Angèle's 'Instinct': Belgium's Biggest Pop Star Courts the World

By Elena Vasquez

Belgian pop star Angèle released her album Instinct on RCA, backed by collaborations with Justice, Soulwax and Caroline Polachek. The Guardian's review, published October 15, delivers a split verdict: a bold bid for broader appeal that "can be generic as well as daring."

The stakes are clear. Angèle is massive in her home nation of Belgium but, as the review notes, "less so outside" it. The album is her attempt to change that equation.

Why does Francophone pop struggle in the UK?

The review frames Instinct within a shifting global pop market. Streaming and social media have broken what the Guardian calls "the traditional Anglo-American stranglehold over pop." Charts now feature music from Seoul or Lagos as readily as London or LA.

One venue illustrates the shift. Tottenham Hotspur's 62,000-capacity stadium has recently hosted:

• Jay-Z, Gorillaz and System of a Down
• India's Arijit Singh
• South Korea's BTS, BigBang and Stray Kids
• Puerto Rico's Bad Bunny, who addressed the crowd almost exclusively in Spanish

British audiences, the review argues, have shown real disinclination "to be welded to English-speaking artists" — a cheering development. But the Guardian identifies limits: "the same interest hasn't been afforded Francophone pop."

What's the track record for French-language stars?

The pattern is unpromerving for Angèle. According to the review, the biggest French-speaking stars in recent memory have taken one of two routes: dealing in dance music or acquiescing to recording in English.

The closest comparison is Belgian rapper Stromae. He has attracted media interest and co-signs from Kanye West and Lorde, yet he has never progressed beyond cult status in the UK.

That is the wall Instinct tries to break through — with high-profile help. Justice, the French electronic duo; Soulwax, the Belgian band; and Caroline Polachek, the American singer-songwriter, all feature on the record.

Does the gamble pay off?

Only partly, in the Guardian's assessment. The review's headline calls Angèle "determined to do pop differently," and the album's guest list signals genuine ambition. But the critic finds the results uneven: moments of daring sit alongside material the review describes as generic.

The takeaway in plain words: Angèle has the collaborators, the profile and the intent to cross over — but the album does not fully settle whether Francophone pop can finally crack an Anglophone market that has opened to Korean, Indian and Latin American acts while staying shut to French.

The full verdict on whether Instinct changes that picture rests in the Guardian's complete review.