Parisian chanson française singer Daphné (left) has won the 2007 Prix Constantin, beating high-profile nominees like Justice and Keren Ann to the honour. She was rewarded for 'Carmin', her second album.
The singer was presented with the prize by jury chairperson Rachid Taha at a ceremony in Paris last night. The presentation took place after a show featuring performances from all the nominees. The only absentees were Justice, who played their scheduled concert in Bordeaux last night.
The Prix Constantin, France's equivalent to the Mercury and Choice prizes, is awarded to the act considered to be the year's musical revelation. The two criteria for eligibility are that the act is signed to a French label and has never attained gold status in France (75,000 sales).
After last year's win by slam rapper Abd Al Malik, Daphné's success is a return to the prize's 2005 form, when idiosyncratic singer/voice artist Camille was rewarded for her quirky take on the traditional French chanson style, where a skiffly/jazzy sound is combined with Latino/manouche rhythms and carefully-crafted lyrics.
You can listen to some tracks from Daphné on her MySpace page. Here's the video for her recent single 'Musicamor':