SO LONELY IN THIS PART OF TOWN.

A new star has risen over the City of Lights this year, and if you’re ready to navigate by a new set of pop constellations, she just might rearrange everything. Meet Christine and the Queens, one of the more undeniable and quietly brilliant artists we’ve encountered in ages. A singer-songwriter who takes her name from her time spent in London’s counterculture drag scene, Christine (née Héloïse Letissier) has been gathering heat in France for a minute now, thanks to her electrifying live show and her stunning, platinum-certified debut Chaleur Humaine, the runaway consensus album of the year in her home country.

In possession of a Ziggy Stardust level of iconoclasticism and a stage presence that strikes the perfect balance between MJ and Francis & The Lights, Christine combines an artistic depth that feels rare and almost unorthodox with an unmistakable contemporary edge: in her perfect (and Lorde-approved) single “Saint Claude,” she’s all steely, tight HAIM-esque translucence with an effortless lightness that’s all her own. We suspect next year to be a massive one for Christine as she sets her sights on international stardom beyond French borders, so get involved immediately with the indelible clip for “Saint Claude”, perhaps the finest song and video of the year, above.