A female singer, especially one who performs chansons, cabaret songs, or popular French vocal music.
From French chanteuse, meaning 'female singer,' derived from chanter (to sing) and Latin cantare. The -euse is a French feminine suffix.
Chanteuse has become the English word for sophisticated female singers associated with French culture—think Edith Piaf, Josephine Baker, or anyone performing in a dimly-lit Parisian venue with a cigarette in hand.
French feminine form of 'chanteur' (male singer). The -euse suffix marks female singers but historically coded them as less serious artists than male chanteurs, particularly in cabaret/music hall contexts where chanteuses were often confined.
Use 'singer' or 'vocalist' unless the historical context of female cabaret performance is central. If used historically, frame with awareness: 'Chanteuses reshaped popular music despite working within restrictive venue hierarchies.'
["singer","vocalist","performer"]
Female chanteuses like Piaf and Dietrich became canonical figures in 20th-century performance history, their artistry transcending the gendered categorization that initially confined them to lower-status venues.
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