais pas
I'll do it anyway
No matter my pain
Why stay here
I don't recognize myself

Have you ever looked around and thought, "Is this really it?" That's the feeling at the heart of Belgian singer Mentissa's song. She's tired of waiting for things to get better and sick of hearing clichés like "Que tout s'arrange toujours" (That everything always works out). Instead, she sees a world where "Plus rien ne tient debout" (Nothing is standing anymore) and asks a huge question: "Si c'est la vie qu'on aime / C'est quoi la vie / Si c'est la vie qu'on mène" (If this is the life we love / What is life / If this is the life we lead).

This isn't just a sad song, though. It's a powerful call for change. Mentissa feels she doesn't recognize herself anymore and declares, "J'veux changer d'soleil" (I want to change suns), a beautiful way of saying she needs a completely new start. She questions what holds us back, asking "Qu'est-ce qui nous enchaîne" (What chains us), while pointing out that we're all running so fast we ignore the pain "que l'on connaît par coeur" (that we know by heart). It's a song for anyone who feels restless and ready to find a life that feels more real.

Et Bam (And Boom)
Gare du Nord en novembre
Les cheveux en pagaille
Comme une boule au ventre
Qui me tend, qui me tord
Gare du Nord in November
Messy hair
Like a knot in my gut
That tenses me, that twists me

Et Bam is Mentissa’s big, goose-bump moment. Picture her stepping off the train at Paris’s Gare du Nord in chilly November, hair messy from travel and nerves twisting in her stomach. She is a young Belgian singer about to face an enormous stage, and every heavy heartbeat she feels echoes as the onomatopoeic “et bam” in the chorus. The song captures that split second when fear meets adrenaline, when a dream finally becomes real and the city of lights stretches wide in front of her.

Beyond the stage fright, Mentissa turns the spotlight on what truly matters to her: family, authenticity and the simple thrill of a racing pulse. Repeating “Je veux pas l’Amérique” (I don’t want America), she rejects the cliché of chasing global fame for its own sake. Instead, she sings for her mother, for the friends she has already won, and for the beating heart that sweeps away her tears and doubts. Et Bam is a vibrant anthem for anyone who chooses passion over glitter, daring to stand in front of the world with nothing but a trembling voice and a brave, booming heart.

Désolée (Sorry)
Alors c'est comme ça
Qu'on fait
Faut être désolé
Désolé d'être désolé
So that's how it is
That's how we do
You gotta be sorry
Sorry for being sorry

“Désolée” is Mentissa’s spirited clap-back to a world that keeps telling us to shrink, apologize, and be nice at any cost. Over an infectious pop-soul groove, the Belgian singer repeats the word désolée (“sorry”) only to flip it on its head: she refuses to be sorry for her quirks, her laziness, her big dreams, or the fiery ambition that fuels her art. The verses list these so-called “flaws,” while the chorus proudly declares, “J’suis pas désolée”—I’m not sorry. It’s a playful yet powerful reminder that self-acceptance beats constant self-censorship.

At its heart, the song is an anthem of unapologetic authenticity. Mentissa exposes the pressure to please others—“S’écraser, s’effacer” (“crush yourself, erase yourself”)—then tosses that script aside, choosing to “voir les choses en grand” (“see things on a grand scale”). By the time the final chorus hits, you feel invited to stand taller, own your imperfections, and chase your passions without muttering another half-hearted “sorry.” If you’ve ever felt you needed permission to be yourself, Mentissa just handed it to you, set to a beat that makes resistance feel joyful.

Le Bruit Du Silence (The Noise Of Silence)
Dis-moi comment
Toi comment tu fais
Avec tes défauts
Et ce foutu reflet
Tell me how
You, how you do it
With your flaws
And that damn reflection

Mentissa, the sparkling Belgian singer-songwriter, invites us into the hush behind the hustle in Le Bruit du Silence ("The Sound of Silence"). The lyrics read like a late-night chat with a close friend: she wonders how we cope with our quirks, mirrors, and the judging eyes around us. Beneath the upbeat groove, she admits to hiding tears, forcing laughter, and fighting those talkative "monsters" of self-doubt that keep her awake. All she longs for is a quiet inner space where she can finally turn down the mental volume.

In the second half of the song she flips the script, boldly saying goodbye to doubts, comparisons, and the exhausting you shoulds. By chasing away every noisy thought, she discovers only gentle whispers in her own voice and realizes the monsters were never real. The chorus becomes an anthem of self-acceptance: when life spins too fast, the truest music is the noise of silence—a calm confidence that lets you believe in yourself again.

La Vie Qu'on Mène (The Life We Lead)
Je le ferai quand même
Qu'importe mes peines
Pourquoi rester là
Je m'reconnais pas
I'll do it anyway
No matter my sorrows
Why stay here
I don't recognize myself

La Vie Qu'on Mène is Mentissa’s vibrant wake-up call to anyone who feels stuck on life’s treadmill. Staring at a world that seems to be collapsing under its own chaos, she refuses the comforting clichés of “everything sorts itself out”. Instead, she vows to change the sun, swap gloom for possibility and take action right now, pain or no pain. The song swings between frustration and fierce optimism, capturing that moment when you realise routine is choking your spirit and decide to chase a brighter horizon.

Listen closely and you will hear three big questions pulsing between the beats: • If this non-stop hustle is really life, why does it hurt so much? • What invisible chains keep us running in circles with the same old wounds? • How long before we dare to reinvent the rules?

Mentissa does not hand out tidy answers. She hands out a compass. By confronting the madness around us, acknowledging the ache we carry and choosing to “change our sun”, the Belgian singer invites every listener to craft a life that actually feels alive.

Mamma Mi
Elle se lève
Était-ce un rêve
Ou un mauvais film
Une Italienne
She gets up
Was it a dream
Or a bad movie
An Italian

Mentissa’s “Mamma Mia” turns a bruised heart into a battle cry. The song follows a woman who wakes up from the “bad movie” of a toxic relationship and suddenly sees her ex for what he is: malhonnête – slick, skillful, yet shamelessly dishonest. Between playful Italian interjections and biting French sarcasm, she scolds herself for being naïve, wonders if every man is “an animal,” then flips the script with a triumphant vow: Je serai la reine sans roi – “I’ll be a queen with no king.”

What begins in disbelief quickly bursts into fiery empowerment. One second she is stacking “piles of banal questions,” the next she is ready to burn his house down – proof that heartbreak can fuel both comedy and courage. By the final chorus, Mentissa’s heroine has traded self-doubt for a sparkling crown of independence, repeating Et peu m’importe toi (“And I couldn’t care less about you”). The message is clear: mistakes may sting, but freedom sings even louder.

Balance
Dis-le-moi
Combien cette fois
De kilos en trop
Balance-moi c'que je sais déjà
Tell me
How many this time
Extra kilos
Throw me what I already know

“Balance” turns a small bathroom scale into the loudest critic in the room. In this soulful pop anthem, Belgian singer Mentissa has a sharp conversation with that unforgiving piece of metal, demanding it to “spill” the extra kilos and repeat the harsh judgments she already knows by heart. The verses lay bare the cycle of crash-dieting, self-doubt and feeling watched from below by the scale’s cold stare. Every digit it shows is “a number with two tears,” a reminder that no matter how much she starves herself, the verdict never seems good enough.

Then comes the musical plot twist: liberation. With the hook “Balance-moi, balance tout,” she flips the meaning of balance from “scale” to “throw it all away.” Mentissa decides to drop the heaviest weight of all—the shame on her heart that kept her from feeling beautiful and authentic. As the song rises, she celebrates aging, shedding expectations like old feathers, and trusting that bad moments will pass. “Balance” is both a cathartic purge and a self-love manifesto, urging listeners to silence external judgments, step off the scale and dance in the freedom of being unapologetically themselves.

Fais Gaffe À Toit (Watch Out for Your Roof)
On t'a rien d'mandé
On est qui on est
Tout le monde le sait
Parfaitement imparfaites
Nobody asked you
We are who we are
Everyone knows it
Perfectly imperfect

Have you ever dealt with someone who just loves to give their opinion, even when nobody asked for it? That's the powerful theme behind Belgian singer Mentissa's song, "Fais Gaffe À Toi," which translates to "Watch Out."

This song is a direct message to anyone who is judgmental, arrogant, and speaks rudely just to be right. Mentissa sings about being perfectly imperfect and accepting herself, only to be confronted by someone who is overly talkative and critical. The lyrics are a final warning, saying, "That was the last straw, you've gone too far." It's a powerful anthem about standing up for yourself, demanding respect, and calling for more tolerance and less arrogance in the world. It’s a reminder that sometimes, the best thing someone can do is simply be quiet.

Paris-Bruxelles (Paris-Brussels)
Je suis venue te voir
Comme ça, sans trop savoir
Non pas que j'aimais pas
Mes rues et mes trottoirs
I came to see you
Like that, without really knowing
Not that I didn't like it
My streets and my sidewalks

Have you ever felt torn between two places you love? In "Paris-Bruxelles," Belgian singer Mentissa shares her personal story of moving from her home city, Brussels, to Paris. She sings about a life in transition, constantly traveling between the two capitals on the Thalys train, carrying her whole life with her in her suitcases.

This isn't a song about leaving an old life behind, but about making your heart big enough for a new one too. Mentissa explains that she didn't leave Brussels because she stopped loving it. Instead, new opportunities and a new love in Paris welcomed her with open arms. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of someone building a new home while still feeling deeply connected to their roots, declaring, "Mon cœur est assez grand / Pour aimer deux villes" (My heart is big enough / To love two cities).

Exceptionnel (Exceptional)
C'est vrai
Je vis une vie normale
Remplie de joies banales
Et d'histoires ordinaires
It's true
I live a normal life
Filled with ordinary joys
And ordinary stories

In "Exceptionnel," Belgian singer Mentissa celebrates the beauty of a simple, ordinary life. She describes herself as someone who prefers calm winter nights to dancing on tables, finding joy in everyday moments. She isn't promising her partner grand, over-the-top gestures like "le ciel" (the sky) or "la lune" (the moon). Instead, she asks if they can find happiness in quiet, intimate things, like walking at the same pace or kissing in a dark movie theater.

The song's powerful message is that a simple life, when shared with someone who loves you for who you are, can be truly exceptional. Mentissa promises that if her partner accepts her calm nature, she will "ferai de l'or avec du sel" (make gold from salt), turning the ordinary into something precious. Together, they can create their own magic, dancing in the rain and supporting each other, proving that a quiet love can be the most extraordinary adventure of all.

Premier Janvier (January First)
Qu'est-ce qu'on deviendra
Dans dix ans?
Toi et moi
Qui le sait, qui le sait?
What will we become?
In ten years?
You and me
Who knows, who knows?

Have you ever had a moment so perfect you were afraid it wouldn't last? In "Premier Janvier," Belgian singer Mentissa captures this exact feeling. The song is a heartfelt look at a relationship, filled with both hope and anxiety about the future. The singer asks, "What will we become in ten years?" fearing they might end up like other couples who let time separate them.

The entire song revolves around a powerful memory from the first of January. With "intertwined gazes" and "mixed drinks," the singer remembers a moment of pure connection. This memory becomes an anchor, something to hold onto. The singer makes a plea: if anger or hard times ever threaten to pull them apart, they must promise to remember that special day and try to find their way back to that feeling. It's a beautiful song about cherishing a perfect moment while worrying that love, like an "old magic trick," might one day disappear.

We have more songs with translations on our website and mobile app. You can find the links to the website and our mobile app below. We hope you enjoy learning French with music!
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