Edith Piaf's career was made of many different polemics about her work as well as her character and it contributed in some ways to her success and to her impact on the French music. The situation is different for Zaz who was criticized recently by the French media and for who it is hard to forecast the consequences on her career.
First of all, Zaz made in November 2014 an interview for a French web site (http://www.chartsinfrance.net/ZAZ/interview-94395.html) in which she declared that there was a kind of "thoughtlessness in Paris during the occupation". The French occupation bt the Nazi Germany during the Second World War is still a very sensitive topic in France and her declaration made her the target of critics from many people. These critics had a very negative impact on her image since some did not hesitate to over react and compare her to a neo nazi. I personnally think that she had no bad intention when she said it and that the media created a polemic which were not founded but still it was a communication mistake whose consequences were very negative for her.
Furthermore, Zaz recently accepted €40,000 to perform a 30 minutes concert for a German company. This, added to the numerous shows she performed abroad and especially in Eastern Europe, led to criticism from the French media who blame her for acting contradictory to the values she embodied and which made her famous. Indeed, she was known for her simplicity and her modest background, and the fact that she becomes more commercial and business-oriented are in contradiction with the image she had at the beginning of her career.
Thus, Edith Piaf's controversies built up her character and contributed to some extent to her success because they were justified by her difficult life and consistent with her values and personality. At the contrary Zaz is currently blamed for denying her roots and the values that made her success in the first place and she might not recover from it since the image and the public opinion are primordial in the music industry.
This is really interesting and intelligent, Virgile, thank you. I love the way you consider the economic factors that impact people's lives. (I am working on a new book that combines economic history with French literature.) This comment also reminds me of the French anguish over the disjunction between l'être and le paraître--goes back to J.J. Rousseau and the Romantics, the notion that an artist has to somehow embody pure principle and be "true" to themselves alone. Capitalism makes a mess of such pretty thoughts!
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