Joseph d'Anvers' life could have been very different. As a young man he had heavy hobbies, playing in the post-rock groups Polagirl and Super 8, and boxing on the side. An operation on his vocal cords in the late '90s changed the way he sang, and with it came a lighter musical mode. When d'Anvers started out as a solo artist in 2006 he was playing fairly traditional French chanson—tender balladeering at measured tempos—but since then he's crafted a beguiling style. D'Anvers' seductive voice rolls over intricate and refined rhythms that suggest him as France's answer to Gotye.